The Church of Scientology owns a huge amount of property in St. Petersburg - including a massive building that is supposed to become their world-wide headquarters. It has sat empty since 2002, despite being mostly completed. Why?

The St. Petersburg Times explains:

Well, it's not money problems, said church spokesman Ben Shaw. It's got more to do with changing, and then changing again, benign features such as paint colors, molding styles and carpet. The church refuses to start work, Shaw said, until plans are finalized "down to the last desk and wall design." Those plans now are nearly at that point, he said.

The many design changes, some significant, all had to be approved by church officials in California, Klar said. And rather than just starting work and then making changes as they go along, church leaders insist on signing off on every minute detail before work starts.

"It looks like an abandoned construction site from the outside, and that doesn't speak well for our efforts for the downtown," said council member Hoyt Hamilton. "It would be a plus for everybody to see some progress."

There are a lot of possible explanations for why this building is sitting empty, but the official one actually sounds most plausible. That, however, isn't a compliment to the Church of Scientology. The fact that they have to get every single little detailed determined in advance before doing anything at all inside the structure doesn't speak well about them. They sound like an obsessive parent who has to be in control of everything. Not an organization I would trust.

Read More:

• What is Scientology?
• Scientology News
• Scientology: Critiques
• Scientology: Spoofs & Books
• Scientology vs. the Internet
• Scientology: Court Cases
• Scientology: L. Ron Hubbard