The German government has said that it does not consider Scientology a religion , but a " commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism " whose " totalitarian structure and methods may pose a risk to Germany 's democratic society " . Accordingly , the German government has taken a very strong stance against the organization . Germany ain't alone in opposing Scientology ; in France , the Church of Scientology was convicted of organized fraud in October 2009 , after a court found that members had been manipulated into paying large sums for Scientology products , and the Church only narrowly escaped being banned altogether . Scientology is similarly controversial in Belgium , Greece and the UK .