Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 16:44:15 -0400
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Fw: reparations: a Libertarian speaks out
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

Samuel Lubell wrote:
 > --- Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net> wrote:
 >
 >> Actually, the Scientologists in Germany pushed it even further.
 >> They weren't just a tax scam -- they had gotten into out and out
 >> real estate fraud.  In the US, they're the only "religous"
 >> organization that has fixed-price "services" that are tax
 >> deductable. Thank you, George Bush the Elder.
 >>
 >
 >
 > Don't churches charge a price for membership in the church?  I know
 > synagogues do.

Are you saying that someone who fell on hard times and couldn't come up
with the synagogue membership fee would be thrown out?

I'm not aware of any church that charges fixed fees.  Many have
"suggested donations", but no fixed fees.  Walk into any church
that I know of, say "I'm interested", and you'll walk out with a whole
pile of literature, including probably a cheap Bible/Book of
Mormon/Koran/collection of sutras/whatever.  Walk into a Scientology
bookstore, and you'll walk out with a price list.  Want a copy of
"Dianetics" [1]?  You'll pay list price for it.

Also note that "auditing", the Scientology equivalent of "pastoral
counselling", costs several hundred dollars per hour.  The only way to
avoid paying for it is to volunteer to work for the "church" at
sub-minimum rates.

[1] "Dianetics" is the only religious/philosophical/self help book that
I know of that has a disclaimer in the front.  "THIS TEXT IS FOR
RELIGIOUS USE ONLY."

--
Steve Smith                                           sgs at aginc.net
Agincourt Computing                            http://www.aginc.net
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."