Initial analysis
January 5, 2003
As previously reported, these pages are being reorganized for the purpose of answering various interesting questions that have come up over the past years about Scientology in Germany.
Has Scientology brainwashed US decision-makers into treating Scientology as a religion?
Have the Germans been brainwashed into portraying Scientology as a cult?
Have the media been playing a responsible role in reporting on Scientology?
Have the media profited from controversy about brainwashing?
Many (anti-)cult observers pretend to be unbiased. Asserting one's own lack of prejudice is absurd as it denies that we are human. The author of this research is biased against "brainwashing". "Brainwashing" is a matter of debate, but it is considered to be a form of communication used by totalitarian powers. Coerced confessions may be an indication of brainwashing, on the other hand, who can prove it? Maybe this research can provide some visibility to the question so that answers, if they exist, may become apparent.
Some 1,600 German-language articles posted to the Internet are currently being taken into consideration to answer the above questions. Here are preliminary results, subject to change, of an approximate break-down of articles by quantity and geographical area:
| 298 - Berlin, Germany |
290 - Germany |
134 - Hamburg, Germany |
119 - USA |
| 104 - Zurich, Switzerland |
100 - Munich, Germany |
86 - Stuttgart, Germany |
77 - Austria, Vienna |
| 60 - Switzerland |
44 - Basel, Switzerland |
43 - France |
40 - Zwickau, Germany |
| 27 - Frankfurt, Germany |
20 - Austria |
18 - Leipzig, Germany |
15 - *Sweden |
| 13 - China |
11 - Russia |
8 - Italy |
7 - Spain |
| 6 - Netherlands |
4 - Japan |
4 - Greece |
4 - England |
| 3 - Belgium |
2 - Liechtenstein |
2 - Korea |
2 - Israel |
| 2 - India |
2 - Hungary |
2 - Denmark |
1 - Vatican |
| 1 - Uganda |
1 - Slovakia |
1 - Paraguay |
1 - Guatamala |
| 1 - Canada |
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* Mainau Island (also included) is in the possession of Sweden, but it is located in Lake Constance, which is between Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Problems with geographical location: Not all incidents reported upon happened in one location. In some cases, specific location was not given. Another difficulty is that the journalist reporting upon an event was not always in the location of the event. And of course, the report itself was distributed from yet another location. These are the problems which are currently still under debate with regards to the above.
Generally speaking, the city and country distributing the report was used, then the location of the reporter, then the primary location of the incident, as specified above.
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