Wikipedia bans Church of Scientology
In an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving edits, the Wikipedia supreme court has banned contributions from all IP addresses owned or operated by the Church of Scientology and its associates. Closing out the longest-running court case in Wikiland history, the site’s Arbitration Committee voted 10 to 0 (with one …
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Subtitle
Priceless. I owe whoever wrote that one a beer if I'm ever on your side of the pond.
Censorship = bad
As much as I dislike religious cultists, I think they should have a chance to show the world just how much of a complete and utter nutjob the bunch of them are.
In this case, maybe set up 2 pages, 1 for CoS, 1 against, and let them debate each others points in an open fashion. And of course, once you post in one side of the argument, you will be barred from adding to the other side.
THe only way to defeat organisations like these is to expose them for what they are, not to stifle debate and sweep the mess under the carpet.
@jeff debate is for blogs
debate on blogs. wikipedia is facts.
post your facts and move on. if you're constantly updating things, something fishy is going on.
Freudian slip
"The site sees itself as an encyclopedia with a 'neutral point of view' - whatever that is."
Right, "neutral" is hardly in the vocabulary of this wikiobsessed web rag.
Religious prejudice
The vast majority of what I read on Wikipedia is rumor and slander. The whole purpose of Scientology knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual’s understanding and awareness of himself as a spiritual being and to rehabilitate his native abilities and potential.
Anyone desiring information about the Scientology religion should visit the Church web site at www.Scientology.org to form their own opinions
"In an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving idiots"
There. I fixed that for you. You are quite welcome, no charge.
@AC 02:00
Then why did persons operating from CoS IP addresses waste so much time trying to turn around this "rumour and slander", eh? Why not just denounce the whole operation from a respectable distance from the word Go, like what you're doing now?
I just can't think what could have changed...
Firstly, a few facts:
1. wikipedia (aka: Wikiwhacky) is NOT a trustworthy 'encyclopaedia'.
2. The Co$ is NOT a religion, it is a cult (aka: C.U.L.T, aka: Utter Bullshite).
I couldn't give a Xenu's uncle what tripe is posted on wikipedia. It's so far from a reliable source is useless to me.
If I had my way, I'd round up all the Thetanistas and shoot them agin' a wall. However that's probably a bit harsh. Some of them might be salvageable as regular people, with professional treatment*.
* Not Co$ pseudo science
@AC 02:00
"Anyone desiring information about the Scientology religion should visit the Church web site at www.Scientology.org to form their own opinions"
Been there, done that, giggled, & moved on.
HTH, HAND
@AC
"The whole purpose of Scientology knowledge application and procedure is to con the lonely and desperate into handing over their hard earned in exchange for a load of kooky twaddle and dubious self help pamphlets"
There, fixed that for you.
@AC
"The vast majority of what I read on Scientology.org is rumor and slander. The whole purpose of Wikipedia knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual’s understanding.
Anyone desiring information about the Scientology religion should visit the Wikipedia web site at www.wikipedia.org to form their own opinions"
Yawn... anyone with a barrow to push is full of BS.
jail them all, let Bubba sort them out.
It's a start. The sooner this dangerous and damaging cult is outlawed and its leaders and promoters jailed, the better. Just because Hubbard won the "create a religion" bet (urban legends notwithstanding) doesn't mean his bastard child gets to continue preying on people.
Re: Religious Prejudice
'Religious'
Wrong.....
'Prejudice'
"An adverse judgement or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts."
Wrong.....
'Religious Prejudice'
Wrong + Wrong = Wrong
So...... that will be wrong then.
Please don't feel the need to try harder.
At what price liberty
If free speech was absolute and inviolate, surely its value would summarily erode through those who seek to abuse it?
Cheap publicity stunt
Unworkable, unrealistic and a can of worms to open, but who checks if they do what they say in 2 days from now?
If they do that I can imagine there there being a lot of other guff that they have to touch, because once you start censorship (even against such an easy target) you accept responsibility for content - and the consequences thereof.
Smells like cranking up for funding to me..
Camilla Smythe FTW
You got it in one.
Pity they the Red won't ban AC's IP address.
ITS A CULT
HAHAHAHA Great Fail!
Score: 10/10 Next they should ban america for trying to claim the first manned flight.
NZ Geniuses beat them to it so US try to change 'history'..
No wait - ban the whole world so that they can only wikifiddle themselves.
Paris - she likes to edit.
Cult Wars
So one Cult does not want to have itself sullied by another cult then?
@ Camilla
Aren't all religions are cults? Scientology makes me piss myself laughing at the absurdity of it...as do christianity, islam etc. I quite like the elephants etc. in hinduism though.
Paris...cos she's a girl I CAN believe in.
@Matthew
"Pity they the Red won't ban AC's IP address." Presumably you mean the Reg?
Using "Matthew" is just as anonymous. I could call myself "David Jones", it would be just as anonymous, as it's not my real name. "Camilla Smythe" is probably just a pseudonym to preserve anonymity.
You're just as guilty, unless of course you now give us your full name and promise that it really is yours, so stop being a dick.
@Jodo Kast
"wikipedia is facts."
You need to put the "joke" icon on posts containing statements like that.
Accidently reading something that funny without prior warning could prove fatal to those of a particularly humour-sensitive disposition.
Hmmm...
Wikipedia Vs Scientology.
Gets popcorn and settles back to watch the inevitable bloodbath :)
Scientology should be completely banned.
(Well, any cult (aka 'religion') should, but especially the Co$)
Wonder if the Co$ will try to fairgame them now, would be fairly funny to watch.
L Ron Cupboard says:
Come on kiddies, stop this bickering.
You do realise this Co$ stuff was all just a bit of a laugh don't you?
What's wrong with a 2-bit SciFi writer wanting to make his way through life?
Attack!
Could lead to the biggest DoS attack since the one of the BNP.
@ Religious prejudice AC 02:00
Go away Co$ twit.
In the UK you are not a church, in Germany you are branded with what you are a sick twisted cult. The germans recognise this from their unfortunate history.
You are all about money, money, money money.
Religious prejudice
Anyone desiring information about the Scientology religion should visit the Church web site at www.Scientology.org to form their own opinions, please have your credit card ready...
Is this possible?
I mean, can you really exclude a point of view by blocking a range of IP addresses? Is that some sort of IPv6 feature? (I wondered what they were going to do with all those addresses. Can I reserve the range for "genius" or is it already taken?) Or is this a case of WP deciding to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Stephen Conroy and Wacky Jacky?
@ Religious prejudice
And after they've been to Scientology.org maybe they should check out Operation Clambake at www.xenu.net
Oh no
Oh no duck and cover flame war coming and it won't be pretty .
@Moss Icely Spaceport
"2. The Co$ is NOT a religion, it is a cult (aka: C.U.L.T, aka: Utter Bullshite)."
Religion = cult with lots of followers.
Someone will be telling me next some bloke was born without his mother having sex and later came back from the dead! Sheesh, the BS stories some people come up with!
re:Religious prejudice
Sorry, I've made it a personal policy of mine to try and avoid hanging around on the websites of well known cults.
Oh...and it's only religious prejudice if you're talking about a religion, which we're not.
Recent Scientology exposure
This book by an Irish escapee from Scientology is rather good if you're interested in reading about the topic. Scientology has scared UK bookstores into not selling it:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/11/amazon_pulls_scientology_expose/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complex_%28book%29
but you can still buy it from Ireland http://www.eason.ie/look/9781903582848 or US Amazon.
@Pete
Didn't the Yanks manage the first powered and controlled manned heavier than air flight? Others all over the world had managed a few of those attirbutes before before but I'm pretty sure the first powered, controlled, manned flight was the Yanks. If not, linkz plz.
Also, France dissolving a religious/pseudoreligious group? Remember the last time that happenned? So the question should be how much does Sarkozy owe the Pope?
Finally, to the WikiBashers I've got to say that it's normally pretty good so long as you stay away from the contentious stuff like Scientology. Most of the technical stuff that I've seen seems okay, even if it is a little basic sometimes.
So- if you're using it for something sensible, Wikipedia is entirely suitable. However, check again with a reliable (ideally pre-wiki if possible) source.
Religion on Wiki, Fact?
Putting any religion including the big three on Wiki is always going to be a problem. None are fact based so they will always be in dispute.
They're all as crackpot as each other so really there should just be one Wiki article called Religion which states:
“Antiquated mythological activity practised by persons of limited intelligence. Derived from an early human fear of death and a lack of understanding of basic astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology.”
/flame on!
@ Religious prejudice
there's a post direct from the Scientology Criticism Rebuttal Department if ever I saw one.
Can't beat a bit of cult on cult action, mind you, and the Wikiphiles are just as bad.
@The Scientologist AC
"The whole purpose of Scientology knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual’s understanding and awareness of himself as a spiritual being and to rehabilitate his native abilities and potential."
*Splutter*
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You, sir, owe me a new keyboard.
As for the article, I can absolutely see Wiki's point on this. While they are often derided on this site, I've found Wikipedia to often be a useful stop-off for basic or introductory knowledge on a given topic. I don't take it as gospel, but on the other hand it's not 100% bullshit either. If Wiki are to maintain as high a standard as possible, they have to remove bias caused by dedicated interest groups - especially dangerous money-hungry cults masquerading as religions.
So, CoS are banned...
...on the basis that they're a deceptive and dangerous cult, with a willingness to practice deception, retcon their own history, indulge in self-serving edits, exploit the unwary and pass off a load of twaddle as facts. And this is WIKIPEDIA banning them for this...??? Oh, the irony...
PH because she's dedicated to stopping people self-serving....
RE: Religious Prejudice
AC wrote: "The whole purpose of Scientology knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual’s understanding and awareness of himself as a spiritual being and to rehabilitate his native abilities and potential."
Nonsense. The first few pages of Dianetics outline the advantages of using philosophy to increase your mental health and therefore standard of life. They don't call it philosophy though, do they? In fact they rubbish philosophy and claim that only they have the answers. (Because obviously only a level 4645 Thetan has the mental clairty to sort out your life!).
It's a most unhelpful, deceitful and downright dirty ploy. As far as I can see their entire cult is built on unhelpful, deceitful lies. Immortal aliens who live inside volcanoes and have space ships? Having to throw off the negative energies of alien souls that are trying to possess you? Give me a fucking break.
@ AC 02:00
And once you've done that, go have a look at xenu.net
Hail Marcabia!
heh...
"debate on blogs. wikipedia is facts."
Funniest comment ever.
whack jobs the lot of them
as a Jedi I can attest to the fact that anything can be turned into a religion with enough viral marketing.
The reality is that Co$ is a business and not a religion pure and simple.
Your all free to believe what you want, just let others believe what they want, and if they believe your belief is mental live with it and move on.
Paris - a cult and a religion to some
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard
He created Scientology as a joke, y'know; the original Big Brother experiment to see just how stupid people can be. If you visit the site of his grave you can still hear the faint sound of hysterical laughter.
Personally, I'm worshiping Klaatu instead (the one portrayed by Michael Rennie in 1951 that is). You don't need Operating Thetans when you have a Gort.
@AC Scientology apologist
The whole purpose of GOOGLE knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual’s understanding and awareness of himself as a human being and to rehabilitate his native abilities and potential.
You can read more about the Church of Google at http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/
Mine's the one with the Spaghetti Monster hanging out of the back pocket.
@ac 0200
what, no further response form the Co$ publicity department?
Oh, no wait, they're on US time
@AC 08.53
Don't let your kids walk up the Tottenham Court Road.
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