There is joy in many part of Hollywood and, most probably, Tom Cruise is jumping for joy on his couch at the news from the European Court of Human Rights that Russia can not ban the Church of Scientology from pushing its wares that it claims are based on religious principles. The Russian Scientology church originally had tried to get local courts to end the ban on their activities, but were unsuccessful. The European Court ruled Russian law that said “religious organizations” that had not been in existence for at least 15 years could not be listed as a religious organization. Scientology had not been in Russia long enough to qualify under that law.
The European Court decision makes sense. Why not allow people to decide whether an organization is a legal religious one or not. After all, according to Russian law if Jesus showed up tomorrow and claimed Christianity was not his religion and wanted to start a new one, it would be illegal.
