VOLUME 2 |NUMBER 1 |2011 27
light) has been promoted by the
movie In the Beginning Was the
Light and supported by the “Film-
fonds” [film funds].
The Constitutional Court has
squashed a law about a 10-year’s
waiting time for religious confession-
al communities (without privileges)
to be recognized as religious com-
munities or churches (with privi-
leges), claiming that the law discrim-
inated against religions. The law has
to be revised by 30 September 2011.
At the end of the year, the Federal
Office for Sectarian Questions pre-
sented its report, available online.
REPORT FROM Germany
Friedrich Griess
Scientology is not considered to be a
religion in Germany, but a commercial
enterprise, and it continues to be
observed by the Federal Office for the
Protection of the Constitution. Scien-
tology continuously tries to attract
attention through making public
appearances, by recruiting youngsters
for Youth for Human Rights Interna-
tional, by offering its expositions
about the “crimes”of psychiatrists, by
sending its material to schools, and by
establishing new centers. The Bavari-
an Ministry of the Interior has pub-
lished a brochure about Scientology
(with about 5,500 adherents).
A relief for Scientology certainly
must be that, in Hamburg, the Work-
ing Group on Scientology headed by
Ursula Caberta has been dissolved.
Caberta still works for the Hamburg
Ministry of the Interior, but the pub-
lic consulting service has been taken
over by the Federal Office for the
Protection of the Constitution.
Until Nothing Remains (German: Bis
nichts mehr bleibt) is a German fic-
tional film that depicts a story about
Scientology and its effects upon
converts. In the film, a young couple
is brought into Scientology by
means of manipulation. “Eventually,
the husband decides to leave the
group, losing not only his wife in the
process, but also his young child and
a big portion of his family’s inheri-
tance, which his wife has donated
to the church.” (Quotation from
Wikipedia.) The film is reportedly
based on the real-life experiences
of a German man named
Heiner von Rönn.
The New Apostolic Church (about
360,000 adherents) actually is under-
going a major revision of its creed in
order to come nearer to that of other
Christian churches. However, it is not
abandoning its claim of monopoly
to salvation, which leads to internal
and external controversies.
Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) (about
160,000 adherents). Following a deci-
sion of the Senate in Berlin, currently
11 more Bundeslaender [provinces,
states] have attributed the JW the
status of a “corporation under public
law” which grants them the same
rights as traditional Christian church-
es. The Bundeslaender Baden-Wuert-
temberg, Bremen, Nordrhein-West-
falen, and Rheinland-Pfalz until now
had refused to grant them this status.
If this refusal continues to be suc-
cessful, the other Bundeslaender also
may revise their decision.
The Universal Life (about 500 adher-
ents), headed by “prophet” Gabriele
Wittek and having its headquarters
near Wuerzburg, is a permanent
source of controversies. It sued the
Catholic and the Protestant churches
for not being allowed by them to call
themselves “Christian,” but without
success and it raised “Criminal
Charges against Dr. Joseph
Ratzinger, Pope of the Roman
Catholic Church—on Grounds of
Crimes against Humanity—Accord-
ing to Art. 7 ICC Statute.”The group
displays posters to encourage peo-
ple to quit the churches.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) has
experienced some setbacks from the
movie David Wants to Fly, by David
Sieveking. Nevertheless, “Raja”
Emanuel Schiffgens, head of TM Ger-
many, hopes to make Germany invin-
cible. He also has proposed a “cosmic
constitution” for Germany and plans
to build a “Tower of Invincibility” at
Oebisfelde near Wolfsburg.
Soka Gakkai (about 5,000 Adherents)
was reported to be recruiting by
means of a psychotherapeutic practi-
tioner. Some fundamentalist Chris-
tians who refuse to send their chil-
dren to public schools, which are
mandatory in Germany, have moved
to other countries—for example, Aus-
tria—where home schooling is legal,
or they have obtained political asy-
lum in the United States. Also, some
of them still consider flogging of chil-
dren to be mandatory. One of those
groups is the Organic Christ Genera-
tion (between 1,000 and 2,000 adher-
ents), headed by Ivo Sasek.
About 4 million Muslims live in Ger-
many, most of them peacefully but
there are some extremist groups
with their “Invitation to Paradise.”
Most mentioned in the media is the
preacher Pierre Vogel, a German
converted to Sunni Islam. Vogel
does not justify violence, but pre-
dicts that everybody who does not
become a Muslim will go to hell. He
is even criticized by other Muslims.
Other extremists from Turkey are
the Grey Wolves.
On the occasion of the 150th birth-
day of Rudolf Steiner, controversies
about Anthroposophy and Waldorf
schools have intensified.
Christian Science (about 2,000
adherents) prevents its followers
from seeking medical help, claiming
that illness is “not real.”
In Fuessen (Allgaeu), the Tribe of
Likatians (about 160 adherents),
headed by Wolfgang Wankmueller,
still is active. The Likatians are organ-
ized as a state in the state, having
their own “ministries.” Because they
prefer home schooling, which is not
permitted in Germany, they have
moved children across the near bor-
der to Austria.
The German physician Ryke Geerd
Hamer, inventor of the “New Ger-
26 ICSA TODAY
REPORT FROM Australia
Helen Pomery
Church of Scientology Update
The Church of Scientology opened a
multimillion-dollar facility in Mel-
bourne, Australia on January 29,
2011, saying it marked a new era for
the Scientology religion in Australia.
Scientology was banned in Victoria
from 1965 until 1982 because of con-
cerns about the organisation’s control
over its members. The organisation
registered/renamed itself as the
Church of Scientology and, as such, it
was able to reenter Victoria under the
state’s religious-tolerance laws.
Now a massive compound, the facili-
ty, which was bought from the
Catholic Church for $7 million in
2005, has been renovated at an esti-
mated cost of $20 million and
includes a large chapel, a public
auditorium, course rooms, and a mul-
timedia public information centre.
The Lord Mayor of Melbourne,
Robert Doyle, gave an opening
speech, but he has told reporters
that his attendance shouldn’t be
seen as a sign of approval of the
movement. The Victorian Premier Ted
Baillieu and the Independent Senator
Nick Xenophon have both con-
demned Doyle’s attendance at the
event. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has
been forced to defend his role at the
opening of the new Church of Scien-
tology, saying he was just there as a
favour to his friend, the celebrity
Scientologist Kate Ceberano.
Senator Nick Xenophon has been
campaigning for an end to the
Church of Scientology’s tax-free sta-
tus. Senator Xenophon has written
to Robert Doyle and asked him to
meet with former members and vic-
tims of the Church of Scientology,
hoping he will see the other side of
the coin.
CIFS QLD National Conference
The Cult Information and Family
Support group Queensland (CIFS
QLD) are organizing a National con-
ference on August 12–13, 2011, at
Parliament House Brisbane. The
topic of the conference is “The Trau-
ma of Psychological Manipulation:
Recognition of and Responses to Vic-
tims and Survivors of Destructive
Groups and Cults.”
Doni Whitsett, Clinical Professor at
the University of Southern California
School of Social Work, will be return-
ing to Australia to address this year’s
conference after a very successful
conference in March 2010.
Lorna Goldberg, President of ICSA, a
psychoanalyst in private practice,
and Dean of Faculty at the New
Jersey Institute of Psychoanalysis,
will be speaking to the Australian
delegates. She will be supported by
William Goldberg, a psychoanalyst in
private practice. Together, Lorna and
Bill have co-led a support group for
ex-cult members for more than 30
years. Mr. Goldberg is an adjunct
instructor in the Social Work Depart-
ment of Dominican College and ICSA
Today’s mental health columnist.
Other speakers include Senator Nick
Xenophon, a South Australian barris-
ter, antigambling campaigner and
politician. In a speech to the Senate
on 17 November 2009, Xenophon
labeled the Church of Scientology as
a criminal organisation, making alle-
gations of members experiencing
blackmail, torture and violence,
labour camps and forced imprison-
ment, and coerced abortions, echo-
ing other criticisms of Scientology.
Xenophon quoted from a letter he
received written by Aaron Saxton, a
whistleblower on Scientology who
had previously served as a senior
official within the organization in
Australia and the United States.
Associate Professor Mandy Morgan
and Dr Kerry Gibson from New
Zealand, authors of a study that
reveals the impact of commune life
on children, will present their report
entitled “A different kind of family:
Retrospective accounts of growing
up at Centrepoint and implications
for Adulthood” to the conference.
Information about the conference
can be found on the CIFS Website,
cifs.org.au.
REPORT FROM Austria
Friedrich Griess
As in Germany, questionable groups
or methods also are more and more
accepted or at least tolerated by seri-
ous institutions in Austria.
Thus, a lecture about Intelligent
Design in Nature was held at the
University of Linz by Philip Bell from
Creation Ministries International.
Pranic Healing according to Master
Chao Kok Sui is taught at the Insti-
tute for Professional Promotion (Ger-
man: Berufsfoerderungsinstitut).
The Governor of Lower Austria,
Erwin Proell, has inaugurated a Yoga
in Daily Life Center in St. Poelten.
Johann Grander, the inventor of
“water animation,” which, according
to scientists, is ineffective, has
received an award from the
government.
After protests from MPs, the minister
for science has refused to withdraw
the award.
Also in Austria, Pranaism (living from
Correspondents’ Reports
ICSA_volume3_proof6 5/10/11 12:14 PM Page 28
light) has been promoted by the
movie In the Beginning Was the
Light and supported by the “Film-
fonds” [film funds].
The Constitutional Court has
squashed a law about a 10-year’s
waiting time for religious confession-
al communities (without privileges)
to be recognized as religious com-
munities or churches (with privi-
leges), claiming that the law discrim-
inated against religions. The law has
to be revised by 30 September 2011.
At the end of the year, the Federal
Office for Sectarian Questions pre-
sented its report, available online.
REPORT FROM Germany
Friedrich Griess
Scientology is not considered to be a
religion in Germany, but a commercial
enterprise, and it continues to be
observed by the Federal Office for the
Protection of the Constitution. Scien-
tology continuously tries to attract
attention through making public
appearances, by recruiting youngsters
for Youth for Human Rights Interna-
tional, by offering its expositions
about the “crimes”of psychiatrists, by
sending its material to schools, and by
establishing new centers. The Bavari-
an Ministry of the Interior has pub-
lished a brochure about Scientology
(with about 5,500 adherents).
A relief for Scientology certainly
must be that, in Hamburg, the Work-
ing Group on Scientology headed by
Ursula Caberta has been dissolved.
Caberta still works for the Hamburg
Ministry of the Interior, but the pub-
lic consulting service has been taken
over by the Federal Office for the
Protection of the Constitution.
Until Nothing Remains (German: Bis
nichts mehr bleibt) is a German fic-
tional film that depicts a story about
Scientology and its effects upon
converts. In the film, a young couple
is brought into Scientology by
means of manipulation. “Eventually,
the husband decides to leave the
group, losing not only his wife in the
process, but also his young child and
a big portion of his family’s inheri-
tance, which his wife has donated
to the church.” (Quotation from
Wikipedia.) The film is reportedly
based on the real-life experiences
of a German man named
Heiner von Rönn.
The New Apostolic Church (about
360,000 adherents) actually is under-
going a major revision of its creed in
order to come nearer to that of other
Christian churches. However, it is not
abandoning its claim of monopoly
to salvation, which leads to internal
and external controversies.
Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) (about
160,000 adherents). Following a deci-
sion of the Senate in Berlin, currently
11 more Bundeslaender [provinces,
states] have attributed the JW the
status of a “corporation under public
law” which grants them the same
rights as traditional Christian church-
es. The Bundeslaender Baden-Wuert-
temberg, Bremen, Nordrhein-West-
falen, and Rheinland-Pfalz until now
had refused to grant them this status.
If this refusal continues to be suc-
cessful, the other Bundeslaender also
may revise their decision.
The Universal Life (about 500 adher-
ents), headed by “prophet” Gabriele
Wittek and having its headquarters
near Wuerzburg, is a permanent
source of controversies. It sued the
Catholic and the Protestant churches
for not being allowed by them to call
themselves “Christian,” but without
success and it raised “Criminal
Charges against Dr. Joseph
Ratzinger, Pope of the Roman
Catholic Church—on Grounds of
Crimes against Humanity—Accord-
ing to Art. 7 ICC Statute.”The group
displays posters to encourage peo-
ple to quit the churches.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) has
experienced some setbacks from the
movie David Wants to Fly, by David
Sieveking. Nevertheless, “Raja”
Emanuel Schiffgens, head of TM Ger-
many, hopes to make Germany invin-
cible. He also has proposed a “cosmic
constitution” for Germany and plans
to build a “Tower of Invincibility” at
Oebisfelde near Wolfsburg.
Soka Gakkai (about 5,000 Adherents)
was reported to be recruiting by
means of a psychotherapeutic practi-
tioner. Some fundamentalist Chris-
tians who refuse to send their chil-
dren to public schools, which are
mandatory in Germany, have moved
to other countries—for example, Aus-
tria—where home schooling is legal,
or they have obtained political asy-
lum in the United States. Also, some
of them still consider flogging of chil-
dren to be mandatory. One of those
groups is the Organic Christ Genera-
tion (between 1,000 and 2,000 adher-
ents), headed by Ivo Sasek.
About 4 million Muslims live in Ger-
many, most of them peacefully but
there are some extremist groups
with their “Invitation to Paradise.”
Most mentioned in the media is the
preacher Pierre Vogel, a German
converted to Sunni Islam. Vogel
does not justify violence, but pre-
dicts that everybody who does not
become a Muslim will go to hell. He
is even criticized by other Muslims.
Other extremists from Turkey are
the Grey Wolves.
On the occasion of the 150th birth-
day of Rudolf Steiner, controversies
about Anthroposophy and Waldorf
schools have intensified.
Christian Science (about 2,000
adherents) prevents its followers
from seeking medical help, claiming
that illness is “not real.”
In Fuessen (Allgaeu), the Tribe of
Likatians (about 160 adherents),
headed by Wolfgang Wankmueller,
still is active. The Likatians are organ-
ized as a state in the state, having
their own “ministries.” Because they
prefer home schooling, which is not
permitted in Germany, they have
moved children across the near bor-
der to Austria.
The German physician Ryke Geerd
Hamer, inventor of the “New Ger-
26 ICSA TODAY
REPORT FROM Australia
Helen Pomery
Church of Scientology Update
The Church of Scientology opened a
multimillion-dollar facility in Mel-
bourne, Australia on January 29,
2011, saying it marked a new era for
the Scientology religion in Australia.
Scientology was banned in Victoria
from 1965 until 1982 because of con-
cerns about the organisation’s control
over its members. The organisation
registered/renamed itself as the
Church of Scientology and, as such, it
was able to reenter Victoria under the
state’s religious-tolerance laws.
Now a massive compound, the facili-
ty, which was bought from the
Catholic Church for $7 million in
2005, has been renovated at an esti-
mated cost of $20 million and
includes a large chapel, a public
auditorium, course rooms, and a mul-
timedia public information centre.
The Lord Mayor of Melbourne,
Robert Doyle, gave an opening
speech, but he has told reporters
that his attendance shouldn’t be
seen as a sign of approval of the
movement. The Victorian Premier Ted
Baillieu and the Independent Senator
Nick Xenophon have both con-
demned Doyle’s attendance at the
event. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has
been forced to defend his role at the
opening of the new Church of Scien-
tology, saying he was just there as a
favour to his friend, the celebrity
Scientologist Kate Ceberano.
Senator Nick Xenophon has been
campaigning for an end to the
Church of Scientology’s tax-free sta-
tus. Senator Xenophon has written
to Robert Doyle and asked him to
meet with former members and vic-
tims of the Church of Scientology,
hoping he will see the other side of
the coin.
CIFS QLD National Conference
The Cult Information and Family
Support group Queensland (CIFS
QLD) are organizing a National con-
ference on August 12–13, 2011, at
Parliament House Brisbane. The
topic of the conference is “The Trau-
ma of Psychological Manipulation:
Recognition of and Responses to Vic-
tims and Survivors of Destructive
Groups and Cults.”
Doni Whitsett, Clinical Professor at
the University of Southern California
School of Social Work, will be return-
ing to Australia to address this year’s
conference after a very successful
conference in March 2010.
Lorna Goldberg, President of ICSA, a
psychoanalyst in private practice,
and Dean of Faculty at the New
Jersey Institute of Psychoanalysis,
will be speaking to the Australian
delegates. She will be supported by
William Goldberg, a psychoanalyst in
private practice. Together, Lorna and
Bill have co-led a support group for
ex-cult members for more than 30
years. Mr. Goldberg is an adjunct
instructor in the Social Work Depart-
ment of Dominican College and ICSA
Today’s mental health columnist.
Other speakers include Senator Nick
Xenophon, a South Australian barris-
ter, antigambling campaigner and
politician. In a speech to the Senate
on 17 November 2009, Xenophon
labeled the Church of Scientology as
a criminal organisation, making alle-
gations of members experiencing
blackmail, torture and violence,
labour camps and forced imprison-
ment, and coerced abortions, echo-
ing other criticisms of Scientology.
Xenophon quoted from a letter he
received written by Aaron Saxton, a
whistleblower on Scientology who
had previously served as a senior
official within the organization in
Australia and the United States.
Associate Professor Mandy Morgan
and Dr Kerry Gibson from New
Zealand, authors of a study that
reveals the impact of commune life
on children, will present their report
entitled “A different kind of family:
Retrospective accounts of growing
up at Centrepoint and implications
for Adulthood” to the conference.
Information about the conference
can be found on the CIFS Website,
cifs.org.au.
REPORT FROM Austria
Friedrich Griess
As in Germany, questionable groups
or methods also are more and more
accepted or at least tolerated by seri-
ous institutions in Austria.
Thus, a lecture about Intelligent
Design in Nature was held at the
University of Linz by Philip Bell from
Creation Ministries International.
Pranic Healing according to Master
Chao Kok Sui is taught at the Insti-
tute for Professional Promotion (Ger-
man: Berufsfoerderungsinstitut).
The Governor of Lower Austria,
Erwin Proell, has inaugurated a Yoga
in Daily Life Center in St. Poelten.
Johann Grander, the inventor of
“water animation,” which, according
to scientists, is ineffective, has
received an award from the
government.
After protests from MPs, the minister
for science has refused to withdraw
the award.
Also in Austria, Pranaism (living from
Correspondents’ Reports
ICSA_volume3_proof6 5/10/11 12:14 PM Page 28
