Why did Reagan Administration grant tax-free religious status to Scientology?

[Synthaholic]

Mmm__ There are "Christian" preachers that do that as well. So, I wouldn't be surprised if your assertion is correct. I think your argument is more against the tax exemption laws than scientology per se. Or were you just that desperate to get a dig in on Reagan?

I really just think Scientology is an absolute joke. I'm not a fan of any religion to be honest, but Scientology takes the cake for a multitude of reasons.

I've mostly heard only bad things about scientology. For now, I have to respect their religious freedom though.

There are only bad things about Scientology.

What makes them a religion that is due any respect at all?

 

[Londoner]

isn't it ODD how Liberals play the First Amendment?

Speaking of religion.

Reagan was far more skilled at "playing" religious card than any president in modern history.

First consider the real Reagan.

He passed the most liberal abortion policy ever passed as governor of california.

He was estranged from two of his children .... (family man?)

He was the only divorced man to become president ... (family man?)

He took an oath before Jesus Christ ... (till death do us part? family man?)

Nancy, his 2nd (3rd?) wife, was a notorious anti-religious astrology fanatic (whose children have all admitted that their family never went to church - and that Grover Norquist's Reagan Legacy project engaged in historical revisionism in their claims that Reagan went to church.)

Reagan's electoral success - in 1980 - hinged on parts of the South and Heartland. Indeed, Reagan ran on a pro-family & pro-religious "values" populism in order to tap into Red State backlash over the Civili Rights Movement, the bra burning sexual revolution, and the secular excesses of the moral relativist/multiculturalist Left. It was brilliant fucking politics.

Nancy Reagan hated Pat Robertson and the Moral Majority. She had MASSIVE conflicts with organized religion. She supported stem cell research. She famously consulted an astrologist after Reagan was shot - that is, she didn't consult Christ or go to church.

The Reagan's were emphatically not religious, yet Reagan ran as staunch religious conservative.

Please turn off talk radio son. We need to get you studying actually history.

 

[Synthaholic]

It was reported at the time that the meeting between administration officials and Scientology officials lasted as little as 10 minutes.

Why would Reagan grant tax-free status to a bunch of kooks?

Because the constitution does not give the federal government the power to define religion?

Even by your standards this is a failure, you should ask the mods to delete it.

Seems to me that the only reason this is called a religion is precisely because the Federal government gave it's blessing to be considered one, by granting tax-free status.

Why am I wrong?

 

[Synthaholic]

isn't it ODD how Liberals play the First Amendment?

Not as odd as the Conservatives here that recognize Scientology as a legitimate religion.

I think Scientology is a scam, that doesn't mean I want the government telling people what religion is.

But they did, and that's the only reason why you call it a religion.

 

[Seawytch]

I love the evangelicals that think Scientology is nutty but believe a guy lived in a whale for three days.

 

[konradv]

He didn't make the comment.

What comment?

He asked me if I had anything to say, and I did, nothing wrong with that. No offense was taken.

Hubbard was not the one to make the comment about starting a religion, it was Heinlein.

Just correcting the facts.

Maybe Heinlein did say it, but that doesn't mean Hubbard didn't.

You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.
Response to a question from the audience during a meeting of the Eastern Science Fiction Association on (7 November 1948), as quoted in a 1994 affidavit by Sam Moskowitz.

This statement is similar or identical to several statements Hubbard is reported to have made to various individuals or groups in the 1940s. Variants include:

The incident is stamped indelibly in my mind because of one statement that Ron Hubbard made. What led him to say what he did I can't recall — but in so many words Hubbard said: "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is!"
L. Ron Hubbard to Lloyd A. Eshbach, in 1949; as quoted by Eshbach in his autobiography Over My Shoulder: Reflections On A Science Fiction Era (1983) ISBN 1-880418-11-8

Y'know, we're all wasting our time writing this hack science fiction! You wanta make real money, you gotta start a religion!
As reported to Mike Jittlov by Theodore Sturgeon as a statement Hubbard made while at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society clubhouse in the 1940s.

Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way to do it would be start his own religion.
As quoted in the Los Angeles Times (27 August 1978)

Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.
As quoted in the article "Scientology: Anatomy of a Frightening Cult" by Eugene H. Methvin. Reader's Digest (May 1980)

I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money — he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult.
Sam Merwin, Editor of Thrilling Science Fiction magazine Winter of 1946-47; quoted in Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987) by Russell Miller

Whenever he was talking about being hard up he often used to say that he thought the easiest way to make money would be to start a religion.
Neison Himmel, briefly a roommate of Hubbard in Pasadena during the fall of 1945, in a 1986 interview, quoted in Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987) by Russell Miller

L. Ron Hubbard - Wikiquote

 

[konradv]

BTW, I have yet to find any instance of Heinlein making that statement. Cite

 

[uscitizen]

Why did Reagan Administration grant tax-free religious status to Scientology?

Nancy's astrologers said to.

 

[Dr Grump]

It was reported at the time that the meeting between administration officials and Scientology officials lasted as little as 10 minutes.

Why would Reagan grant tax-free status to a bunch of kooks?

Why would he discriminate against a religion? That's in the liberal playbook, not the conservative playbook.

My religion is that the flying spaghetti monster is real, as are the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.

I await my tax exempt status with interest...

 

[Dr Grump]

Not as odd as the Conservatives here that recognize Scientology as a legitimate religion.

I think Scientology is a scam, that doesn't mean I want the government telling people what religion is.

But they did, and that's the only reason why you call it a religion.

QW getting owned twice in two threads. Nothing new there (QW getting owned), but twice in two threads is interesting! (the other being the well-known and attributed fact about Hubbard stating that there is money in starting a religion)

 

[Synthaholic]

I love the evangelicals that think Scientology is nutty but believe a guy lived in a whale for three days.

They are both nutty, and those of us who believe they are nutty should not be made to help carry their tax burden because the government gives them a tax handout.

 

[Synthaholic]

It was reported at the time that the meeting between administration officials and Scientology officials lasted as little as 10 minutes.

Why would Reagan grant tax-free status to a bunch of kooks?

Why would he discriminate against a religion? That's in the liberal playbook, not the conservative playbook.

My religion is that the flying spaghetti monster is real, as are the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.

I await my tax exempt status with interest...

You will have to await approval from the Federal government before it becomes a REAL religion - right, QW?

 

[NYcarbineer]

It was reported at the time that the meeting between administration officials and Scientology officials lasted as little as 10 minutes.

Why would Reagan grant tax-free status to a bunch of kooks?

Why would he discriminate against a religion? That's in the liberal playbook, not the conservative playbook.

Reagan fought to help the racist Bob Jones University retain its tax exempt status.

 

[konradv]

Scientology isn't a religion, but a money making scam masquerading as religion. The rank and file are used for their cheap/free labor and assets until they're drained dry, while the famous, Cruise, Travolta, etc., are treated like kings. For more info, check out:

Operation Clambake - The Inner Secrets Of Scientology

Ex-Scientology Kids

 

[Quantum Windbag]

What comment?

He asked me if I had anything to say, and I did, nothing wrong with that. No offense was taken.

Hubbard was not the one to make the comment about starting a religion, it was Heinlein.

Just correcting the facts.

Maybe Heinlein did say it, but that doesn't mean Hubbard didn't.

You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.
Response to a question from the audience during a meeting of the Eastern Science Fiction Association on (7 November 1948), as quoted in a 1994 affidavit by Sam Moskowitz.

This statement is similar or identical to several statements Hubbard is reported to have made to various individuals or groups in the 1940s. Variants include:

The incident is stamped indelibly in my mind because of one statement that Ron Hubbard made. What led him to say what he did I can't recall — but in so many words Hubbard said: "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is!"
L. Ron Hubbard to Lloyd A. Eshbach, in 1949; as quoted by Eshbach in his autobiography Over My Shoulder: Reflections On A Science Fiction Era (1983) ISBN 1-880418-11-8

Y'know, we're all wasting our time writing this hack science fiction! You wanta make real money, you gotta start a religion!
As reported to Mike Jittlov by Theodore Sturgeon as a statement Hubbard made while at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society clubhouse in the 1940s.

Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way to do it would be start his own religion.
As quoted in the Los Angeles Times (27 August 1978)

Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.
As quoted in the article "Scientology: Anatomy of a Frightening Cult" by Eugene H. Methvin. Reader's Digest (May 1980)

I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money — he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult.
Sam Merwin, Editor of Thrilling Science Fiction magazine Winter of 1946-47; quoted in Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987) by Russell Miller

Whenever he was talking about being hard up he often used to say that he thought the easiest way to make money would be to start a religion.
Neison Himmel, briefly a roommate of Hubbard in Pasadena during the fall of 1945, in a 1986 interview, quoted in Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987) by Russell Miller

L. Ron Hubbard - Wikiquote

He was a lousy writer, I can't imagine why anyone paid him.

 

[thanatos144]

I really just think Scientology is an absolute joke. I'm not a fan of any religion to be honest, but Scientology takes the cake for a multitude of reasons.

Amazing how jealous you must be of people with faith that you look down on them as if your pathetic life is somehow better.

Quite a story you've conceived.

Let me guess, you're religious and butt-hurt.

I have faith and like to shine light on ignorant bullshit spouted by pathetic little men whose life is so empty they have a sick need to try am make others as miserable...Don't worry God love you anyway.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I think Scientology is a scam, that doesn't mean I want the government telling people what religion is.

But they did, and that's the only reason why you call it a religion.

QW getting owned twice in two threads. Nothing new there (QW getting owned), but twice in two threads is interesting! (the other being the well-known and attributed fact about Hubbard stating that there is money in starting a religion)

How did I get owned on the facts?

If I go around repeating the Declaration does that make the the author? I also stated that my personal opinion is that Scientology is a scam, and my personal preference that the government not tell people what religion is. Which facts did I get wrong there?

 

[thanatos144]

I love the evangelicals that think Scientology is nutty but believe a guy lived in a whale for three days.

Its called a analogy look it up.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Why would he discriminate against a religion? That's in the liberal playbook, not the conservative playbook.

My religion is that the flying spaghetti monster is real, as are the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.

I await my tax exempt status with interest...

You will have to await approval from the Federal government before it becomes a REAL religion - right, QW?

No.

 

[Synthaholic]

It was reported at the time that the meeting between administration officials and Scientology officials lasted as little as 10 minutes.

Why would Reagan grant tax-free status to a bunch of kooks?

Because the constitution does not give the federal government the power to define religion?

Even by your standards this is a failure, you should ask the mods to delete it.

Seems to me that the only reason this is called a religion is precisely because the Federal government gave it's blessing to be considered one, by granting tax-free status.

Why am I wrong?

*bumpity-bump-bump* for QW.