Pastor Michael Guglielmucci admits his cancer was a hoax; Videos being removed from YouTube

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Christian Pastor for the Planetshakers youth movement in Australia Michael Guglielmucci has admitted that his cancer is a hoax. Wikinews has also learned that one of the churches he preached at has had videos showing his claims of cancer removed from YouTube, claiming copyright infringement. He has also admitted to being addicted to pornography for over 16 years.

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Asbestos controversy aboard Scientology ship Freewinds

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Controversy has arisen over the reported presence of blue asbestos on the MV Freewinds, a cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology. According to the Saint Martin newspaper The Daily Herald and the shipping news journal Lloyd's List, the Freewinds was sealed in April and local public health officials on the Caribbean island of Curaçao where the ship is docked began an investigation into the presence of asbestos dust on the ship.

Former Scientologist Lawrence Woodcraft supervised work on the ship in 1987, and attested to the presence of blue asbestos on the Freewinds in an affidavit posted to the Internet in 2001. Woodcraft, a licensed architect by profession, gave a statement to Wikinews and commented on the recent events.

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Copy of handbook for leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints obtained by Wikinews

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Wikinews has obtained a copy of the General Handbook for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The document, which was obtained via Wikileaks, was previously only made available to leaders of the church.

It provides information on a variety of different issues. One of these is receiving organ donations. “The decision to receive a donated organ should be made after receiving competent medical counsel and confirmation through prayer,” says the handbook.

The handbook also explicitly bans assisted suicide. It claims that “a person who participates in euthanasia, including so-called assisted suicide, violates the commandments of God.”

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YouTube accounts of Scientology critics suspended

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Two well-known critics of Scientology have had their user accounts on the video sharing website YouTube suspended. The YouTube accounts of both Tory Christman and Mark Bunker were suspended this week. In an exclusive statement to Wikinews, YouTube explained why accounts are suspended, but did not specifically state why these particular accounts were suspended. Neither Christman nor Bunker received a notice or explanation from YouTube as to why their accounts were suspended.

On Tuesday April 15, Tory Christman a former Scientologist and volunteer for their Office of Special Affairs, and known as ToryMagoo44 on YouTube, had her account suspended for unknown reasons. On Wednesday, after complaints to YouTube from other YouTube users and from members of the group Anonymous, Christman's account was restored.

Wikinews confirmed Friday that Mark Bunker known as 'xenutv1' on YouTube, a television journalist and critic of Scientology, had his user account suspended. This is the second time that Bunker's account was suspended. He was formerly known as 'xenutv' when his account was suspended the first time.

"I want to see the complaint and on what grounds did YouTube suspend my account. I have done nothing on that account that would violate any of their terms and my videos and account should not have been pulled. The only caveat to this is my first account "XenuTV" was suspended a while back for a Steven Colbert video I had from Comedy Central. At that time I created XenuTV1 and according to YouTube's terms you can only have one account. Any time I have ever been asked to remove something that may violate their terms for copyright materials, I comply immediately. It would be wrong and a misuse of power to pull my account because of this lone loophole in their terms," said Bunker exclusively to Wikinews.

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Church of Scientology's 'Operating Thetan' documents leaked online

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Wikinews has obtained leaked 'Operating Thetan' (OT) documents of the Church of Scientology which were leaked via Wikileaks. Although some portions of the manual have been leaked previously, this is believed to be the first time the full unedited version has been leaked.

The 612 page manual for Scientologists and written by L. Ron Hubbard, contains instructions for the eight different Operating Thetan levels including 'clear' and OT8.

Most of the manual is typed from a computer, while the packet contains some hand written notes by Hubbard himself who also signed them. The manual also contains letters by Hubbard to individuals who have passed the according levels.

"A great many phenomena (strange things) can happen while doing these drills, if they are done honestly," Hubbard writes in regards to 'OT1.' Hubbard then goes on to explain in hand written notes, the 'drills' one must do in order to become 'OT1':

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Banned Scientology parody film 'The Profit' leaked on Web

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Copies of The Profit, a 2001 film blocked from distribution in the United States due to a court injunction, appeared on the Internet Friday on peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and on the video sharing site YouTube.

Directed by former film executive Peter N. Alexander, movie critics have characterized The Profit as a parody of Scientology and of its founder L. Ron Hubbard. Alexander was a Scientologist for twenty years, and left the organization in 1997. The film was funded by Bob Minton, a former critic of Scientology who later signed an agreement with the Church of Scientology and has attempted to stop distribution of the film. Alexander has stated that the movie is based on his research into cults, and when asked by the St. Petersburg Times about parallels to Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard said: "I'll let you draw that conclusion ... I say it's entirely fictional."

The film was released in August 2001, and was shown at a movie theatre in Clearwater, Florida and at a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. A Scientology spokesman gave a statement at the time saying "the movie is fiction and has nothing to do with Scientology", however the Church of Scientology later took legal action in an attempt to stop further distribution of the film. The Church of Scientology claimed that the film was intended to influence the jury pool in the wrongful death case of Scientology Lisa McPherson, who died under Scientology care in Clearwater, Florida. In April 2002, a Pinellas County, Florida judge issued a court order enjoining The Profit from worldwide distribution for an indefinite period.

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Protesters arrested at anti-Scientology event in Atlanta

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While protesting outside the Scientology Church of Georgia in Atlanta, two members of the group Anonymous were arrested by DeKalb County riot police while standing opposite the Church of Scientology-owned building.

The two protesters, who earlier on participated in the delivery of a 'global speech' collaboratively written and read by members of Anonymous at protests worldwide, were arrested are believed to have been charged by Dekalb police for protesting without a permit and causing 'offensive or hazardous conditions'. However, other members of Anonymous who took leading roles in arranging the protest are adamant that the Dekalb police had previously told them they did not need a permit to protest.

The arrests were filmed by other members of Anonymous who subsequently posted the videos onto popular video-sharing website YouTube. The videos show a very quick arrest in which the arresting officers did not read the Miranda rights of the protesters, which contrary to popular belief, is only required to be read before a police officer interviews someone in custody. This was confirmed by other members of the group who say they didn't hear their rights being read before they were lead away.

In other videos published on YouTube, the same members of Anonymous were shown thanking police for their work and offering them some of the cake members of Anonymous had brought to the protest, shortly before they were arrested.

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Wikinews interviews Jeff Jacobsen, creator of LisaMcPherson.org

>>Read the interview here
On Sunday, Wikinews interviewed creator of memorial site LisaMcPherson.org, former Lisa McPherson Trust employee and long time Scientology critic Jeff Jacobsen.

LisaMcPherson.org is a memorial site created in 1997 containing information on her death and the resulting legal case against the Church of Scientology.

Lisa McPherson died in 1995 while in the care of the Church of Scientology. After a car accident, she became mentally unstable. Scientologists removed her from the hospital and placed her in the Introspection Rundown, she died 17 days later while still in care of the Church. She was used as an icon during Project Chanology, the protest of the Church of Scientology by Anonymous. Protesters were pictured with signs that said "Remember Lisa McPherson" and "Ask Scientology Why Lisa McPherson Died", other protesters had posters with her picture on it.
>>Read the interview here

Wikinews interviews Mark Bunker, producer of anti-Scientology website 'XenuTV'

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Television producer and owner of the anti-Scientology website XenuTV.com, Mark Bunker chatted online with Wikinews for nearly three hours. More than 120 people followed the interview live (many from Project Chanology), which makes this exclusive Wikinews interview is our most attended IRC interview to date.

Bunker started XenuTV in 1999 and began to make videos that he provided for the Lisa McPherson Trust. Bunker has been a critic of the Church of Scientology since 1997.

In 2006, he won a regional Emmy Award after he and KUSI-TV news reporter Lena Lewis produced a documentary news video on the issues with the United States - Mexico border with San Diego, California.

>>Click here for the full EXCLUSIVE interview.

Wikinews interviews Jeff Jacobson, creator of LisaMcPherson.org

>>Click This Link To Post Your Questions
Wikinews is interviewing Jeff Jacobson, the creator of memorial and anti-Scientology website LisaMcPherson.org.

Problem is, we want you to add the questions so we can get the answers.
>>Click This Link To Post Your Questions

Final call for questions: Wikinews interviews Mark Bunker, producer of anti-Scientology website 'XenuTV'

>>Click here to add questions

Wikinews is interviewing television producer and owner of the anti-Scientology website XenuTV.com, Mark Bunker.

The deadline to ask questions is Friday February 15, 2008. The plan will be to conduct the interview on IRC in the channel #wikinews-interviews, on the freenode network (irc.freenode.net) with prepared questions. If there are not a lot of questions prepared, then the floor will be open to questioning by anyone attending the interview.

Please read the questions to make sure you don't ask the same one as someone else.

The date of the interview is scheduled to take place on Saturday February 16, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) or 1:00 p.m. (pacific time), or 21:00 UTC on the irc.freenode.net server in the channel #wikinews-interviews.

Directions on how to enter IRC channel: Click here. Type in your desired user-name. Select General Wikinews Discussion. Once in the channel, type: /j #wikinews-interviews (or /join #wikinews-interviews). Or you can download your own IRC client such as mIRC or ICEchat. If you have FireFox, then Chatzilla is easy. Join #wikinews for assistance on connecting by clicking on the above link selecting General Wikinews Discussion.

Wikinews international report: "Anonymous" holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide

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Here is what is most likely to be the most extensive international report on the 2008 Anonymous protests against Scientology. Wikinews was in nearly 15 different countries and over 50 cities throughout the globe to bring you the most extensive, in-depth and opinion free reporting anywhere on the net. We hope you enjoy this article, the reports, video and photos, as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you. Thanks everyone for your hard work and contributions. They are greatly appreciated.

The Internet group Anonymous today held protests critical of the Church of Scientology. The protests marked what would have been the 49th birthday of Lisa McPherson, who is claimed to be a victim of the Church of Scientology's practices. Lisa died in 1995 during a running of what Scientologists refer to as an Introspection Rundown, a procedure intended to help Church members deal with a psychotic or deeply traumatic event.

Protests were planned throughout the day in 14 countries and over 50 different cities. The estimation of total protesters world wide for Feb. 10, 2008 is 9,250 people.

Wikinews had correspondents at a number of protest locations to report on the events. This article was updated throughout the day with reports from around the globe.

Date and time of Wikinews interview with Mark Bunker, producer of anti-Scientology website 'XenuTV'

Wikinews is interviewing television producer and owner of the anti-Scientology website XenuTV.com, Mark Bunker.

Problem is, we don't have enough questions and we want you to ask them.

Ask questions by clicking here

The deadline to ask questions is Friday February 15, 2008. The plan will be to conduct the interview on IRC in the channel #wikinews-interviews, on the freenode network (irc.freenode.net) with prepared questions. If there are not a lot of questions prepared, then the floor will be open to questioning by anyone attending the interview.

The date of the interview is scheduled to take place on Saturday February 16, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) or 1:00 p.m. (pacific time), or 21:00 UTC on the irc.freenode.net server in the channel #wikinews-interviews.

Directions on how to enter IRC channel: Click here. Type in your desired user-name. Type in the channel name: #wikinews-interviews. Or you can download your own IRC client such as mIRC or ICEchat. If you have FireFox, then Chatzilla is easy. Join #wikinews for assistance on connecting by clicking on the above link, typing in the channel #wikinews

David S. Touretzky discusses Scientology, Anonymous and Tom Cruise

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In an interview with Wikinews reporter Nicholas Turnbull, prominent free speech activist and critic of Scientology David S. Touretzky gave his opinion on the recent backlash against the Church of Scientology that has erupted on the Internet, recently spurred on in declarations by a nebulous Internet entity using the name Anonymous that the organization will be destroyed. Anonymous has directed recent protests at Scientology centres across the world, which have attracted significant numbers of individuals supporting the cause.

Touretzky, a research professor in artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University, has been a prominent critic of the Church of Scientology since mid-1995, and has been protesting against Scientology vociferously since then; he has also run websites that publish material that Scientology wishes to keep suppressed from the public eye, such as extracts from Scientology's formerly-confidential Operating Thetan (OT) materials. Touretzky views the actions of the Church of Scientology as being "a threat to free speech", and has endured harassment by the Church of Scientology for his activities.

>>Click here for the full EXCLUSIVE interview.

You ask the questions: Wikinews interviews Mark Bunker, producer of anti-Scientology website 'XenuTV'

Wikinews is interviewing television producer and owner of the anti-Scientology website XenuTV.com, Mark Bunker.

Problem is, we don't have any questions and we want you to ask them.

At the moment there is no deadline to ask questions. The hopeful plan is to conduct the interview on IRC. Hopefully this can be Wikinews' first Interview Of The Month, in well a very long time. More details on how and when the interview will take place will be released as details are known.

Click here to add your questions.

Church of Scientology: '"Anonymous' will be stopped"

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Claiming that "actions are being taken", a Church of Scientology representative has responded exclusively to Wikinews regarding the recent attacks on their web sites from the nebulous "Anonymous" group. In an effort to get the Church's side of the story, Wikinews freelance journalist Brian McNeil located a contact address, knowledge@lrh.org. A "Laetitia" responded, ignoring a detailed list of questions that would have given information on the damage inflicted on the Church and action taken. Instead non-specific comments about how the Church is handling the issue were given. She first started by asking if Wikinews was "part of Anonymous or are you pro-Scientology?"

"Activities of Anonymous have been reported to the Authorities and actions are being taken. Their activities are illegal and we do not approve of them. At the same time, our main work is to improve the environment, make people more able and spiritually aware. ... yes, we are taking action," said Laetitia.

Wikinews sent the e-mails from the Church to several experts on Scientology for an expert opinion on what they might have been trying to say. Although there was minimal response, Wikinews heard from the creator of Operation Clambake, which is a project formed in 1996 as a direct result of seeing the Church succeeding in removing criticism from the Internet. Wikinews also heard from another expert on Scientology and former Church member, who wishes to remain anonymous.

>>Click here for the full EXCLUSIVE story.

Also take part in the poll to the right of the blog postings.

711chan.org ends attack on Scientology

>>Click here to read the EXCLUSIVE interview and full Story.

Administrators for 711chan.org, one of the websites responsible for starting Project Chanology, a "raid" or attack against The Church of Scientology and their website, called off their attack.

In an exclusive interview with Wikinews, an administrator of 711chan states that the will "probably stay away from the CoS (Church of Scientology)."

"We're probably just going to stay away from the CoS raid. It was poorly managed. We could've brought down a lot more if we weren't just a bunch of unorganized brats," said 'Inaki', an administrator on 711chan.org.

"Many people from 711chan still want to raid, but the administration is sick of it," added Inaki who also stated that "Partyvan IRC actually has decided to remove the raid."

Much of the reason stems from the fact that the attack on the Church was meant to stay within 711chan and that users were to stay "anonymous." An e-mail was leaked on the internet when the attack began exposing the script used to attack the Church's website.

Also take part in our Wikinews poll to the right of blog postings, at the top of the page. Also ask questions for our interview with the Church of Scientology: Wikinews: Interview with The Church of Scientology

>>Click here to read the above EXCLUSIVE interview and full Story.

Wikinews: Interview with The Church of Scientology

They’ve got oodles of cash (allegedly), they have lots of celebrity members (definitely), but they don’t have too good a public image - at least not on the Internet.

Who are we talking about? Well, that’d be the Church of Scientology.

Over the past week the Church has ended up back in the spotlight following the posting of a video of Church member Tom Cruise and its subsequent takedown. Dozens of copies have sprung up and “Anonymous” - a rag-tag bunch of computer enthusiasts - have knocked several of the Church’s sites off the net.

The Church hasn’t said much, but we’re trying to do something about that. If you’ve any questions about recent events you’d like to see Wikinews put to the Church, send them in. Email scoop@wikinewsie.org and we’ll see if we can get an answer.

Also feel free to vote in our poll to the right of the blog postings, at the top of the page.

'The Regime' hacks 711chan.org in response to 'Anonymous' attack on Scientology; takes site off line

>>Click for full EXCLUSIVE Interview and report.
Also see the poll to the right of the blog post.

Wikinews has learned that a new entity calling itself The Regime used keylogging to gain an administrator password to 711chan.org, a site popular with the open vigilante group "Anonymous" that has recently been attacking Scientology online. Wikinews interviewed The Regime. Click the above link to see the interview and full report.

As of 9:57 p.m. (eastern time) the site 711chan.org, has been replaced, allegedly by The Regime by the title Church of Scientology along with a statement on the home page stating "This website has been deleted due to copyright claims from the Church of Scientology." A search performed using Google, on 711chan has returned the number one result of the apparent hack. All that remains of 711chan.org is an apparent message to the members of the site to "run" and "hide."

"711chan is full of fucking fail for siding with Gaia. I'm out of here, faggots. Enjoy your Gaia," said the message, which currently is only available in a cached version.

The Regime's first attack went along with a message posted to 711chan's website (quoted below) saying that "This site has not been blessed by The Regime and is deemed lame", believing Anonymous to be self-proclaimed hackers (although this title was primarily used by the media). It also refers to Anonymous' attempt to bring down the Church of Scientology (named 'Operation Chanology'), saying that "chanology is lame, scientology is lame". It thereafter declared that the message board where Anonymous had been discussing Operation Chanology had been removed. Minutes later, 711chan stopped responding to queries.

Click here for the full EXCLUSIVE interview and report.

Poll: The internet VS The Church of Scientology

Gathering information for a possible full Wikinews poll, I am interested in what the public thinks of the "first great internet war", The Internet VS. The Church of Scientology.

We are wondering who you think will win this war. Will the internet win? What about the "church"....maybe you don't care???

Anyways cast your vote to the right of the blog postings, at the top of the page. From the date of this post, you have a week.

Please feel free to leave comments.