Scientology has officially been banned in Russia after an inspection of the Russian Ministry of Justice revealed that the word ‘Scientology’ was registered as a trade mark owned by the US Religious Technology Center. The Russian Justice Ministry claims that the church doesn’t comply with the federal law on freedom of religion.
Scientology was founded in the 1950’s by L. Ron Hubbard, who was previously a science fiction writer. The congregation has caused scandal over the past 5 decades from allegations of abuse and mistreatment of members to even breaking into the U.S IRS Building in the 1970’s to remove files that were “unfavorable” to the church. The church has also garnered the support of many famous celebrities such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Laura Prepon, Will Smith, and Beck. While Scientology is a considered a religion (only for tax purposes), many countries such as Chile, France, and Israel have labeled it a cult.