“Scientology Fugitive” Arrested

Kilgore Trout · 5th February 2007, 12:28 PM

Keith Henson, an anti-Scientology activist, was arrested in Arizona February 2nd.

Quote:

On Friday, Arizona police arrested a 64-year-old man — a fugitive since 2001 in a bizarre war that mixes free speech, copyright law, and the Church of Scientology.

There's also an article about it here.

I looked for a previous discussion about Henson, but I didn't turn up anything. Seems he was joking about "Tom Cruise missiles" on a newsgroup. He was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a church, a hate crime. He thought he might get shivved, fled to Canada, was arrested there, asked for asylum, then fled Canada, and was now recently arrested.

ETA: The second article says he was deported from Canada; the first implies he left before hearing the decision.

Ripley Twenty-Nine · 5th February 2007, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

Keith Henson, an anti-Scientology activist, was arrested in Arizona February 2nd.

There's also an article about it here.

I looked for a previous discussion about Henson, but I didn't turn up anything. Seems he was joking about "Tom Cruise missiles" on a newsgroup. He was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a church, a hate crime. He thought he might get shivved, fled to Canada, was arrested there, asked for asylum, then fled Canada, and was now recently arrested.

ETA: The second article says he was deported from Canada; the first implies he left before hearing the decision.

The more you read about this guy, the more you realize that the guy is pretty nutty himself. It appears that there's more to the story than just that article; he may have actually been making physical threats to Scientology members as well and engaging in some pretty weird behaviour.

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,43420,00.html

Hard to tell where the truth really lies with this story. The Scientologists are making him out to be the devil himself, and his side is touting him as a great American hero; and it appears that both sides are leaving out some facts.

Kilgore Trout · 5th February 2007, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by Ripley Twenty-Nine

The more you read about this guy, the more you realize that the guy is pretty nutty himself.

I had just found that article myself. There's something odd about it all, that's for sure. He has a degree in electrical engineering and at least one patent. He seems paranoid, but then, might have a real reason to be by receiving death threats. Chasing buses, if true, doesn't help his case much though.

But on another note, I think it does show one has to be careful. No matter what someone may think about it, it is a religion.

gopi · 5th February 2007, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

But on another note, I think it does show one has to be careful. No matter what someone may think about it, it is a religion.

What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion?

It seems like you are stating this as an objective fact, and implying that there are some conclusions you can draw due to its status as an actual religion.

Didaktylos · 6th February 2007, 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by gopi

What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion?

Well, lets see now:

Requires its followers to believe things that are at variance with the actual state of the universe.

Accounts of its founder's life and work are significantly different from what actually happened.

That's two to be going on with.

Kilgore Trout · 6th February 2007, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by gopi

What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion?

It seems like you are stating this as an objective fact, and implying that there are some conclusions you can draw due to its status as an actual religion.

The standard that I, personally, used is by definition. Although I don't know if Scientology makes any assertions as to a creator, another definition is "A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader." I would imagine it's no stretch to say Scientologists view L. Ron as a spiritual leader.

Having said that, and more to the matter at hand (that you can or cannot say the same things as you would other recognized religions), I will qualify what I said. I was looking at it from an American point of view which was wrong; I failed to look at the audience of this forum which is well beyond the US borders. In my defense, though, Henson was arrested in the US and I was addressing the idea that one needs to be careful because of this precedent (at least California). There are other areas, too, that recognize it as a religion and therefore, one probably ought be careful in those places. At the same time, yes, there are many places that do not recognize it as a religion, and possibly it is fair game (no pun intended) and you can say whatever you want, no matter how derogatory.

5th February 2007, 12:28 PM	#1
Kilgore Trout Wuse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tralfamadore Posts: 1,443	“Scientology Fugitive” Arrested Keith Henson, an anti-Scientology activist, was arrested in Arizona February 2nd. Quote: On Friday, Arizona police arrested a 64-year-old man — a fugitive since 2001 in a bizarre war that mixes free speech, copyright law, and the Church of Scientology. There's also an article about it here. I looked for a previous discussion about Henson, but I didn't turn up anything. Seems he was joking about "Tom Cruise missiles" on a newsgroup. He was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a church, a hate crime. He thought he might get shivved, fled to Canada, was arrested there, asked for asylum, then fled Canada, and was now recently arrested. ETA: The second article says he was deported from Canada; the first implies he left before hearing the decision.
	__________________ “I don't even know how to count.” -- Sylvia BrowneThis is invisible.“We're playing for blood, the stake is EARTH.” -- L. Ron HubbardThis is invisible.“I don't feel strong.” -- Uri Geller Last edited by Kilgore Trout; 5th February 2007 at 12:34 PM. Reason: removed the 'found innocent' part; the humor eluded me at first

5th February 2007, 01:41 PM	#2
Ripley Twenty-Nine Muse Join Date: May 2005 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 867	Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout Keith Henson, an anti-Scientology activist, was arrested in Arizona February 2nd. There's also an article about it here. I looked for a previous discussion about Henson, but I didn't turn up anything. Seems he was joking about "Tom Cruise missiles" on a newsgroup. He was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a church, a hate crime. He thought he might get shivved, fled to Canada, was arrested there, asked for asylum, then fled Canada, and was now recently arrested. ETA: The second article says he was deported from Canada; the first implies he left before hearing the decision. The more you read about this guy, the more you realize that the guy is pretty nutty himself. It appears that there's more to the story than just that article; he may have actually been making physical threats to Scientology members as well and engaging in some pretty weird behaviour. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,43420,00.html Hard to tell where the truth really lies with this story. The Scientologists are making him out to be the devil himself, and his side is touting him as a great American hero; and it appears that both sides are leaving out some facts.
	__________________ Ripley 29 "Professor, without knowing precisely what the danger is, would you say it's time for our viewers to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?" "Yes I would, Kent."

5th February 2007, 02:03 PM	#3
Kilgore Trout Wuse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tralfamadore Posts: 1,443	Originally Posted by Ripley Twenty-Nine The more you read about this guy, the more you realize that the guy is pretty nutty himself. I had just found that article myself. There's something odd about it all, that's for sure. He has a degree in electrical engineering and at least one patent. He seems paranoid, but then, might have a real reason to be by receiving death threats. Chasing buses, if true, doesn't help his case much though. But on another note, I think it does show one has to be careful. No matter what someone may think about it, it is a religion.
	__________________ “I don't even know how to count.” -- Sylvia BrowneThis is invisible.“We're playing for blood, the stake is EARTH.” -- L. Ron HubbardThis is invisible.“I don't feel strong.” -- Uri Geller

5th February 2007, 04:40 PM	#4
gopi Student Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 39	Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout But on another note, I think it does show one has to be careful. No matter what someone may think about it, it is a religion. What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion? It seems like you are stating this as an objective fact, and implying that there are some conclusions you can draw due to its status as an actual religion.
gopi Student Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 39

6th February 2007, 05:45 AM	#5
Didaktylos Critical Thinker Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 400	Originally Posted by gopi What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion? Well, lets see now: Requires its followers to believe things that are at variance with the actual state of the universe. Accounts of its founder's life and work are significantly different from what actually happened. That's two to be going on with.
	__________________ It's untrue that blokes can't multi-task: I can avoid doing any number of things simultaneously.

6th February 2007, 08:27 AM	#6
Kilgore Trout Wuse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tralfamadore Posts: 1,443	Originally Posted by gopi What standard do you use to decide that Scientology is a religion? It seems like you are stating this as an objective fact, and implying that there are some conclusions you can draw due to its status as an actual religion. The standard that I, personally, used is by definition. Although I don't know if Scientology makes any assertions as to a creator, another definition is "A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader." I would imagine it's no stretch to say Scientologists view L. Ron as a spiritual leader. Having said that, and more to the matter at hand (that you can or cannot say the same things as you would other recognized religions), I will qualify what I said. I was looking at it from an American point of view which was wrong; I failed to look at the audience of this forum which is well beyond the US borders. In my defense, though, Henson was arrested in the US and I was addressing the idea that one needs to be careful because of this precedent (at least California). There are other areas, too, that recognize it as a religion and therefore, one probably ought be careful in those places. At the same time, yes, there are many places that do not recognize it as a religion, and possibly it is fair game (no pun intended) and you can say whatever you want, no matter how derogatory.
	__________________ “I don't even know how to count.” -- Sylvia BrowneThis is invisible.“We're playing for blood, the stake is EARTH.” -- L. Ron HubbardThis is invisible.“I don't feel strong.” -- Uri Geller