Germany Shows Consistent In Its Zero Tolerance Policy Towards Church Of Scientology, Shuts Down Kindergartern Run By CoS
Germany, the front runner among European Union members to show increasing scrutiny towards the Church of Scientology, has hit Scientology with yet another blow.
City officials in Munich closed a kindergarten after discovering it was run by the Church of Scientology. The school had 18 children in attendance and were supervised by two Scientologist adults. The news report states city officials closed the school because of concerns for the children, and released this statement:
"The well-being of the children in the establishment was under threat because the education process was based on the principles of Scientology."
The German government has been engaged in a public battle with the Church of Scientology for the last ten years based on what the Germany feels is "a sect that exploits its members financially."
This tense relationship between the CoS and the German government came to a head in January. The catalyst for this confrontation stemmed from, actor and outspoken Scientologist, Tom Cruise's big screen depiction of resistance leader, Claus von Stauffenberg, against Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler in the film Valkyrie.
In a now infamous video leaked to the internet in January, actor Tom Cruise is seen extolling the virtues of Scientology in what many feel was an over-the-top propaganda speech aimed at the very wallets of its members. The news article states, "German historian, Guido Knopp, compared a speech the actor made to fellow Scientologists with a call to war by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels."
And he's not the only one. According to this article:
"Thomas Gandow, of the German Protestant church, who has previously compared Cruise to Goebbels, said the video revealed the actor's high standing in the organisation: "He is not your average sect member but rather a propaganda minister ... I still believe it: Tom Cruise is the Goebbels of Scientology."
Germany has a hostile attitude towards Scientology, and considering its own sordid history with fascism and totalitarian ideology, it's not hard to understand why. As anyone familiar with world history can attest, Germany allowed a dangerous organization to fester, entrench itself and ultimately take control of the government in what ultimately became the central cause of WWII and the mass genocide of Jews, and those deemed undesirable by Hitler's Nazi regime.
Is it fair to compare the Church of Scientology to Hitler's Nazi party? Probably not, but there are some striking similarities in how the organization is run and the manner in which its principles are spread.
Continued on the next page
