Religious Tolerance In Euroweenieland

History has a funny way of repeating in Germany.

Germany's federal and state interior ministers have declared the Church of Scientology unconstitutional, clearing the way for a possible ban.

The ministers have asked Germany's domestic intelligence agency to examine whether the Church's legal status as an association could be challenged.

Scientology is not recognised as a religion in Germany.

No, of course not. And why, you ask?

For years, Scientology has been monitored by German intelligence agencies, who claim the movement's structures and methods could pose a threat to the rule of law and "democratic order".

Oh, you mean like jihad? Can we expect the German government to outlaw Islam next?

Well... no. For one thing, this case has nothing to do with Scientology being a threat to democracy; it's because that the Scientologists are just God-damned L. Ron-damned freaky. And besides, outlawing the one religion in Germany that truly is a threat to democracy would just make the jihadists angry, and then they'll start killing and no one wants that. Remember, threats to democracy that possess bombs must be appeased, that is the European way.

Scientologists, on the other hand, are harmless, they won't kill anyone, so it's OK to drive them out of Der Fatherland. And frankly, they're probably doing them a favor; if Germany drives them out now Scientologists will be better off because in a few years when jihad runs its course Sharia law will be less kind to infidel Scientologists than it is to Islamic women. But I digress...

Regarding Scientology... Though I am not a believer in any religion (unless standard-model big-bang cosmology is a religion), I'm fairly tolerant of other peoples' right to worship whatever or whomever they please - an imaginary old man with a white beard, trees, mountains, the Sun, John Coltrane, or simply themselves - as long as they don't kill or otherwise punish those who disagree. Go in peace, I say, and practice your religion - in public, even. None of it offends me or my sensibilities, and it is pretty well covered by that less-mentioned part of the First Amendment (see "free exercise thereof", just before the "freedom of speech" clause). If it makes you feel good, then I'm OK with it. Just don't tell me I must worship your tree.

I see this right of Americans to freely worship as one pleases as yet another reason to be thankful we don't live in Euroweenieland, where the rights of man are granted, not affirmed, by government. The difference seems subtle until one understands that a government which grants rights can just as easily revoke them, as we have seen all too often in Europe. (Then, as history shows, all hell breaks loose, and America has to step in to rescue the ungrateful bastards once again. But there I go, digressing again...) I suppose once Germany gets through with the Scientologists, the UN will give them their own Middle East homeland. This, too, always works out well.

I guess my big question to Europe is: Don't you fucking people have anything better to worry about than Scientology?!?!? If you're not sure, here's a clue: Follow the smell of burning cars.

At the same time it never ceases to amaze me that otherwise intelligent people can be willingly duped into the practice of the singular religion we actually know for certain is make believe. Not just invented, but done so cynically by a science fiction writer because he wanted to make money. For every seat there's an ass, I guess.

Labels: Commentary

posted by Paul @ 7:19 PM