 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 book , The Sect of Scientology and its Front Organizations . In 1981 , the organization 's founder , Ingo Heinemann , became the director of Aktion für geistige und psychische Freiheit ( " Campaign for Intellectual and Psychic Freedom " ) , Germany 's most prominent anti @-@ cult organization . Warnings from sect experts about the influence of new religious movements gained media attention which put political pressure on the government to deal with the situation ; as the movements were not doing anything illegal , the government resorted to issuing a range of leaflets and public statements giving general warnings about religious sects , the earliest of these publications appearing in 1979 . 
