Hi there,

In this chaotic news cycle it may be tempting to tune out, but we hope you won’t—only an informed and engaged public can defend democracy. In these times of deep political polarization we need news that goes beyond play-by-play headlines, news that goes to the heart of each story by asking people to tell their own stories of abuses of power and injustice in their own words. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

SCIENTOLOGY

Listen
Media Options
Listen

More than a thousand Scientologists in Frankfurt, Germany chanted slogans and songs borrowed from the US civil rights movement last week, alleging they are victims of religious persecution. In recent months, a number of German states and organizations have banned Scientologists from participation in political parties, and the German government voted to allow the country’s intelligence agency to keep tabs on members in Germany. The French Parliament recently designated Scientology a sect, included on a list of 173 groups that should be tracked to prevent cult activities. And in Los Angeles, at least three public school teachers are using Scientology teachings in their classrooms and one of them is hoping to establish a separate, tax-funded charter school using the same methods.

Guests:
• Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, the authors of Snapping: America’s Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, published by Stillpoint Press. They have been following and studying Scientology for more than 20 years along with other spiritual and personal growth practices in the US. Snapping, originally published in 1978, has been updated and re-released and looks at the phenomenon behind cultists, self-help buffs, born-again converts and political extremists.

Related Story

StoryMay 15, 2025“Trump’s Fake Refugees”: As U.S. Welcomes White South Africans, Trump Falsely Charges “Genocide”
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top