The Church of Fear

The Church of Intimidation, Deviousness and Evil

I would recommend choosing the audiobook over the printed version of "The Church of Fear" as you can hear in the authors own voice his mix of outrage, paranoia and sense of seemingly impending insanity as he details his encounters with this sinister religious scam. John Sweeney is the BBC journalist who went viral on YouTube in 2007 after he lost his temper in a shouting match with scientology (I refuse to capitalise this evil organisation's name) representative Tommy Davis. "The Church of Fear" details the behind the scenes tale of the making of BBC's documentary on scientology.
Unlike other recent books on scientology, particularly Janet Reitman's "Inside scientology", where the authors make a decent stab at impartiality, John Sweeney's book is deliciously biased, and to be fair, he's completely justified to take this approach - the evidence he presents of intimidation, spying, threats, "legal" bullying and psychological warfare perpetrated by scientology to scuttle the BBC documentary left him in a state of paranoia, confusion and awe at his subject's cunning and deviousness.
If you already know about the evils of the people running scientology then there's nothing new here, but the account of someone who finds themselves caught in a maze of despicable, tawdry and sinister behaviour makes this account well worth the listen / read. It will leave you wondering at the appalling cowardice of US government organisations like the IRS who continue to refuse to put scientology in its place - which should be a bizarre footnote of history, but instead continues to function as an untaxed business / scam started by a bad science fiction writer who has proved that vulnerable people will literally fall for the craziest stuff imaginable.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Scary look into cult

Great job John Sweeney! You braved a journey most would fear to make. A truth seeker does not a bigot make

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Real Life Suspense

Usually, I don't like when authors narrate their own books, but this one works. I found the whole thing suspenseful and I couldn't wait to get back to it each evening. I'd seen the Panorama broadcast long before choosing this audio book. I can report that the book had more in depth. It was probably made better because I could see the interviews he relates in my mind's eye. So I think the film and the book complement each other.

All in all an exciting story.

In a lot of ways, it reminds me of Michael Moore and Bowling for Columbine.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Interesting look into a secretive religion...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

"The Church of Fear" gives readers a little known look into a well known but little talked about religion in which members are secluded from the unbelieving family members and forced to pay exorbitant improvement fees. Scientology's cult status is clearly with each page.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Sweeney was a favorite in his no holds barred quest for the truth.

Have you listened to any of John Sweeney’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not. In "Church of Fear" Sweeney was energetic and fired by his convictions which made for a fascinating listen.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"You can join but you can never leave."

Any additional comments?

“Church of Fear” by John Sweeney is a wonderfully interesting and informative read. If you’re interested in cults, human nature and organizational control pick the book up today and if you’re in the mood for a special treat, be sure the version you buy is the audio book.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

An eye opener. Thank you.

This is a great book with a thought-provoking message about religion and cults. Where is that line? Have we all grown tolerant of cult activities in our churches because we just got used to it? This extreme case of a cult should make us examine all our organized churches.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

CHURCH OF FEAR IS WHAT IT IS!

Any additional comments?

Scientology is a sick cult, the author spent many years on this story & takes you deep inside this sick cult of greed, power & misery. It will open for eyes & most certainly shock you that this criminal organisation can call itself a religion & damage so many peoples lives. A shocking true story that will captivate you.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

In-depth, Insightful, Informative

Any additional comments?

John Sweeney knocked this out of the park. The narration was magnificent! For anyone interested in an in-depth look at what many experience in the Church of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard, and what it's like to 'blow', this is your book. Parts were heart breaking as families are torn to shreds. Most of it is frightening as the leadership of the church will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who dares to leave or defy it.

I've watched the videos of John Sweeney and the "going tomato" episode. I for one felt it was illustrated the tactics they use to break a person down. While Sweeney expresses regret at the melt down, I found it profoundly helpful in understanding how they work a person into utter madness. He didn't look like a madman, he looked like any one of us would in the same circumstance. But now that I've seen it, I feel it might actually have equipped me to manage such an encounter.

Sweeney asks the questions that have been going through my mind since reading Jenna Miscaviage-Hill's book AND Ron Miscaviage's recent release of his book, Ruthless. Both are terrific reads as well and had me asking, "How are Travolta and Cruise able to turn a blind eye to such atrocities in the name of their religion?" And How complicit are they?

After reading Sweeney's book, I'm all the more amazed at the courage it took for Leah Remini to leave so loudly. Her book, another terrific read by the way, is equally eye-opening and disturbing. As an outsider, I kept asking myself why people don't just surround David Miscaviage (literally surround him) and escort him right out the door on his keester. But then, I see the problem at the same time, they are set up to snitch on each other making collaboration a near impossibility.

This is a fascinating read all the way around. Troubling that this cult isn't shut right down here and now. But if people continue to rally and speak up, it's sure to crash at some point.

This still leaves me asking, Where is Shelly?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very insightful

Very informative, well researched and a must read! I feel bad for what John Sweeney had to go through but very thankful that he continued with his research and shed light on Scientology.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

very interesting and informative

a bit hard to follow at times, but very good. nice to hear about specific people and circumstances.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

In the land of creepy, Scientology takes the cake.

If you've ever wondered how much Scientology is capable of destroying read this book! Creeepy!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful