Scientology's Status Misrepresented

By PAT HARNEY

Published: Dec 18, 2007

The Associated Press article, "Germany Officials Call For Scientology Ban" that ran in the Tribune Dec. 10 omits the fact that the German Ministers of Interior conference Dec. 7 did not vote for a motion to instigate procedures to ban Scientology.

Instead, those officials recognized that there is no evidence to support such a motion. Furthermore, Federal Minister of Interior Wolfgang Schauble in an interview with German Radio, also on Dec. 7, conceded that there is no legal basis for such a procedure.

The false report in those media statements stems from a story in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag (and released internationally by the Associated Press) that mischaracterizes the result of the conference and omits the fact that there was no vote on the motion.

As in the rest of the world, Scientology is an expanding movement in Germany.

In the last 25 years, there have been more than 40 German court decisions acknowledging the church's religiosity, including a decision of the Federal Administrative Court. These court decisions have repeatedly validated the rights of the Church of Scientology to operate per Article 4 of the German Constitution, have affirmed that its services are religious, that the church has the right to disseminate its teachings, that church staff members are motivated by idealistic and spiritual purposes, and that its fundraising methods are fair and aligned to what is expected of a charitable organization.

Furthermore, 10 years of surveillance by German Office for the Protection of the Constitution has uncovered absolutely no wrongdoing.

The suggestion that the OPC not only continue but expand its intrusive and illegal investigation represents a desperate attempt to concoct a justification for a never-ending investigation that wastes millions of taxpayer euros.

Since the opening of its major church in Berlin earlier this year, the religious status of the Church of Scientology has been further acknowledged all over the world.

The Scientology religion was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. The first church was established in the United States in 1954. It has grown to more than 7,500 churches, missions and groups and ten million members in 163 nations.

Pat Harney is public affairs director of the Church of Scientology.