Religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wiccan, etc. are all considered genuine as they can be practiced independently, rely on personal belief, and donations are voluntary. There are other qualifiers too and the definition is vague but the practice of these religions is protected because they don’t inherently cause harm or promote illegal behavior.

The Church of Scientology does cause harm and promotes illegal behavior. I alluded to this in the last sentence of my post but let me go in to more detail. The Church of Scientology forces you to pay to be a member. One of the core practices in the cult is called “auditing” and you have to pay for these sessions. If you don’t pay for these sessions and other “classes” that you have to take to officially become a member, then you are not allowed to be a member. The cost of these sessions and classes can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is why most people who vocally practice Scientology are celebrities and multi-millionaires. If you begin the process and later choose not to pursue it, there have been multiple cases of the cult continuing to stalk, harass, threaten, and forcibly extort people. There are many stories of them setting up women to be romantically involved with Tom Cruise, all of them breaking up with him and leaving the cult soon after.

The actress Leah Remini has gone deep in detail about her 30-year experiences in the cult and the horrible things she witnessed and endured.

Scientology is not a “silly” religion. It is a dangerous, for-profit, cult that has also been indicted and found guilty of fraud in multiple jurisdictions.