Originally Posted by Sly

Actually, I haven't even read much about their core beliefs yet, just the very basics. I'm reading about how the Church operates and how it came into existence.

Just one of the bizarre things... early in the churches establishment it received tax-exempt status from the IRS. After a few years of being tax-exempt, the IRS took away their status due to obvious tax evasion and manipulation. The Church then went on to harass, steal from, bug, and sue the IRS over many many years. Finally in the early '90s the IRS grew fed up with the constant harassment and waste of resources that they cut a deal with the Church so that they again would receive tax-exempt status if they paid a sum of $12 million in back taxes.

Several key members of the Churches "military and intelligence branch", dubbed the Guardian's Office, were arrested in the early '80s for stealing records and sabotaging several United States government buildings across the country, I believe the operation was called "Operation Snow White". Hubbard was indicted but he disappeared and was never found until his death in '86.