The Church of Fear
Inside the Weird World of Scientology
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Narrated by:
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John Sweeney
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By:
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John Sweeney
About this listen
Tom Cruise and John Travolta say the Church of Scientology is a force for good. Others disagree.
Award-winning journalist John Sweeney investigated the Church for more than half a decade. During that time he was intimidated, spied on, and followed, and the results were spectacular: Sweeney lost his temper with the Church's spokesman on camera, and his infamous 'exploding tomato' clip was seen by millions around the world.
In The Church Of Fear, Sweeney tells the full story of his experiences for the first time and paints a devastating picture of this strange organisation, from former Scientologists who tell heartbreaking stories of families torn apart and lives ruined to its current followers who say it is the solution to many of mankind's problems.
This is the real story of the Church by the reporter who was brave enough to take it on.
John Sweeney is a reporter for BBC Panorama. He is the author of six previous books including the novel Elephant Moon.
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Another book that adds to the conspiracy.
- By Amazon Customer on 02-09-21
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Heart of a Killer
- By: David Rosenfelt
- Narrated by: Tadd Morgan
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer who is happy to be flying under the radar at a large firm doing background research for the partners. It's not that he isn't smart. He is. It's just that hard work, the whole legal world, isn't really his thing. Underachiever? Yes. Content? At least until the firm puts him on a case that turns his whole world upside down.
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Hard to believe its from Rosenfelt
- By Tim on 11-25-15
By: David Rosenfelt
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Zealot
- A Book About Cults
- By: Jo Thornely
- Narrated by: Jo Thornely
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Why would anyone join a cult? Maybe they're unhappy with their current religion, or they want to change the world, or they're disappointed with their lives and want to find something bigger or holier that makes sense of this confusing, chaotic and dangerous world. Or maybe they just want to give themselves the best possible chance of having sex with aliens. Whatever the reason, once people are in, it's usually very difficult for them to leave.
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Good I'm formation.
- By sarah crandall on 03-12-19
By: Jo Thornely
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Toast on Toast
- Cautionary tales and candid advice
- By: Steven Toast
- Narrated by: Matt Berry - as Steven Toast
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In Toast on Toast - part memoir, part "how to act" manual - Steven Toast draws on his vast and varied experiences, providing the reader with an invaluable insight into his journey from school plays to RADA and from "It's a Right Royal Knockout" to the Colony Club. Along the way he reveals the secrets of his success. He discloses how to brush up on and expand your technical and vocal skills, how to nail a professional voiceover, and how to deal with difficult work experience staff in a recording studio....
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Glorious performance from Matt Ber-Ray.
- By Stanley McHale on 11-18-16
By: Steven Toast
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Troublemaker
- Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
- By: Leah Remini
- Narrated by: Leah Remini
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching 30-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology.
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This book is fascinating and funny! Fantastic!
- By Kim on 11-04-15
By: Leah Remini
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Airhead
- The Imperfect Art of Making News
- By: Emily Maitlis
- Narrated by: Emily Maitlis
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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As anchor for the BBC's key political news programme, Newsnight, Emily Maitlis has interviewed some of the most powerful and controversial figures on the political scene. She plans each interview meticulously, knowing what she wants to ask and where she wants it to go, but as one of the most experienced journalists in her field she knows that no interview will ever go to plan....
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Amazing. Absolutely amazing
- By Amazon Customer on 08-29-23
By: Emily Maitlis
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North Korea Undercover
- Inside the World's Most Secret State
- By: John Sweeney
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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North Korea is like no other tyranny on Earth. Its citizens are told their home is the greatest nation in the world, and Big Brother is always watching. It is Orwell's 1984 made reality. Huge factories with no staff or electricity, hospitals with no patients, uniformed child soldiers, and the world-famous and eerily empty DMZ - the Demilitarized Zone, where North Korea ends and South Korea begins - are all framed by a relentless flow of regime propaganda from omnipresent loudspeakers. Free speech is an illusion: one word out of line, and the gulag awaits.
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Highly listenable, humorous and enlightening
- By Kevin Stokes on 09-09-15
By: John Sweeney
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Prisoner
- My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out
- By: Jason Rezaian
- Narrated by: Jason Rezaian
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The dramatic memoir of the journalist who was held hostage in a high-security prison in Tehran for 18 months and whose release - which almost didn’t happen - became a part of the Iran nuclear deal.
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Should have been much better given subject matter
- By Sample Sloth on 04-17-19
By: Jason Rezaian
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People Who Eat Darkness
- The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo - and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
- By: Richard Lloyd Parry
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Lucie Blackman - tall, blond, 21 years old - stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000 and disappeared. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave. The seven months in between had seen a massive search for the missing girl involving Japanese policemen, British private detectives, and Lucie’s desperate but bitterly divided parents. Had Lucie been abducted by a religious cult or snatched by human traffickers? Who was the mysterious man she had gone to meet? And what did her work as a hostess in the notorious Roppongi district of Tokyo really involve?
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This is the audiobook against I rate all others.
- By El_Ron on 03-08-13
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Bombshell
- The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe
- By: Mike Rothmiller, Douglas Thompson
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on secret police files, Marilyn Monroe's private diary, and never before published first-hand testimony, this book proves that Robert Kennedy was directly responsible for her death. It details the legendary star's tumultuous personal involvement with him and his brother, President John Kennedy, and how they sought to silence her. The new evidence and testimony is provided by Mike Rothmiller who, as a detective of the Organized Crime Intelligence Division of the LAPD, had direct access to hundreds of secret files on exactly what happened at Monroe's home on August 5, 1962.
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LA Confidential, Assassinations and Hollywood
- By grace on 12-29-22
By: Mike Rothmiller, and others
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Raven
- The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People
- By: Tim Reiterman
- Narrated by: Mitch Horowitz
- Length: 29 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Tim Reiterman's Raven provides the seminal history of the Rev. Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and the murderous ordeal at Jonestown in 1978. This PEN Award-winning work explores the ideals gone wrong, the intrigue, and the grim realities behind the Peoples Temple and its implosion in the jungle of South America.
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What a very thoroughly written book!
- By Traci P. on 04-22-17
By: Tim Reiterman
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Light and Shadow
- Memoirs of a Spy's Son
- By: Mark Colvin
- Narrated by: Mark Colvin
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Mark Colvin is a broadcasting legend. He is the voice of ABC Radio’s leading current affairs program PM; he was a founding broadcaster for the groundbreaking youth station Double J; he initiated The World Today program; and he’s one of the most popular and influential journalists in the twittersphere. Mark has been covering local and global events for more than four decades. He has reported on wars, royal weddings and everything in between. In the midst of all this he discovered that his father was an MI6 spy.
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Probably of most interest to Australian readers
- By Robyn on 04-12-17
By: Mark Colvin
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Jeremy Clarkson
- The Biography
- By: Gwen Russell
- Narrated by: Richard Dallyn
- Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins
- Abridged
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An outspoken personality who divides opinion, Jeremy Clarkson has made a successful career out of his love of cars and speed.
Since becoming Top Gear supremo, the programme has become one of the most widely distributed TV shows on the planet. His candid views on practically every subject under the sun have often landed him in hot water. Love him or loathe him, this fascinating biography tells his far-from-over life story.
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Very poor
- By Amadeo on 05-25-12
By: Gwen Russell
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What listeners say about The Church of Fear
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-04-16
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.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Pamela Plimpton
- 02-28-18
Glad I added this to my library!
I have already listened to Jenna's book & Ron's book. I have listened to Paulette's book & also Leah's. I should have listened to this one first, but.... at least I knew of the characters her was speaking of! Very in-depth & informative, just a nice addition to what I have already learned about this "church" of FEAR. I refuse to call them a church as they do not fit the nor conduct themselves as a church. A cult is the proper term for this sci-fi organization of madness. Loved his accent & his passion in reading his book & would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an education on the matter. Thumbs up!
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- Bente
- 08-30-21
Loved it
Even though I’ve read and listened to a lot about Scientology this was a very interesting read. Based purely on Sweeney’s own interactions with the ‘church’ he gets a lot of information across to the listener. I especially enjoyed his last few chapters about conversations with the now defactors he once faced less amicably for the BBC. Plus Sweeney is a great narrator!
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- Rocker
- 01-02-16
great book
I would strongly suggest watching the HBO special called "going clear" before reading this book and then you'll have a good idea as to where the author is coming from
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- Beverly Rose
- 09-27-17
Excellent book!
Great book. My only critique is that the sound levels of the narration needed to be corrected before being put on the market. He has a nice strong voice that drops off at the end of sentences so I missed a lot of that content. If I turned up the volume, he boomed at the beginning of a sentence before dropping off. I grew tired of turning up the volume and rewinding to hear what he said.
I am fascinated by this story.
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- Rabid Readers Reviews
- 09-15-15
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.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Anonymous User
- 04-22-20
A truthbomb on one of the most deranged cult.
Excellent tale on how the Cult of $cientology treat those who speak the truth about this ridiculous organization.
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Overall
- Kindle Customer
- 05-09-17
Another great investigation
After listening to Sweeney's book about N Korea I immediate!y purchased this Audible book and it was just as compelling. Great investigative work. The only downside is he shouldn't have read his own story.
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- Quantum Chels
- 11-02-17
Fun listen
If you’re looking for a hard hitting expose about Scientology, this isn’t it. This is Sweeney explaining in detail how his bbc doc about Scientology came to be. Not to say that you won’t learn something about how the organization operates.
His style reminds me of Jon Ronson where he takes the reader along with his journalistic investigation.
It’s funny and weird.
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- David J
- 03-23-17
First hand look at scientology's devious tactics
Yet more proof that scientolgy's US tax exempt status should be revoked. Excellent author and narrator.
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