The Week: Most Recent world-religions

Scientology's 'super-creepy' South Park investigation

The Week — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:42:00 -0500

A 2005 episode of South Park titled "Trapped in the Closet" ranks number 17 on TV Guide's list of TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time. Of course, the episode, which mocks the Church of Scientology's tenets (as well as high-profile church member Tom Cruise), was slammed by Scientologists. But the true extent to which the show angered the church has only just been revealed, thanks to a document leaked by a former high-level Scientologist. The memo explains that following the episode, the church targeted South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with an extensive investigation meant to embarrass...

Scientology's 'real-world Hogwarts' boarding school: 7 talking points

The Week — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:23:00 -0500

Situated high in the mountains of western Oregon, Delphian School is a "secretive and secluded" K-12 campus for budding Scientologists. The subject of a surprising, in-depth report by Benjamin Carlson at The Daily, the school likens itself to a "real-world Hogwarts" to woo potential students whose parents are willing to pay $42,000 a year in tuition. Here, seven of The Daily expose's most bizarre takeaways:

1. It's very much a Scientology school
Delphian was founded in the 1970s by Scientologists, reports Carlson. Roughly 250 students attend the boarding school, which, at $42,000 a year, is more...

The latest tweets on Scientology

The Week — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:46:00 -0500

Catholic priests and child abuse: Time to prosecute the Pope?

The Week — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:06:00 -0500

Human rights lawyers are asking the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute Pope Benedict XVI and three other Vatican officials for crimes against humanity, saying they covered up "long-standing and pervasive" sexual violence against children. The Vatican's U.S. lawyer called the complaint — filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) — "a ludicrous publicity stunt." Is it — or could Vatican officials really be prosecuted?

This is offensive to the Vatican and to victims: The ICC was established to handle...

The 'hilarious kitschy' Scientology recruitment video

The Week — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:02:00 -0500

The video: Scientology is a mystery to most outsiders, but a video that popped up on YouTube over the weekend is exposing the group to scrutiny — and ridicule. The clip is believed to be a production of the Church of Scientology itself, dating to the early 1990s. (Watch the video below.) It features "excited-looking Scientologists" performing a "sitcom-esque" sing-a-long called "We Stand Tall," says Amy Rolph in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Scientology leader David Miscavige even appears, singing earnestly in an auditorium full of clean-cut, smiling crooners. Several other former...

Does Pope John Paul II really deserve beatification?

The Week — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:30:00 -0500

The late Pope John Paul II is set to have his beatification ceremony, a final step towards being declared a saint, on Sunday, May 1. By most accounts, John Paul is being fast-tracked to saintly status. The current pope, Benedict XVI, waived the initial five-year waiting period, and his elevation of John Paul is the first by an immediate predecessor in a thousand years. But, given Pope John Paul's handling of the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Church in recent years, not everyone is convinced he is worthy of sainthood. Is he?

No, he failed to protect innocent children: John Paul was charming...

Who cares about Scientology? The Catholic Church is far worse

The Week — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:46:00 -0600

Lawrence Wright's sprawling expose of Scientology in this week's New Yorker is dominating media discussions. But Esquire's Mark Warren says that, however mockable journalists may find L. Ron Hubbard's outlandish belief system, the core beliefs of the Catholic Church — which "wields influence incalculably greater than Hubbard's itty-bitty religion" — are just as absurd. Catholics' "finances, earthly corruption, and raw power," should be catnip to muckraking writers; its wide-reaching pedophilia scandal, for instance, was a "monstrous crime" that deserved far more attention than...

The New Yorker's Scientology expose: 7 key revelations

The Week — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:47:00 -0600

The New Yorker has published "The Apostate," a 24,000-word investigation into the Church of Scientology, examining many of its biggest controversies and focusing in particular on Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis' defection from the religion. A member of the church for 35 years, the Crash director attained one of its highest levels of enlightenment, but fell out with church leaders over their stand on gay rights, and publicly left Scientology in 2009. "The article is fairly exhausting to read," says Nina Shen Rastogi at Slate, but Lawrence Wright's "diligent" reporting makes this "pure candy...

Why has P.T. Anderson's Scientology movie been canned? 3 theories

The Week — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:55:00 -0500

The Master, a Scientology parable in the making from There Will Be Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson, has been "postponed indefinitely" according to one of the film's stars, Jeremy Renner. The actor recently told Total Film magazine that "it really kind of stalled because when we were rehearsing —Phil, Paul, and myself — we kept coming up against a wall that we couldn't overcome." Given the film's subject matter — it tells the story of a religion called the Cause that has striking similarities to Scientology — film critics are speculating that some hidden controversy...

Talking points: The pope's controversial U.K. visit

The Week — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:39:00 -0500

Pope Benedict XVI has touched down in the United Kingdom for his first papal visit and received a chilly welcome from the famously pugnacious British press — which has seized on a papal aide's remark that Britain resembles a "third-world country" — and anti-religion activists, who've threatened to arrest the pontiff for "crimes against humanity." That said, at least one Brit was overwhelmed by excitement. Here's a more detailed guide to the key talking points: (Watch a report about his U.K. visit)

1. The attack of the atheists
When the pope's visit was announced back in April, anti...

Vatican: Female priests are as bad as pedophiles?

The Week — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:40:00 -0500

The Vatican issued updated rules Thursday that make it easier to punish sex-abuser Catholic priests, but also include new edicts on other particularly "grave" crimes against church law, including heresy, violating the seal of confession, and — controversially — ordaining women as priests. That last "crime" set off sparks, especially in the U.S., where a majority of Catholics favor admitting women to the priesthood. Is the Vatican really saying that ordaining women is as "grave" as pedophilia? (Watch a CNN report about the new Vatican rules)

Yes, and it will haunt them: Putting...

The Pope's battle against 'deplorable' sex abuse raids

The Week — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:06:00 -0500

In a sign that tensions are still rising in Europe over the Catholic sex abuse scandal, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday criticized the Belgian authorities for what he called "deplorable" raids on church property. Seeking evidence of sexual abuse by priests, last week Belgian police detained bishops, confiscated files compiled by a church committee investigating abuse claims, and opened the tomb of a cardinal in a cathedral north of Brussels. Was Benedict right to stand up for the Belgian clergy, or was he sending the message that the victims aren't his first concern? (Watch a report about the...

Catholics in crisis

The Week — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:58:00 -0500

How severe is the crisis?
It’s “the largest institutional crisis in centuries, possibly in church history,” says the National Catholic Reporter. Worldwide, the Roman Catholic Church now has 1.1 billion members, compared with 1.5 billion Muslims and 593 million Protestants. In the U.S., all the major denominations have seen their numbers decline in recent years, but the Catholic Church has taken the biggest hit. Since the 1960s, four American-born Catholics have left the church for every one who has converted, according to a 2009 Pew study. In 2008 alone, Catholic membership declined...

Britain's 'despicable' Pope memo

The Week — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:39:00 -0500

An "ill-judged" British Foreign Office memo apparently mocking Pope Benedict XVI has roiled already tense relations between Britain and the Vatican in advance of the first papal visit to the U.K. in 28 years. The document, written by a junior staffer, mockingly outlines elements of an "ideal visit" — including "launch of 'Benedict' condoms." (See the text of the leaked list below.) Though the U.K. has officially apologized to the Vatican, the question remains: Does Britain have an anti-Catholic problem? (Watch an ITN News report about the pope's leaked memo)

Don't people understand "satire...

What is your opinion on suing the Pope?

The Week — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:22:00 -0500

Click to see all of The Week's most recent polls

Vote now

Suing the pope: A guide

The Week — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:14:00 -0500

A Wisconsin man recently became the latest alleged sex abuse victim to sue Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican. But the Vatican is a sovereign nation, and — as its head of state — the pope is often considered immune from such suits under international law. Is it possible to sue the Pontiff? Here's a quick guide:

What's the Wisconsin case about?
The Wisconsin plaintiff, identified as "John Doe 16," says Pope Benedict and other senior Vatican officials failed to discipline Rev. Lawrence Murphy who allegedly molested up to 200 boys at a school for the deaf from 1950 to 1974 before his 1998...