 and without war " evoke uncomfortable parallels with Nazism , and have led to Scientology being classified as an " extremist political movement " .   To further justify its stance , the German government has also pointed to the long history of U.S. court cases involving Scientology , including the conviction of 11 top Scientologists in 1979 and 1980 for a conspiracy involving the infiltration of U.S. government agencies , wiretapping and the theft of government documents , a 1994 U.S. Supreme Court finding that Scientology practices took place in a " coercive environment " , and Scientology 's track record of pursuing its critics through malicious court cases and private investigators . In examining the potential threat posed by Scientology the German government has noted that Scientology organizations are " structured so as to make the individual psychologically and financially dependent on a Scientology system " , and that members often abandon contact with friends and family .   = = History = =   = = = Scientology presence in Germany = = =   Scientology first became active in Germany in 1970 . By 2007 , there were ten major centres ( " Scientology Churches " ) , as well as fourteen minor centres ( " Scientology Missions " ) in Germany . The German Scientology Churches are located in the big cities – Munich , Hamburg , Berlin , Düsseldorf , Frankfurt am Main , Hanover and Stuttgart . Of the Scientology Missions , nine are in Baden @-@ Württemberg , and three in Bavaria . Following German re @-@ unification , Scientology proved unable to gain significant numbers of followers in the territories of the former German Democratic Republic ; most adherents are found in Baden @-@ Württemberg , Bavaria and North @-@ Rhine Westphalia .   Scientology is represented by a large number of independent associations or Vereine in Germany ; their umbrella organisation is the Scientology Kirche Deutschland e.V. Germany 's domestic intelligence service , the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz ( BfV , or Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution ) , estimates that there are 4 @,@ 000 Scientologists in Germany , down from earlier estimates of 5 @,@ 000 to 6 @,@ 000 . The Church of Scientology reported around 30 @,@ 000 members from the mid @-@ 1990s onwards ; this number remained stable for many years . However more recently Scientology has said it has only 12 @,@ 000 members . Discrepancies in Scientology membership numbers arise because the Church of Scientology applies more inclusive criteria in establishing its figures , essentially including anyone who has purchased a book or participated in courses , regardless of their subsequent involvement . The number of contractually bound Scientology staff members working in German Scientology organizations is unlikely to exceed a few hundred .   Scientology formulated a " Clear Germany " strategy in 1994 – similar to equivalent strategies pursued by Scientology in other countries and regions of the world – with the long @-@ term aim of transforming German society in line with the Scientological ideal : a non @-@ pluralist society in which Scientology enjoys overriding influence . The programme sought to address Scientology 's image problems in Germany , to identify weak points in Germany that could be exploited for political gain , such as Germany 's National Socialist history , and to increase both membership figures and political influence in German society , with a special emphasis on manoeuvring Scientologists into key positions in industry and government . As most religions seek to widen their influence in society , such a programme could of course also be defended as a missionary effort , much like those many religions engage in . However , according to the BfV , the strategy has not had any significant success . By 1998 , 90 government officials had been suspected of being Scientologists and in 48 cases the suspicions were confirmed , but apart from some isolated cases , most of the officials concerned had not used their positions to advertise Scientology . According to Fifka & Sydora ( 2009 ) , it is unknown to what degree the " Clear Germany " programme is still being pursued .   = = = Public opposition = = =   German public discourse does not regard Scientology as a religion , but generally characterizes it as a Sekte ( cult or sect ) , or as an exploitative profit @-@ making venture preying on vulnerable minds . Public concerns about the potential dangers posed by cults date back to the early 1970s , when widespread debate took place about " youth religions " such as the Unification Church , ISKCON , Children of God , and the Divine Light Mission . The most prominent critics of these new religious movements were the " sect commissioners " ( Sektenbeauftragte ) of Germany 's Protestant Churches , who also actively promoted the establishment of private " initiatives of parents and concerned persons " . Aktion Bildungsinformation ( " Educational Information Campaign " ) became an important organization dedicated to opposing Scientology ; taking an activist stance , it warned people not to get involved with Scientology , filed successful lawsuits against the Church of Scientology over its proselytizing in public places , and published an influential
Ġand Ġwithout Ġwar Ġ" Ġevoke Ġuncomfortable Ġparallels Ġwith ĠNaz ism Ġ, Ġand Ġhave Ġled Ġto ĠScientology Ġbeing Ġclassified Ġas Ġan Ġ" Ġextremist Ġpolitical Ġmovement Ġ" Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠTo Ġfurther Ġjustify Ġits Ġstance Ġ, Ġthe ĠGerman Ġgovernment Ġhas Ġalso Ġpointed Ġto Ġthe Ġlong Ġhistory Ġof ĠU . S . Ġcourt Ġcases Ġinvolving ĠScientology Ġ, Ġincluding Ġthe Ġconviction Ġof Ġ11 Ġtop ĠScient ologists Ġin Ġ1979 Ġand Ġ1980 Ġfor Ġa Ġconspiracy Ġinvolving Ġthe Ġinfiltration Ġof ĠU . S . Ġgovernment Ġagencies Ġ, Ġwiret apping Ġand Ġthe Ġtheft Ġof Ġgovernment Ġdocuments Ġ, Ġa Ġ1994 ĠU . S . ĠSupreme ĠCourt Ġfinding Ġthat ĠScientology Ġpractices Ġtook Ġplace Ġin Ġa Ġ" Ġcoercive Ġenvironment Ġ" Ġ, Ġand ĠScientology Ġ' s Ġtrack Ġrecord Ġof Ġpursuing Ġits Ġcritics Ġthrough Ġmalicious Ġcourt Ġcases Ġand Ġprivate Ġinvestigators Ġ. ĠIn Ġexamining Ġthe Ġpotential Ġthreat Ġposed Ġby ĠScientology Ġthe ĠGerman Ġgovernment Ġhas Ġnoted Ġthat ĠScientology Ġorganizations Ġare Ġ" Ġstructured Ġso Ġas Ġto Ġmake Ġthe Ġindividual Ġpsychologically Ġand Ġfinancially Ġdependent Ġon Ġa ĠScientology Ġsystem Ġ" Ġ, Ġand Ġthat Ġmembers Ġoften Ġabandon Ġcontact Ġwith Ġfriends Ġand Ġfamily Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠHistory Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠScientology Ġpresence Ġin ĠGermany Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠScientology Ġfirst Ġbecame Ġactive Ġin ĠGermany Ġin Ġ1970 Ġ. ĠBy Ġ2007 Ġ, Ġthere Ġwere Ġten Ġmajor Ġcentres Ġ( Ġ" ĠScientology ĠChurches Ġ" Ġ) Ġ, Ġas Ġwell Ġas Ġfourteen Ġminor Ġcentres Ġ( Ġ" ĠScientology ĠMissions Ġ" Ġ) Ġin ĠGermany Ġ. ĠThe ĠGerman ĠScientology ĠChurches Ġare Ġlocated Ġin Ġthe Ġbig Ġcities ĠâĢĵ ĠMunich Ġ, ĠHamburg Ġ, ĠBerlin Ġ, ĠD Ã¼ s se ld orf Ġ, ĠFrankfurt Ġam ĠMain Ġ, ĠHan over Ġand ĠSt utt gart Ġ. ĠOf Ġthe ĠScientology ĠMissions Ġ, Ġnine Ġare Ġin ĠBad en Ġ@ - @ ĠW Ã¼r tt ember g Ġ, Ġand Ġthree Ġin ĠBav aria Ġ. ĠFollowing ĠGerman Ġre Ġ@ - @ Ġunification Ġ, ĠScientology Ġproved Ġunable Ġto Ġgain Ġsignificant Ġnumbers Ġof Ġfollowers Ġin Ġthe Ġterritories Ġof Ġthe Ġformer ĠGerman ĠDemocratic ĠRepublic Ġ; Ġmost Ġadherents Ġare Ġfound Ġin ĠBad en Ġ@ - @ ĠW Ã¼r tt ember g Ġ, ĠBav aria Ġand ĠNorth Ġ@ - @ ĠRh ine ĠWest ph alia Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠScientology Ġis Ġrepresented Ġby Ġa Ġlarge Ġnumber Ġof Ġindependent Ġassociations Ġor ĠV ere ine Ġin ĠGermany Ġ; Ġtheir Ġumbrella Ġorganisation Ġis Ġthe ĠScientology ĠK irc he ĠDe utsch land Ġe . V . ĠGermany Ġ' s Ġdomestic Ġintelligence Ġservice Ġ, Ġthe ĠBundes am t Ġf Ã¼r ĠVer f ass ung ss ch utz Ġ( ĠB f V Ġ, Ġor ĠFederal ĠOffice Ġfor Ġthe ĠProtection Ġof Ġthe ĠConstitution Ġ) Ġ, Ġestimates Ġthat Ġthere Ġare Ġ4 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 ĠScient ologists Ġin ĠGermany Ġ, Ġdown Ġfrom Ġearlier Ġestimates Ġof Ġ5 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġto Ġ6 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġ. ĠThe ĠChurch Ġof ĠScientology Ġreported Ġaround Ġ30 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġmembers Ġfrom Ġthe Ġmid Ġ@ - @ Ġ1990 s Ġonwards Ġ; Ġthis Ġnumber Ġremained Ġstable Ġfor Ġmany Ġyears Ġ. ĠHowever Ġmore Ġrecently ĠScientology Ġhas Ġsaid Ġit Ġhas Ġonly Ġ12 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġmembers Ġ. ĠDisc rep ancies Ġin ĠScientology Ġmembership Ġnumbers Ġarise Ġbecause Ġthe ĠChurch Ġof ĠScientology Ġapplies Ġmore Ġinclusive Ġcriteria Ġin Ġestablishing Ġits Ġfigures Ġ, Ġessentially Ġincluding Ġanyone Ġwho Ġhas Ġpurchased Ġa Ġbook Ġor Ġparticipated Ġin Ġcourses Ġ, Ġregardless Ġof Ġtheir Ġsubsequent Ġinvolvement Ġ. ĠThe Ġnumber Ġof Ġcontract ually Ġbound ĠScientology Ġstaff Ġmembers Ġworking Ġin ĠGerman ĠScientology Ġorganizations Ġis Ġunlikely Ġto Ġexceed Ġa Ġfew Ġhundred Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠScientology Ġformulated Ġa Ġ" ĠClear ĠGermany Ġ" Ġstrategy Ġin Ġ1994 ĠâĢĵ Ġsimilar Ġto Ġequivalent Ġstrategies Ġpursued Ġby ĠScientology Ġin Ġother Ġcountries Ġand Ġregions Ġof Ġthe Ġworld ĠâĢĵ Ġwith Ġthe Ġlong Ġ@ - @ Ġterm Ġaim Ġof Ġtransforming ĠGerman Ġsociety Ġin Ġline Ġwith Ġthe ĠScient ological Ġideal Ġ: Ġa Ġnon Ġ@ - @ Ġplural ist Ġsociety Ġin Ġwhich ĠScientology Ġenjoys Ġoverriding Ġinfluence Ġ. ĠThe Ġprogramme Ġsought Ġto Ġaddress ĠScientology Ġ' s Ġimage Ġproblems Ġin ĠGermany Ġ, Ġto Ġidentify Ġweak Ġpoints Ġin ĠGermany Ġthat Ġcould Ġbe Ġexploited Ġfor Ġpolitical Ġgain Ġ, Ġsuch Ġas ĠGermany Ġ' s ĠNational ĠSocialist Ġhistory Ġ, Ġand Ġto Ġincrease Ġboth Ġmembership Ġfigures Ġand Ġpolitical Ġinfluence Ġin ĠGerman Ġsociety Ġ, Ġwith Ġa Ġspecial Ġemphasis Ġon Ġmanoeuv ring ĠScient ologists Ġinto Ġkey Ġpositions Ġin Ġindustry Ġand Ġgovernment Ġ. ĠAs Ġmost Ġreligions Ġseek Ġto Ġwiden Ġtheir Ġinfluence Ġin Ġsociety Ġ, Ġsuch Ġa Ġprogramme Ġcould Ġof Ġcourse Ġalso Ġbe Ġdefended Ġas Ġa Ġmissionary Ġeffort Ġ, Ġmuch Ġlike Ġthose Ġmany Ġreligions Ġengage Ġin Ġ. ĠHowever Ġ, Ġaccording Ġto Ġthe ĠB f V Ġ, Ġthe Ġstrategy Ġhas Ġnot Ġhad Ġany Ġsignificant Ġsuccess Ġ. ĠBy Ġ1998 Ġ, Ġ90 Ġgovernment Ġofficials Ġhad Ġbeen Ġsuspected Ġof Ġbeing ĠScient ologists Ġand Ġin Ġ48 Ġcases Ġthe Ġsuspicions Ġwere Ġconfirmed Ġ, Ġbut Ġapart Ġfrom Ġsome Ġisolated Ġcases Ġ, Ġmost Ġof Ġthe Ġofficials Ġconcerned Ġhad Ġnot Ġused Ġtheir Ġpositions Ġto Ġadvertise ĠScientology Ġ. ĠAccording Ġto ĠFif ka Ġ& ĠSyd ora Ġ( Ġ2009 Ġ) Ġ, Ġit Ġis Ġunknown Ġto Ġwhat Ġdegree Ġthe Ġ" ĠClear ĠGermany Ġ" Ġprogramme Ġis Ġstill Ġbeing Ġpursued Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠPublic Ġopposition Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠGerman Ġpublic Ġdiscourse Ġdoes Ġnot Ġregard ĠScientology Ġas Ġa Ġreligion Ġ, Ġbut Ġgenerally Ġcharacter izes Ġit Ġas Ġa ĠSek te Ġ( Ġcult Ġor Ġsect Ġ) Ġ, Ġor Ġas Ġan Ġexplo itative Ġprofit Ġ@ - @ Ġmaking Ġventure Ġpre ying Ġon Ġvulnerable Ġminds Ġ. ĠPublic Ġconcerns Ġabout Ġthe Ġpotential Ġdangers Ġposed Ġby Ġcult s Ġdate Ġback Ġto Ġthe Ġearly Ġ1970 s Ġ, Ġwhen Ġwidespread Ġdebate Ġtook Ġplace Ġabout Ġ" Ġyouth Ġreligions Ġ" Ġsuch Ġas Ġthe ĠUn ification ĠChurch Ġ, ĠIS K CON Ġ, ĠChildren Ġof ĠGod Ġ, Ġand Ġthe ĠDivine ĠLight ĠMission Ġ. ĠThe Ġmost Ġprominent Ġcritics Ġof Ġthese Ġnew Ġreligious Ġmovements Ġwere Ġthe Ġ" Ġsect Ġcommissioners Ġ" Ġ( ĠSek ten be au ft rag te Ġ) Ġof ĠGermany Ġ' s ĠProtestant ĠChurches Ġ, Ġwho Ġalso Ġactively Ġpromoted Ġthe Ġestablishment Ġof Ġprivate Ġ" Ġinitiatives Ġof Ġparents Ġand Ġconcerned Ġpersons Ġ" Ġ. ĠAk tion ĠBild ung s information Ġ( Ġ" ĠEducational ĠInformation ĠCampaign Ġ" Ġ) Ġbecame Ġan Ġimportant Ġorganization Ġdedicated Ġto Ġopposing ĠScientology Ġ; Ġtaking Ġan Ġactivist Ġstance Ġ, Ġit Ġwarned Ġpeople Ġnot Ġto Ġget Ġinvolved Ġwith ĠScientology Ġ, Ġfiled Ġsuccessful Ġlawsuits Ġagainst Ġthe ĠChurch Ġof ĠScientology Ġover Ġits Ġprose ly t izing Ġin Ġpublic Ġplaces Ġ, Ġand Ġpublished Ġan Ġinfluential