Cults and the Law. The case of Scientology

Scientology is a religious movement that is not fundamentally necessary for the well being of the world but it is fascinating nonetheless, exactly because it believes it is : “Scientology is the most vital movement on Earth today” says the Scientology’s official website (Scientology.org). Even though, its status is a bit confusing depending on the countries, this group is (in majority) legally protected. Indeed, a lot of jurisdictions consider it a religion, thus there is sort of legal protection coming with it. Nevertheless, it is also of paramount importance to acknowledge the fact that many nations consider the group as a cult, or even a business. Indeed, this group is nuanced by a crash of rather frightening controversies which continuously tarnishes its image. This thesis will expose how this group, if one is not familiar with it, is controversial and somehow considered dangerous. It will be concerned with depicting this cult/religion in its entirety in order to properly understand why justice has sided with Scientology. This "religion" created by an American science fiction writer is interesting from a legal perspective, since the latter’s organization’s legal status has been extremely debated around the world. We know that the Law reveals almost nothing about cults, since it is not per se illegal to build up a group. In addition, the freedom of worship is protected. In the United States in particular this freedom is extremely important, if not fundamental. How is it, however, that groups considered abusive (such as Scientology) can thrive ? Are they really that abusive ? Does Scientology deserve its degraded image or is it the victim of a nasty plot ? What does the law say about cults (if it does say something), but more importantly what does the law say about Scientology ?