MovieChat Forums > Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (2016) Discussion > Children signing contracts

Children signing contracts

posted 7 years ago by sgetti4me
6 replies | jump to latest

So this one has me thinking. They have kids signing contracts that put them into hard labor jobs before 18. They are afraid of freeloader debt, but if you aren't 18 how can you be legally held responsible for a contract you signed? Also I don't see how the church isn't investigated for child labor violations. These kids mostly just don't go to school, so there is truancy and they they work them 15 or so hours a day. I don't get how any of this is legal.

Damn the man! Save the Empire! Rave On, Rave On

[–] yamahamama 7 years ago

Apparently freedom of religion takes precedence over pretty much everything. Of course, it's not a *legal* contract. A legal contract would never use the time frame of a billion years.

There are so many things wrong with scientology being considered a religion. Half the time I think the government would rather concentrate on less controversial "enemies" than to try to get tangled up in this fake religion. Previous attempts to investigate caused individual FBI agents to be personally targeted by these weirdos, similar to how the movies portray mob criminals doing the same.

[–] rob-2423 7 years ago

Actually, the contracts are not enforcable. Freedom of religion does not blindly blanket everything, nor does it trump certain laws. An organization is not protemcted by the Constitution, by the way, like individual citizens are. Ud this were the case, then human sacrifice and murder could be legalized.
Additionally, the Constitution ONLY protects against government intervention/imprisonment, and therefore has no real bearing in a civil kawsuit, which is the only place that breach of contract cases can be tried- as contractual obligations are a civil matter.

[–] rob-2423 7 years ago

Sorry for the typoes, by the way. I just noticed them, and cannot edit through my cell phone. IMDB- work on that feature, please. ;-)

[–] nyctc7 7 years ago

Yah, the whole freeloader debt thing ain't legal, what they do is tell you unless you pay it you will be declared a suppressive person and be disconnected from all family and friends who are scientologists.

[–] LoBo_77018 7 years ago

If the kid is in it on his own - with no family- who is looking out for him and going to tell him he's not really bound by this contract because he signed it as a minor. If the whole family is in no one would tell him either.

[–] Katiedidd 7 years ago

The subject of freeloader debt was worded in a way that made it sound like it could be legitimate rather than the intimidation tactic it is. Yup, "freeloader debt" isn't legally binding even for those above 18 years of age. I can see how they work on their members by claiming otherwise though...

... if I pay someone up front for doing yard work over the course of, say, a week, and the person fails to do if, I could sue for failure to provide services we agreed on. However, this bull *beep* Sea Org. can't claim, "we're giving you auditing, room and board, so you have to stay." One, they have crazy things like billion-year contracts, and room and board gets to end when you leave. Something like auditing could never be part of a contract, where, if you leave ""prematurely," you have back-pay for past auditing. It's not even close to alegitimate arrangement for something like money for lawncare, but I can see how this cult scares people into thinking they're the same.

It's got to be the biggest RICO scams ever to be perpetrated on a group of people, and they keep getting away with it. Don't even get me started on the child labor, missed school, and segregating children from family. Ugh, it is DISGUSTING.