The Church of Scientology: Copyright vs. Free Speech
Abstract: In 1995, the Church of Scientology sued a number of parties, including the Washington Post, in an attempt to prevent the circulation of secret documents about the “religion.” This paper examines both sides of this issue, explores the implications to copyright law and the First Amendment, and describes the actual results of the case.
The Church of Scientology is a global organization with over 270 churches or missions worldwide. For decades, it has possessed followers with an almost fanatical devotion to their leader, L. Ron Hubbard. Since the advent of the Internet, the Church has begun to resort to various legal actions to maintain the secrecy of their “scriptures.”
On August 4, 1995, Arnaldo Lerma received a fax from a lawyer representing the Church of Scientology. This letter demanded that he remove from his webpage certain “Advanced Technology materials” from the Church. In the letter, the Church claimed both copyright and trade secret protection for the materials [1]. The next day, Lerma received an unannounced visit from two members of the Church who wanted to express their “concern” over the materials he posted. In response to this, Lerma sent a reply to the Scientologists’ lawyer and claimed that the materials he posted were affidavits taken from the public record, and so were not subject to copyright or trade secret protection. He also informed the law firm that he had sent a copy of the disputed materials along with a tape recording of the Scientologists’ visit to a reporter from the Washington Post [2].
On the morning of August 12, 1995, Arnie Lerma’s house was raided by lawyers of the Church of Scientology two armed Federal Marshals. A...
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...mputer Seized in Internet Lawsuit.” Washington Post, 13 Aug 1995.
5. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rnewman/lerma/cos-sues-washpost-8.22.95: A press released issued by the Church of Scientology on August 22, 1995.
6. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.text.html: Title 17, Section 107 of the U.S. Code
7. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rnewman/media/bj-8.25.95: A posting to the Usenet group alt.religion.scientology regarding the 25 Aug 1995 hearing before Judge Leonie Brinkema.
8. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rnewman/lerma/brinkema-post-11.28.95: An opinion issued by Judge Leonie Brinkema on 28 Nov 1995.
9. Hall, Charles W. “Church of Scientology Wins Cyberspace Copyright Fight.” Washington Post, 20 Jan 1996.
10. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/rnewman/media/bj-10.8.96: An opinion issued by Judge Leonie Brinkema on 8 Oct 1996.
Within the past twenty years scientology has dominated celebrity culture. The religion has increased its celebrity following, and as a consequence has been put in the spotlight. Scientology is a fairly new religion that was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard started his career as a science fiction writer, but one day when he was under anesthesia at the dentist he had an epiphany that inspired Scientology. He believed he knew all the answers to the universe, and he wrote Dianetics, which has become a guide book for the religion (Christian Century). Scientology focuses on the soul and clarity of the mind. In scientology the soul is called a thetan, and followers are required to “undertake the path of mental liberation with the help of another person, a spiritual counselor called an auditor” (Molloy). Auditing how scientologists free and overcome problems from past lives that their thetan inhabited. Molloy says, that scientology has roots in Buddhism and Hinduism because of the connection to past lives and liberation of the soul. L. Ron Hubbard set out to make a thriving religion that would grow and prosper.
One of the most important aspects of Hume's argument is his understanding of probability. Hume states that belief is often a result of probability in that we believe an event that has occurred most often as being most likely. In relation to miracles this suggests that miraculous events should be labelled as a miracle only where it would be even more unbelievable for it not to be. This is Hume's argument in Part 1 Of Miracles, he states that if somebody tells you that a miracle has occurred you do not have to physically go out and look at the evidence to determine it, all you really need to do is consider the concept of the miracle and if it is a violation of the laws of nature, we have to reason in acco...
As previously stated, most major religions go through a period where they bring in a level of portability, which helps the religion be accessible to a higher number of people. Most religions just want their message to reach as far as it can, so as to save as many people as possible but Scientology prefers to control its message and image more so then the other world religions, so it makes sense in a way that they would take such measures to protect themselves. Though of course, this approach does present an issue with their public image, as they are now seen as being law suit
Towards the end of the twentieth century, the Church of Scientology emerged as one of the largest, and most controversial new religious movements of modern time. The teachings of founder L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950’s at first were successful with the emergence of Dianetics, but endured a vast amount of criticism nationally. Dianetics and the auditing process have been prohibited, as well as the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard all over the world. Due to the negative portrayal from the media and the public, “Scientology has grown into a large international, ecclesiastical body with centers in almost half the countries of the world” (Melton 53). Not only has the church given others a “spiritual and optimistic perspective on life” (Melton 53), but also it has given thousands of people a second chance in life freeing them from past traumatic experiences. This paper will critically examine both an insider perspective, as well as an outsider perspective of Scientology, to better understand the Church of Scientology and its social teachings.
Wolff, Jonathan. "Pro and Con Positions Oversimplify Animal Experimentation Issues."Animal Experimentation. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Rpt. from "Killing Softly." Guardian. 28 Mar. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
In An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume, the idea of miracles is introduced. Hume’s argument is that there is no rational reason for human beings to believe in miracles, and that it is wrong to have miracles as the building blocks for religion. It is because the general notion of miracles come from the statement of others who claim to have seen them, Hume believes that there is no way to prove that those accounts are accurate, because they were not experienced first-hand. In order to believe a miracle, the evidence should be concrete, and something irrefutable. When there is any sort of doubt to a miracle, Hume says that any evidence that can be contrary to the proof of a miracle is merely evidence that the miracle did not happen, and it should be disproved. The only way a miracle can be proven is from the testimony of the person who had witnessed it, while any evidence against the miracle is something that defies the laws of nature. It falls upon the reputation of the witness to prove whether or not he or she actually observed a miracle, because a miracle can only be plausible when it is more likely than the opposing laws of nature. Hume’s reasoning in favour of miracles being insufficient events are also explanations as to why he believes miracles are not probable. First is the idea that human beings are not honest enough to be able to have possibly witnessed a miracle. Next is that human beings want to believe in the supernatural, and that desire allows us to believe in things that could never happen, simply because it would be wonderful and fantastical if that miracle actually did occur. Thirdly, the people who usually report sightings of a miracle are those who are uncivilized, or unsophisticated, so they ...
The church of Scientology has been the subject of controversy since its inception. Its methods and beliefs have attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. The church has been under government investigation and has endured a countless amount of lawsuits (Reitman 14). It is also a hot topic by the media with several endorsements by some of the most recognized Hollywood celebrities. However, the main topic of debate regarding the Church of Scientology is its status as a religion. Some members claim that the church has helped them overcome their struggles and that they are happier people, while others condemn it as a dangerous cult (Sweeney). The church of Scientology is a religious group whose purpose is to retain their members with the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Its controversial history, beliefs, and practices reveal the church’s commitment to keep its members.
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary the definition of Scientology is “a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training.” In addition, Scientology claims to comprise the remedies used to deliver people from drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as, therapeutic solutions to help others recover from serious injuries at an astonishing progressive rate. In essence, this movement’s main agenda is to bring order to a world of chaos through spreading its teachings, improving environmental conditions on planet earth, and developing the holistic being through using different methodologies and technologies.
Feesh calmly replied, “Listen to me. That new president has just announced that the government has been completely taken over by the Church of Scientology. That could mean the end of the world as we know it.”
So why does the existence of miracles have any meaning at all? Belief in miracles helps to bring a sense of the divine existence of God to those who believe in a material way. Miracles are a way for signs from God to be transferred to mankind, in a way that we are able to understand. These miracles or signs from God can help to show divine favour, and to support our moral beliefs and ideology, to let us know that we are on the path of righteousness for those who believe. But what then, constitutes a miracle? A miracle, according to Hume, is a violation of the laws of nature, something that cannot happen, but does. (Hume, 1777,E10.12) I believe that Hume believes that the the laws of nature, cannot ever be violated, for if one believes that this is possible, then the laws of nature are fallible and belief in the laws of nature which should be unalterable, would no longer apply. It is therefore, far more reasonable to believe that the laws of nature, which have proven themselves over and over again, are in fact to be believed and accepted over any possiblity for the existence of a miracle.
Scientology is a religion that was created in 1952 by L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology teaches that people are immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature, and aims to bring humans back to that nature. (What is scientology, 4) This religion aims to give you tools and ways to find out more about who you are as an individual. Scientology has since grown into a world wide organization/religion. Due to the fact that it is a newer religion they do not have any branches (Scientology.org, Official Church of Scientology: Beliefs & Practices) so this paper will discuss scientology as a whole. One of the most interesting things about this very complex religion is that you can be both Scientologists and another religion. Scientoligest can often relate most to the ideas of Budidsum but are open to you being any religion that you choose. (Kuchman, May 14)
Many people have heard of the revolutionary new religious practice called Scientology. However, the majority of people who have heard of it, have little knowledge of the principles and practices behind the religion. In fact, there is a dark side behind Scientology, and much speculation that the religion is a brainwashing cult. Many people are opposed to the religion because of its secretiveness, its extreme methods of teaching and its alleged use of mind control.
Similar to Wicca, Scientology is a vastly solitary religion, focusing on each practitioner and their personal journey through life in order to obtain fulfillment and happiness. Each Scientologist believes in the ‘thetan’, which is their true identity, or ‘spirit’. Scientology is based on fundamental principles that act as a guide to each individual’s ultimate spiritual enlightenment ...
Many books have been written that discredit the religion of Scientology including Paulette Cooper's book titled The Scandal of Scientology which outlines all of what she believes to be faults in the Scientology religion. Being a biased source I turned from that book to an article printed four years after the death of the founder of Scientology Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. Titled "The Scientology Story "it was a series in The Los Angeles Times that was written to walk through Scientology from the beginning and simply explain the facts. In this unbiased account of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, there are many discrediting facts and ideas about the religion that were found. It is these very facts that I will be listing that many of Scientology's greatest critics use to defend themselves (in the case of those in the medical professions ), or to explain why the religions ideas are simply not valid or untrue.
In her theory, nursing skills and experiences are what is required to become an expert. Each step a nurse takes to build up their skills to master the expert level is built upon the previous steps. The nurse needs to have a good foundation in order to move them closer to obtaining the expert level. Benner’s theory also showed that practicing nurses can and should form theory (Current Nursing, 2013). Benner’s theory has five levels: the novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. The novice needs to be told what to do. Advanced beginner can recognize components that reoccur. A competent nurse is one that has had two-three years in the same type of situations. The proficient nurse starts to look at the whole picture and starts to critically think. The expert nurse does not need to look at the guidelines to react. An expert nurse has had many similar situations that, he or she can reflect upon a situation, analyze it and react quickly. Benner’s theory will be applied by discussing the problem,. a strategy to solve the problem,. discussion around the strategy and problem,. and finally the conclusion,. which will state what new knowledge was gathered by the