From: "Birgitta" Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Sweden-CofS application for religious status Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 02:25:57 +0100 Message-ID: <36b262af.0@news2.lightlink.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 205.232.34.12 Below is a translation of an application made by CofS in Sweden recently. They are withholding the fact about the second application and denial in 1982 by the Swedish Department of Justice and is only referring to the first denial in 1977. The two "most experienced ministers" applying are OSA PR's. Otherwise the document speaks for itself. Bid ----------------------- (from) ADVOKATFIRMAN NORDIA Box 70389 S-107 24 Stockholm Phone 08-23 57 75 Fax 08-24 09 61 (stamp Kammarkollegiet arrived 1999-01-19 Dnr. 421-342-99) 950687094 To Kammarkollegiet (The Swedish national judicial board for public lands and funds) Application for the right to carry out wedding ceremonies within the Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology in Sweden hereby applies for the right to carry out weddings in accordance with the 1st paragraph in the law (1993:305), rights to carry out weddings within other religious communions than The Swedish Church. Background The Church of Scientology has once earlier, 7th October 1975, applied for authority to the ministers of the communion to execute weddings. This application was denied by the Department of Justice in a decision of the 27th of January 1977. (Dnr. 2633-75). In the decision the Department of Justice said that the Church of Scientology had started their activities in 1968 and that the valid charters of the association had been adopted in 1974. The Department of Justice based their decision to deny the application on the ground that the Church of Scientology had no such durability and stability that was considered necessary to be given the authority to carry out weddings according to at the time the valid rule in the 3rd chapter 3rd paragraph of the Marital Section Law. More than 20 years have passed since the first application was filed. The Church of Scientology has since 1975 become more established in Sweden. It now has a permanent place among other religious communions. The numbers of active members have increased by thousands. With the great number of adherents that the Church of Scientology has in Sweden and that all agree to that wedding is a holy alliance it is natural that a wedding within the own church can be legally valid in accordance to the 3rd paragraph 4th chapter of the Marital Section Law. It is important that the adherents of the Church of Scientology must not compromise their beliefs in order to have weddings within the own church which also is legally valid in the society. With this background the association has again decided to apply for executing legal wedding ceremonies. Relevant conditions The first condition for approval of the right to perform weddings, for an association other than the Swedish Church, is that they fulfill the formal demands to be a religious communion. Those demands are defined in the 4th paragraph, the 2nd part of The Freedom of Religion Law (1951:680) which says: ”With a religious communion it is meant, except the Swedish Church, a communion for religious activities, where holy divine services are included.” The second condition for approval of the right to perform weddings is said in the 1st paragraph of the Law (1933:305) about the right to perform weddings within other religious communions than the Swedish Church, in that the communions activities are permanent. A third condition is within the same law, namely that the communion must have an organisation which can give enought guarantees that the rules for wedding and the measures connected to it will be met. As seen below the Church of Scientology in Sweden fulfills all those conditions. The Church of Scientology – a religious community The Church of Scientology was founded by scientologists in the U.S. in the beginning of the fifties. It became established in Sweden in 1968. Since the establishment in the beginning of the fifties, the international Church of Scientology has grown to a world wide religious communion which today is represented in more than 100 countries over the world. Their teachings reach more than 8 million adherents world wide. In Sweden there are three parishes, in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmoe. The number of served in Sweden is more that 10.000 from which around fifty percent in some way participates in the activities of the communion. There is no doubt about that the Church of Scientology is a religious communion and that Scientology is a religion. Scientology is a religion based on the research, writings and preachings of the founder L. Ron Hubbard. The foundation is the belief that man is basically good, a being whos soul is an immortal spritual being who has the power to survive and fight evil. She finds the existence of God within herself , and with this knowledge she is able to assist so that peace, safety and harmony can exist on earth. The religion shows some apperant characteristics similar to Buddhism, Hinduism and other Asian religions but Scientology does not emanate from any other religion but is independent when it comes to source and practice. A closer description of the Church of Scientology’s doctrines and practises, it’s organisation and activities is described in the first part of the attached memorandum (app. 1) and is also shown in a videofilm made especially for this application. The videofilm is showing the very core in the sacred practice, namely the spiritual guidance called auditing (from latin ’audire = to listen) and which besides a comprehensive study of the scriptures of Scientology is the base for the individual to reach spiritual freedom. The videofilm is also showing that the Church of Scientology is conducting Services in especially arranged rooms for Services. The Services are held every week where a minister of the Church is reading the Creed of the Church of Scientology and holds a reflection about a subject within the religious teachings of Scientology. The religious communion is also united in prayer. The Church is also conducting ceremonies for name givings to children, weddings and funerals. In many countries those ceremonies are already accepted as legally valid. The Church and their adherents are also taking actions for a better society. This is done in the areas of education, drug addiction, treatment of offenders and in all the areas where the idealistic operations can be used. For the travelling adherents, the Church of Scientology is a meeting place and a safety where they can go to participate in the Services but also for getting support and help. As said above, the Church of Scientology fulfills the formal demands reasonable laid on to become a religious communion. To better illustrate the religion and the Church as a religious communion, attached to this application are deeper studies of Scientology as a religion and their religious activities made by: ? The Professor of religious studies at the University in Stockholm, Per-Arne Berglie (att. 2) ? The Professor of The Study of Religions at the University at Helsingfors, dr Juha Pentikäinen (att. 3). ? The Doctor in Theology and Director of the Evangelic-Lutheran Church research center in Tammerfors, Harri Heino (att. 4). ? The Professor in Religious Sociology and former chief at the Institute for Religious Sociology at the University in Copenhagen, Dr Arild Hvidfeldt (att. 5). Professor Per-Arne Berglie has in his statement, referred to Doctor Bryan Ronald Wilson from the University of Oxford, who’s statement has contributed to consolidate Scientology as a religion over the world. His statement is translated to swedish in the recently published reference work ”Scientology” (att. 6 p. 111-145). Professor Berglie concludes that Scientology is a religion. After having been established as a religious communion over the world for more than 40 years, it is no longer a legal question if Scientology is a bona fide religion in all aspects. Scientology is regularly described as a religion in articles, newspapers, lexicons and dictionaries as well as in radio and TV over the world. The understanding that Scientology is a bona fide religion is not only agreed upon by the swedish authorities and abroad but also by many scientists besides the ones mention above. They have done comprehensive studies from which it is clearly shown that the common understanding that Scientology is a religion is shared over the world. Such studies and statements has been made by: Professor Dr Karel Dobbelaere, Professor in Sociology at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium, former president in the international association of religious researchers. Professor M. Darroll Bryant from the University in Waterloo, who has been studying new religions since the middle of the 70’s. Professor Dr. Frank K. Flinn, visiting professor in religious studies at the Washington University, Missouri. Professor Dr. Lonnie D. Kliever, chairman at the department for religious studies, Southern Methodist University. Professor Kliever’s competence is foremost about the new age religions. Professor Dr. David Chidester who is a professor in comparative religions at the University of Capetown. Professor Dr. Alejandro Frijero, The Catholic University of Argentina. Professor Dr. Alan Black, The University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Black is also the president of the Australian association for religious studies. Professor Dr. Regis Dericquebourg, The University of Lille, France, whose studies also includes interviews with 285 scientologists in France. Dr. Michael Sivertjev, supervisor for the President’s cooperation council for new religions in Russia. In the statements it is stressed that the Church of Scientology owns a theology, anthropology and a salvation doctrine of inner harmony, well thought out. The conclusions in the attached statements to which we refer, is that it is clearly shown that Scientology is a religion. In the European Kommission for Human Rights there are several decisions where the question of application of article 9 in the European Convention about protection for the human rights and the basic freedoms are shown. In two errands (Dnr. 7805/77, 16 DR 68 and Dnr. 8282/78, 21 DR 109) the Church of Scientology of Sweden has been a part. The desicions in those errands explains among other things that the Church of Scientology should have the same protection against religious discrimination as other religions have according to article 9. Religion is defined in the preparatory works to the convention as including both theistic and non-theistic religions. In the Council of Europé Human Rights Information Centre and Directorate on Human Rights’s publication from 1992 is the following explaining the definition of the concept of religion: ”The protection for each and all to practice their religion is not only limited to big and over the world recognized religions but also for the small and practically unknown religions. The concept of religion should be interpreted extensively”. The convention is since the 5th of May 1994 and the law is also valid in Sweden. As a conclusion, the Church of Scientology is a religious community which certainly fulfills the main criteria that is ruled in the 4th paragraph in the law of Religious Freedom for religious communities. The Church of Scientology is an association for religious activities where Services are conducted. It is no doubt about that the Church of Scientology is a religious community. The Church of Scientology – durability The first Church of Scientology was founded in the U.S. in 1954. Scientology arrived in a more organised form to Sweden in 1968. Their statutes were adopted by the Swedish adherents 22 years ago in April 1974. There are now more than 3000 churches, missions and groups around the world, among them three churches and two missions in Sweden. The Church of Scientology is well anchored here and in a steady expansion. The Church of Scientology – organizational competence for conduct legal wedding It appears from the Government’s proposition (1992/93:211) that if a religious community should be given the legal right to conduct weddings, enought guarantees must be offered so that the rules in the law for weddings and thereby connected measures are taken. From the developed practice such guarantees is said to be present if the claimant association has an permanent enought organisation. The Church of Scientology has such an permanent organisation. The Church of Scientology is an idealistic association with the organisational number 802006-5853. The charters of the association were adopted by members of the Church the 17th April 1974 (att. 7). The statutes shows the church’s organisation, their decision making body, the board, memberships, the purposes and aims of the activities. The activities of the association should according to the statutes be governed by a Board which has it’s seat in Stockholm. The Board should held regular boardmeetings and also annual meetings with an agenda in accordance to the statutes. The statutes says that everyone who declare himself an adherent to the Creed of the Church of Scientology and doctrines can become a member in the Church of Scientology. Duly qualified representatives for the Church of Scientology in Sweden are shown in the minutes (att. 8). The Church of Scientology can also through their minister training give guarantees that the rules in the law for weddings and connected duties are followed. The Church of Scientology will also continue to supervise this activity. Certain church members with certain competence can do the minister training within the Church of Scientology. Such training can start only after that the candidate’s morals and ethical qualities have been examined by the ministers within the Church who are responsible for ethical matters. The minister training within the Church of Scientology is comprehensive and it’s purpose is to deepen the consciousness so that the candidate can then support the Church’s adherents with spiritual guidance. Before anyone may become a minister within the Church of Scientology, he must have been studying comprehensive materials. In the materials is a historical view of the leading religions of the world, their organisations, doctrines, faiths and ethical principles. In the study material is also the wedding ceremony of the Church of Scientology, written by the founder L. Ron Hubbard (att. 9) as well as studies in the ethical, legal and social aspects of a wedding. In the study material for the candidate minister is also the studies of prayer day ceremonies, ceremonies for name giving and funerals. After the theoretical studies, the applicant may do an apprenticeship under the supervision of the most experienced minister within the association. If the candidate qualifies for being a minister, he is given a certificate showing the right to conduct spiritual guidance within the Church of Scientology. Before the ordination, the candidating minister must have conducted Sunday Services. The ordination is conducted at a solemn ceremony where the ordained is taken up into the fellowship of ministers of the association. Before this a theological examination is made. When the Church of Scientology is given the legal right to conduct weddings, the Board has the intention to further deepen the knowledge of the rules for weddings in law and other constitutions to those worthy to conduct weddings. The Board of the association will also carefully supervise those who has been given the right to conduct weddings, to see that they are following what is prescribed in laws and constitutions. To start with, two of the most experienced ministers at the Church of Scientology in Stockholm, will apply for ordination as persons officiating at a wedding, namely: Reverend Gun Lanciai, Stockholm Reverend Anders Dysholm, Gothenburg The Church of Scientology estimates the number of weddings as about ten per year, but with regard to the big number of members an increase is expected. Summary On the plea of the circumstances said above, we assert that the Church of Scientology in Sweden is fullfilling the conditions stated in law (1993:305) about rights to conduct weddings within other religious communities than within the Swedish Church. The Church of Scientology apply for approval of this application. Stockholm 15th January 1999 Lars Engstrand