There has been a lot of information about Dove World Outreach Center pastor Terry Jones in the news of late. Not surprisingly, Jones joined with the "church" of Scientology's representative John Travolta for a European Congressional Hearing regarding Germany's persistent monitoring of sects in that country.
There are a number of similarities between Scientology and the churches of Terry Jones.
Attention seeking loudmouth Terry Jones, the Quran burning "pastor," is now responsible for the deaths of three Afghani protesters who demonstrated outside a NATO base in Afghanistan. Rock hurling demonstrators were met with gunfire by German troops. Three were killed.
The leader of the formerly obscure Dove World Outreach International, Mr. Jones rose to instant infamy with his plan to burn the holy book of Islam on September 11. The result has fanned outrage at all levels of government, and spawned an outcry of protest from Christians and Muslims alike, not to mention Army Generals and our President.
Mr. Jones presided over the Christian Community of Cologne in western Germany until 1997, when he was expelled from his own church.
Church members described a growing environment of fear and control, with Jones demanding "blind obedience" from his followers, who were also exhorted to donate money to the cause. At its peak, the CCC had a congregation of up to 1000 people, who were made to labor in the church's "Lisa Jones Houses," purportedly set up to distribute food and goods to the needy. In Germany, the Lisa Jones Houses were a front for money laundering.
Amusingly, many donated goods wind up on eBay.
In the TV show 'The Green Lantern,' sidekick Bruce Lee speaks pearls of Oriental wisdom, such as, "Water seeks its own level."
The Christian Community of Cologne was under watch from the German office which monitors sects in that country. They shared that attention with the American "church" of Scientology, also under government scrutiny. Pressured by Scientology, the U.S. State Department issued a non-binding warning to Germany about its treatment of sect members. This was, of course, based on misleading information provided by Scientology representatives. Mr. Jones addressed the hearing, along with Scientologist John Travolta.
If you compare the history of Terry Jones with that of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, we find a number of similarities that suggest Jones is merely a tinpot knockoff of the famous pulp fiction writer.
Terry Jones/L. Ron Hubbard
Fake degree? Check. (Jones was fined 3000 euros for claiming to have a doctorate. Hubbard bought a diploma mill and awarded himself a "Doctorate of Scientology.")
Pressured congregations to donate. Check.
Body of slave laborers, check. (Scientology has the "Sea Organization," a paramilitary force that is subjected to totalitarian control who work for food, board, and .36 cents an hour. No holidays, coerced abortions, completely cut off from friends and family outside the cult.)
Jones makes his people work for food and board. His church is funded by TS and Company, which imports furniture from Germany for sale here. Workers labor at their furniture warehouse for room and board.
Homophobia, check.
L. Ron Hubbard wrote that gays were perverted individuals at the bottom of his "Tone Scale." 1.1 is where gays, bums, psychopaths and people who don't like Scientology hang out.
Jones once erected a sign in Gainsville to protest a gay mayoral candidate. The sign said, "NO HOMO MAYOR." Following this political act by a church, Americans United for Separation of Church and State called for an IRS investigation on Dove World Outreach.
Tax problems, check.
Jones' church was raided by tax authorities in Germany.
Scientology somehow coerced the Internal Revenue Service into giving it tax exempt status, in a secret agreement the IRS will still not discuss with anyone to this day. A rich resource of information on the history of Scientology and the IRS can be read here:
Cries persecution when scrutinized, check.
Both Terry Jones and Scientology representatives have whined about being watched by sect commissioners to Congressional hearings.
Racism, check.
Terry Jones is reportedly fond of the N word. Hubbard used the whole word when describing blacks. He denigrated their intelligence and ability, so support from black ministers like Alfreddie Johnson, who supports Scientology's literacy front group.
It is quite clear that Terry Jones has thunk himself into a dwindling spiral of hatred and paranoia, to the point that he might as well burn the New Testament along with those Qurans. It was his increasingly totalitarian tendencies which got him the boot from his church in Cologne.
Abusive, hate-filled, delusional, angry and controlling, all the warning signs were there before Jones set up shop in Gainesville, Florida. Scientology has also placed its "Mecca" in Clearwater, Florida.
What is it about Florida that enables these destructive cults to flourish, despite reports of human rights abuses and slave labor?
For that matter, what is it about American society that enables these cults to openly break the law and get away with it under the banner of religion?
The Australian government, goaded by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, (a man revered by Anonymous) has agreed to institute measures evaluating the contributions of organizations claiming charitable exemption against their deleterious effects on society.
Most charities in Australia favor the program. A few oppose it. Strangely, Scientology has been one of the loudest protesters. If they lose charitable status in Australia, they will also lose it in the UK, where several very large, very expensive buildings have recently been purchased to house their "Ideal Orgs." Considering that these buildings stand mostly empty and deteriorating, paying taxes on them would certainly impose a heavy burden.
It is time for the United States to initiate a similar program here. Groups that violate human rights, evade taxation and cover up criminal behavior are not churches. Both Dove World Outreach and Scientology are for-profit rackets that only benefit the top of the pyramid.
The history of con men and religion is a rich tapestry of fraud and gullibility; misplaced trust and exploitation.
The only way to control this is by monitoring the behavior of the organization. Giving out free bread does not make it okay to employ slave labor. And claiming to be a religion does not make it okay to break secular law.
