Drug addicts sent to Scientologists

Norway’s government has spent large sums sending drug addicts to a controversial Danish treatment run and supported by Scientologists.

The Narconon center in Denmark bases its treatment on the teaching of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, the Newspapers’ News Agency (ANB) reports.

Astrid Skretting, a researcher at the State Institute for Drug and Alcohol Research (SIRUS), fears that Norwegian addicts end up as converts to Scientology after their stay.

The treatment course can cost from NOK 180,000-200,000 (USD 29,300-32,600). An information consultant at Norway’s Health West said that their region was honoring existing agreements with Narconon but had no current cooperation.

Narconon Denmark uses Hubbard’s controversial personality and IQ tests to assess their clients but manager Ole Thiemer insisted that the center is independent of the church.

“The Narconon program is non-religious and we don’t put any religion in it. Our fundamental objective is to cure addiction so people can become valuable citizens,” Thiemer said.

Thiemer knew of criticism from experts in the USA claiming that Narconon’s methods had no scientific basis. He has publicly stated that he is a former addict that was cured by Narconon’s program and then converted to active Scientology.

“We have clients that become Scientologists when they complete treatment. Maybe they think like I do, that if just a tiny part of Hubbard’s technology can free them of addiction, what could all of his teaching do,” Thiemer said.

Read Another Article

Reopening the Jonestown files
Fractured families: A new book tells how a cult has riven churches in Victoria

Related News Articles Topic(s): Narconon • Scientology Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Narconon Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog