Scientology doesn’t claim the E-meter has medical value; it claims spiritual value, which the court explicitly allowed. Isn’t pointing out that a religious artifact isn’t a medical device like pointing out that a rosary doesn’t lower blood pressure?

The rosary comparison is the Church’s own defense and deserves to be stated. The difference is historical and evidential. The E-meter was originally promoted as diagnosing and treating illness, which is why the FDA acted, and the Church now claims it detects mental mass and charge in the reactive mind, which are empirical claims about the device’s function, not devotional ones. A rosary is not claimed to detect anything. The ruling was mixed, condemning the medical claims while protecting religious use, and both sides claim it; what is on the record is that the device measures skin resistance and that the Church’s own disclaimer concedes it does nothing on its own.