My trusty friend Google reader brought an interesting article to my attention this past Friday.  This really is nothing more than fun-time water cooler ammunition — so take it for what it is. Below is an excerpt from the full story.

Wikipedia has taken a rather dramatic step to end four year dispute over the Scientology page and more than 430 related articles. The entire IP range of the Church of Scientology as well as the accounts of several contributors are now banned from editing the content in an effort to reduce a “persistent point-of-view pushing and extensive feuding over sources on multiple articles.”

It seems that more than a couple church members were unable to restrain their Thetan love for Xenu while editing the Scientology Wikipedia page.  As far as I can tell this wholesale banning of an entire IP range is a first for Wikipedia itself.

Here is a quick except about the event posted directly on the Scientology Wikipedia page.

The Arbitration Committee of the Wikipedia internet encyclopedia decided in May 2009 to restrict access to its site from Church of Scientology IP addresses, to prevent self-serving edits by Scientologists. A “host of anti-Scientologist editors” were topic-banned as well. The committee concluded that both sides had “gamed policy” and resorted to “battlefield tactics”, with articles on living persons being the “worst casualties”.