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Scientology not religion, says Charity Commission
Daily Telegraph, 10 December 1999
Scientology is not a religion under English charity law and does not confer any public benefit, according to a ruling by the Charity Commission yesterday.
The Commission rejected the Church of Scientology's application for charitable status after a three-year inquiry. The organisation, founded by L Ron Hubbard, an American science fiction writer, has its headquarters in East Grinstead, West Sussex. Graeme Wilson, spokesman for the Scientologists, said: "The decision is the equivalent of a medieval pope saying that the Earth is flat and that the Sun revolves around it."
The commission acknowledged that Scientology believed in "a supreme being" but said its core activities did not amount to worship. "Scientology is not a religion for the purposes of English charity law," it concluded.
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