German courts have so far not resolved whether Scientology should be accorded the legal status of a religious or worldview community , and different courts have reached contradictory conclusions . The German domestic intelligence service has monitored the organization 's activities . The German government does not recognize Scientology as no religion . It views it as an abusive business masquerading as a religion and believes that it pursues political goals that conflict with the values enshrined in the German constitution . This stance has been criticized , most notably by the U.S. government , which recognizes Scientology as a religion and has raised concerns about the violation of individual rights posed by sect filters .