Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Church of Scientology Sponsors Red Ribbon Week Forum on Strategies to Reduce Drug Demand
 |
Jesse Morrow, Social Reform Director of the Church of Scientology
National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., introduces those attending
the first annual anti-drug forum of the Truth About Drugs. |
Honoring Red Ribbon Week and its message of prevention and education, The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. co-hosted the first annual anti-drug forum of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World on October 22.
Held in Chestnut Hall in the new National Affairs Office in Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, the forum focused on effective strategies to reduce the demand for illicit drugs. It was chaired by Jesse Morrow, Social Reform Director of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.
Red Ribbon week is a national drug prevention and education week, held in the last week of October each year to honor the memory of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was tortured and killed in 1985 by drug traffickers while working undercover in Mexico. October is also National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, as designated in 2011 by President Obama.
The panel featured John Redman, Executive Director of Californians for Drug-Free Youth (CADFY), the group that created the first statewide Red Ribbon Week Campaign in 1985; Peggy Sapp, President of the National Family Partnership (NFP), the organization that initiated the first national Red Ribbon Week and sponsors the campaign; Courtney Bennett, Community Organizer for Wards 5 & 6 of the DC Prevention Center; and Imani Walker, Executive Director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.
The consequences of drug abuse affect everyone at all levels of society, whether or not they or their friends or families are directly involved. For example, drug abuse kills more than 37,000 Americans each year, more than the number of annual traffic fatalities. Teen deaths from drugs doubled in the first decade of this century. This year, the National Drug Control Policy Office reported that illicit drug use in America contributed to $193 billion in crime, heath-related costs and lost productivity.
In his presentation, Redman pointed out that much of the public discourse on legalization misrepresents the issue. He debunked myths that promote drugs as harmless, showing they are far more potent now than in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bennet’s presentation concerned synthetic marijuana, far stronger and more dangerous than marijuana. She covered its accessibility, the alarming effects of its use and its increased popularity among D.C. youth.
“Any successful drug prevention endeavor must include factual drug education at its base to empower individuals with the knowledge to decide for themselves,” said Morrow, “Once they have that knowledge, they make the right choice.”
The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office, opened Sept 12, 2012, at Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, was established to promote solutions to society’s greatest challenges. The historic building is configured to host a wide range of functions, from human rights symposiums and drug education workshops to panel discussions, press conferences and awards ceremonies.
###
Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”
The Church of Scientology sponsors one of the world's largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.
A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion
Meet a
Scientologist!Labels: anti-drug, ideal churches of scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, national church of scientology, red ribbon week, scientology, washington dc
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Meet a Scientologist - Barbara Schneider's Happy Ending
Scientologist Barbara Schneider is a model, TV personality, paramedic, Scientology counselor and mother of four who didn’t anticipate how well things would turn out 18 years ago when things went wrong.
Born and working as a paramedic in Lugano, Switzerland, in the early 1990s a failed relationship left her desperate to get away.
“I went to a travel agent and told him I needed a change,” she says. “I wanted to be someplace far away and on the sea.”
The next thing she knew, she was flying to Majorca with her 3-year-old son. Once there, she was paying a friend a visit at a hotel when a man directed her ‘right this way for the audition.’ She tried to tell him that was not why she was there, but he insisted, and she ended up being cast as co-host of a TV show.
Despite the change in scenery and an exciting new job, a year and a half later, Schneider was still suffering.
“My twin sister Elena could tell I was unhappy,” says Schneider. “She had been a Scientologist since we were 16 and she was convinced Scientology would help me.”
Agreeing to give it a try, she received some Scientology spiritual counseling and was amazed—the upset vanished.
Schneider relocated to Clearwater, Florida—the spiritual headquarters of the Scientology religion. It was there that she met and married husband Roberto.
A Scientology auditor (religious counselor), she credits the skills she has gained from her training for her success as a mother and in so many other aspects of her life.
“I don’t know how I would raise a family in the world today without what I’ve learned in Scientology,” she says.
She is tremendously proud of how self-reliant and responsible her children are.
“My kids have a very good life but they work hard for it,” she says. “It’s not automatically—‘Oh, you’re 16 so here’s a car.’ They earn what they get by studying hard and doing well in school. Even with my little one who’s only four, she loves contributing to the family. She helps me around the house. We make it a game and she’s proud of what she does.”
Schneider’s commitment to helping others extends beyond the family. A Scientology Volunteer Minister, she traveled to Port-au-Prince in January 2012 with her three sisters and several close friends to help in the wake of the Haiti earthquake.
“We are all mothers and the children there really touched our hearts,” she says. “We took on helping more than 100 children who were living on the streets, orphaned or separated from their parents. We built tents, turned an old school bus into a cafeteria, cooked and served their meals, arranged medical care, and tutored them. Where possible, we helped them find their families. My sisters stayed on for months and made sure the children would be cared for when they left.”
Involved with helping others since she was a child, Schneider finds being a Scientology auditor (counselor) enormously gratifying.
“What I like most is to touch someone’s life with a bit of magic—that’s what I really love to do,” she says, “to inspire them, bring out the best in them, so they can see solutions on their own and go ahead and resolve their problems and be happy.”
To meet more than 200 Scientologists and hear their stories, watch the “Meet a Scientologist” videos at
www.Scientology.org.
###
The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total more than 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.
A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, with videos now viewed more than 7 million times.
Meet a
Scientologist!Labels: meet a scientologist, scientologist, scientologists, Scientologst, scientology, Scientology Volunteer Ministers
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Ribbon Falls on Ideal Center of Scientology for the Middle East
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The new Ideal Center of Scientology Israel was
dedicated in Tel Aviv-Jaffa on August 21, 2012 |
On August 21, national and city dignitaries as well as religious leaders
joined Scientologists from Israel and 27 nations to celebrate the
opening of the new Center of Scientology in Tel Aviv. The Center is the
first Ideal Scientology Organization (Ideal Org) in the Middle East and
designed to both serve the growing membership and provide
Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs throughout the region.
Located on Jerusalem Boulevard in Tel Aviv’s ancient port city of
Jaffa, the Center’s new home is the historic Alhambra Theater.
Originally constructed in 1937, the landmark is remembered by
generations as the premier venue for the greatest names in Arab and
Israeli music and theater. In the 1980s, the building was converted into
a commercial center and by the first decade of the 21
st century, its glory had faded.
The Center of Scientology acquired the Alhambra and meticulously
restored the landmark, to both preserve a site of cultural significance
for Israel and provide a center for the entire community. In addition to
presenting all Scientology services, it serves as a meeting place for
members of all faiths to unite on humanitarian initiatives. To that end,
the famed Alhambra auditorium once again stands as a centerpiece for
this city.
The watershed grand opening was distinguished by the presence of Mr.
David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and
ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, who personally
dedicated the new Center. Addressing the Scientologists in attendance,
Mr. Miscavige said: “This center is a gift from the International
Association of Scientologists to Israel. As such, it represents our
recognition that all religions hold central truths in common and thus
may work together to achieve the common dream of universal brotherhood.
So from this day hence, it becomes your mission and destiny to extend
our help across this legendary land. Let it be done in the spirit of
Scientology so that your help is freely given, because it is all about
freedom. And let it be done with supreme dedication, because only in
that way we will realize the Aims of Scientology and thus a world
without insanity, without criminality, without war—a world where the
able can prosper, where honest beings have rights and
all are free to rise to greater heights.”
Welcoming Scientologists to their new home were civic and religious
leaders from across Tel Aviv-Jaffa, including Tel Aviv City Council
Member Meital Lehavi; Office of the Prime Minister Director for the
Bedouin Sector Mohammad Kaabia; Office of The Prime Minister Senior
Coordinator on the Status of Minority Women Rania Pharyra; Biblical
scholar and author Dr. Rimon Kasher; Jaffa Arab Christian Community
Chairman Peter Habash; and historical preservation architect Eyal Ziv.
In her salutatory address, Tel Aviv City Council Member Meital
Lehavi welcomed the Scientology Center to Jaffa: “The story of this
house of yours suits the story of Jaffa. It is a house for everyone,
accepting everyone. And it is my great hope this house connects,
integrates, welcomes and advances the hopes that exist in Jaffa. I am
confident that by sitting together, thinking together and working
together we keep Jaffa the home for everyone. Your new Center will have
an important part in leading the way.”
Office of the Prime Minister Director for the Bedouin Sector Mohammad
Kaabia spoke of Scientology’s many humanitarian programs: “When it
comes to all we strive for—for freedom, to be included and embraced by
one’s fellow man—there is no group that better bears these marks than
Scientology. You teach man his rights, you prevent drugs in schools, you
take care to build up the individual and you inspire kindness toward
one another. I believe we must introduce these programs into all Arab
and Bedouin sectors across Israel.”
Rania Pharyra, Senior Coordinator on the Status of Minority Women,
Office of The Prime Minister, spoke of the need for the Center’s
outreach with
The Way to Happiness, a non-religious guide to
living: “The Way to Happiness is a new way to understand the purpose of
humanity—my purpose, your purpose. We have this tool to spread to the
minds and hearts of people not politics, but something that touches the
heart of children, youth, adults, all genders, all religions, all races.
We can defeat racism, hatred and fear. We can bring a change. We will
build the bridge to our greatest dreams.”
Biblical scholar and author Dr. Rimon Kasher spoke of the Center’s
vital importance to the region: “I believe Scientology is the only
religion that can create a connection or even affinity between the
different faiths and the only one that can relieve the tension between
religions. It is my hope that with your Ideal Org, you will accomplish
your aims. In so doing you will mark a turning point for not just the
entire Israeli society, but for all of the Middle East.”
Peter Habash, chairman of the Arab Christian Community of Jaffa,
welcomed the volunteer work of the Center: “You have built this amazing
Scientology Center to help the Arab Community and all communities of
Jaffa. And we believe your Center serves the same goals as we do. When I
see your active volunteers, youth and adults, their work makes me feel
that you can make a difference here. I see that you are a part of us and
a part of Jaffa.”
Historic preservation architect for Jaffa, Eyal Ziv, who directed
the restoration of the Alhambra Theater, proclaimed: “Your respect and
care for this building is astounding. You created a perfect example of
preserving the past for all of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. And so I want to thank
you and all associated with the Center of Scientology for bringing new
life to this Jaffa jewel.”
__________________
The 60,000-square-foot Center of Scientology Tel Aviv is open to all
wishing an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology. Visitors are
invited to take a self-guided tour of the expansive Public Information
Center, presenting informational and documentary films on the beliefs
and practices of Dianetics and Scientology, as well as the life and
legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Information Center also provides
an overview of the many Scientology-sponsored humanitarian programs,
including a worldwide human rights initiative; an equally far-ranging
drug education, prevention and rehabilitation program; a global network
of literacy and learning centers; and the Scientology Volunteer Minister
program now comprising the world’s largest independent relief force. In
full, the Center’s multimedia displays present more than 500 films,
available at the touch of a button. The Center is open morning to night
and visitors are welcome to return as often as they wish.
In addition to services conducted in the restored Alhambra
auditorium, the new Center of Scientology further includes seminar rooms
and classrooms for study, along with dozens of rooms for Scientology
auditing (spiritual counseling).
__________________
To commemorate the Alhambra’s rich heritage, the second floor mezzanine
houses a permanent exhibition open to the public, so the building’s
history may be treasured for generations to come.
Among the many distinctive features magnificently restored
throughout the landmark are the mezzanine’s glass-faced clock
overlooking Jerusalem Boulevard and the Auditorium’s intricately molded
oval ceiling. The International Style and Art Deco façade has also been
returned to its original splendor, from the color block windows and
ornamental grilles to the prominent “Alhambra” sign that graces the
iconic tower.
The Center further includes a rooftop terrace and café. Framed by an
oval colonnade, it provides expansive views of the historic hub of
Jaffa.
__________________
The opening of the Center of Scientology Tel Aviv follows a series of
new Scientology Ideal Organizations opened so far in 2012, including Los
Gatos, California on July 28; Buffalo, New York, on June 30; Phoenix,
Arizona, on June 23; Denver, Colorado, on June 16; Stevens Creek of San
Jose, California, on June 9; and Orange County, California, on June 2.
Further opened this year are Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 25;
Sacramento, California, on January 28; and Hamburg, Germany, on January
21.
Ideal Orgs reflect the fulfillment of Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s
vision for the religion. They not only provide the ideal facilities to
service Scientologists on their ascent to greater states of spiritual
awareness and freedom, they are also designed to serve as a home for the
entire community and a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift
citizens of all denominations.
Other new Ideal Orgs opened in recent years include London, Moscow,
Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and Rome in Europe; Melbourne, Australia;
Johannesburg, South Africa; New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Los
Angeles, Inglewood, Pasadena and San Francisco, California; Tampa,
Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Seattle, Washington; Dallas, Texas;
Quebec City, Canada; and Mexico City, Mexico.
Five more Ideal Orgs are further scheduled to open in 2012.
For a complete list of new Ideal Orgs of Scientology, visit
Scientology.org.
_________________
The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher
L. Ron Hubbard. The first Scientology organization was formed in the
United States in 1952 and the religion has expanded to more than 10,000
Organizations, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members
in 167 countries.
A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion
Meet a
Scientologist!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Acknowledging a Quarter of a Century of Committed Service
An active partner in the Rockland County Haiti Relief
Coalition, Lindeman conducted the August 2011 training sessions the
Coalition organized in Haiti.
Scientology Volunteer Minister, LPN and EMT Ayal Lindeman earned the 2011 Freedom Medal through his exemplary service to mankind.
At
the 27th anniversary of the International Association of
Scientologists in October 2011, Ayal Lindeman was awarded the IAS
Freedom Medal for his humanitarian work as a
Scientology Volunteer Minister.
He began serving the community as a teenager, training
in Red Cross advanced first aid. Five years later, in 1976, when the
Scientology Volunteer Ministers program launched, Lindeman was among
the first to join the team—a responsibility he has embraced ever
since.
In 1992, transforming this calling into a career, he
trained as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and in 2009 as a
licensed practical nurse (LPN). And despite the pressing demands of
career and family, for the past 20 years Lindeman has been on call as a
member of a local volunteer ambulance corps.
The events of September 11, 2001, were a wake-up call for Volunteer Ministers the world over.
“As
Volunteer Ministers we have been given tools to help others and the
only thing asked in return was to put them to use,” says Lindeman.
“And that didn't end with the smoke or the debris. It continued.”
With
the support and backing of his wife Devorah, over the past 10 years
Lindeman has responded to 10 major disasters as part of the Scientology
Volunteer Minister response team.
In 2004, in the wake of
Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, Lindeman was part of the
Volunteer Ministers team that earned a special commendation from the
124th Infantry’s Bravo Company and a Points of Light “Hurricane Heroes”
award from Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Everything
the Volunteer Ministers learned that season was put to the test the
following year when Hurricane Katrina blasted into Louisiana, followed
by Hurricane Rita several weeks later. And just as that project was
winding down, they were called back into action when Hurricane Wilma,
the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin,
hit Florida.
But nothing Lindeman and the other Volunteer
Ministers experienced prior to January 2010 prepared them for the Haiti
earthquake. By the hour, the death toll mounted for want of resources
to cope with the hundreds of thousands injured. Top priority was to
bolster the medical infrastructure with trained professionals who could
provide the needed care. Lindeman helped contact doctors, nurses and
EMTs, many of them Creole-speaking Haitian-Americans, to fill the first
two of five humanitarian flights chartered by the Church of
Scientology. He then boarded one of the flights himself.
Arriving
in Haiti he learned that patients were dying in General Hospital
critical care wards simply because of personnel shortages. Lindeman
organized a team of Volunteer Ministers to do whatever it took to
reverse this situation.
“I’m pretty tough, but this place drove me to tears,” says Lindeman.
“Pulling
18- to 20-hour shifts for days on end, whatever it took, we were true
to our pledge—no other patients died for lack of care.”
In March
2011, when a magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a 40-meter tsunami that
damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plants, Volunteer Ministers from
countries around the world signed on to help. Lindeman, specialist
trained to deal with nuclear catastrophes, was one of the first to
arrive from abroad, joining local Scientology Volunteer Ministers in
the Japan Disaster Response. They assisted in the search and rescue
effort, helped organize and staff shelters, and provided Scientology
assists, techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard that address the spiritual and emotional factors in stress and trauma.
In
launching the Volunteer Minister program, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “A
Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and
injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and
help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as
well.”
Ayal Lindeman has carried out this mandate for 25 years in the service of his fellow man.
To
learn about more about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers and view
videos of Scientologists and the work they are doing to improve
society, visit
www.Scientology.org.
###
The
Scientology Volunteer Minister program was initiated by Scientology
Founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1976. There are now hundreds of thousands of
people trained in the skills of a Volunteer Minister across 185
nations.
Meet a
Scientologist!
Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific Goodwill Tour Tackles Solomon Islands Literacy
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific Goodwill Tour has completed a series of seminars on
Study Technology developed by Scientology Founder
L. Ron Hubbard.
Delivering to teachers and students from 31 schools in Guadalcanal, the
volunteers addressed education as the key issue to improve conditions
for the island.
The Solomon Islands ranks 142 of 187 countries in
the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), which measures life
expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living, and quality of
life. The Solomon Islands also ranks 126 out of 160 countries in the
most recent
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report. The key to improving these rankings and the standard of living in the Solomon Islands is education.
“It
was interesting and stimulating to attend the Scientology seminar
which addressed our real needs as teachers,” said a teacher from the
Lunga School.
“Now we understand what our difficulties are with our students, and why.”
“The
workshop cleared my confusion about how to study and how to teach,”
said a teacher from the Tamboko School. “It helps me solve the barriers
of study and develop my teaching.”
“I am very grateful for this seminar on ‘
The Technology of Study,’”
said the senior teacher at the Verahue Primary School. “I now know
their weaknesses in learning and can tell and show them what to do so
that they get a good education.”
“Scientology is for people from
all walks of life, any race, color, culture or belief,” says Mathew
Andrews, leader of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific
Goodwill Tour. “Anyone can learn more about life from
The Scientology Handbook, which
includes a chapter called “The Technology of Study” and 18 additional
subjects, all of great importance to the individual.”
For more information on Scientology Volunteer Ministers,
Click Here.
Meet a
Scientologist!
Monday, April 09, 2012
SOLOMON ISLANDS SCHOOLS TEACHING TEACHERS HOW TO TEACH
Scientology Volunteer Ministers bring seminars to Solomon Islands schools
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers have begun delivery of workshops to educators throughout the island of Guadalcanal at the request of the Chief Education Officer of the Guadalcanal Education Authority, following the success of training provided to executives and staff of that agency in Honiara, Capital of the Solomon Islands.
In a March 6 letter to the school principals of Guadalcanal province, the chief education officer urged educators to take full advantage of a series of workshops to help them improve their ability and service to their pupils.
Feedback from teachers attending workshops show the value of this initiative.
Teachers in the Nguvia Primary School appreciated learning a new approach to helping their pupils increase comprehension of what they are studying. Ghaobata Community High School instructors found the training helped isolate weak points and strengthen teaching skills.
“You have highlighted the weak spots and failures of teachers which have contributed to the failure of some students,” says an English teacher from the Nguvia Secondary College.
“As a teacher I've learned how to understand why the kids do not know most of the things I taught in the classroom. It also helps me to prepare my lessons in a better way,” says a teacher from the Visale Primary School.
The Volunteer Ministers began delivery in Honiara and then covered schools in the northern half of Guadalcanal Island. They will be moving on to the southern part of the island in April.
Returning to the Solomon Islands where they provided disaster relief five years ago in the wake of a magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Giza, the South Pacific Scientology Volunteer Ministers team is one of 10 Volunteer Minister Goodwill Tours dedicated to helping people in remote areas with practical help for everyday life.
For more information visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website.
###
The Scientology Volunteer Minister program was initiated by Scientology FounderL. Ron Hubbard in 1976. There are now hundreds of thousands of people across 185 nations trained in the skills of a Volunteer Minister.
Meet a
Scientologist!Labels: church of scientology, Scientology Volunteer Ministers, volunteer ministers
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Human Rights Day 2011: Church of Scientology Spearheading Human Rights Education
On the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Church of Scientology urges mandatory human rights education as the key to its full implementation of the Declaration.
Human rights are the rights that belong to everyone without exception--to people of any color, creed, age, ethnicity or gender. But as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon pointed out in his Human Rights Day message this year, "...unless we know them, unless we demand they be respected, and unless we defend our rights -- and the right of others -- to exercise them, they will be just words in a decades-old document."
To make the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known to all, the Church of Scientology has undertaken a massive human rights education initiative, reaching more than 180 million people in 2011 with the information on human rights in 17 languages.
The United Nations estimates that 2.45 million people are trafficked each year, nearly a billion live in hunger, and almost half the world’s population subsists on less than $2.50 a day, making it clear any momentum generated this year must continue and that education and insistence on human rights has never been more vital.
In a global demonstration of support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its 30 rights, Scientology Churches and Missions marked Human Rights Day with seminars, rallies, concerts, round tables, forums and festivals, and helped organize more than 80 human rights walks in 26 countries to raise awareness of the Declaration and the need for its full implementation.
In 1969, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "The United Nations came up with the answer. An absence of human rights stained the hands of governments and threatened their rules. Very few governments have implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments have not grasped that their very survival depends utterly upon adopting such reforms and thus giving their peoples a cause, a civilization worth supporting, worth their patriotism."
For more than four decades, the Church has worked to make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights broadly known. The Declaration appeared in the first edition of Freedom Magazine, the Church’s human rights journal, in 1968. In 1998, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration, the Church carried out the first of five annual cross-European marathons, reaching an estimated 33 million with its message in support of human rights.
Ten years ago, the Church began publishing materials that present the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in terms anyone can understand. These booklets, award-winning public service announcements and human rights documentary videos are available free of charge to any individual or group.
"There are many examples in history of what individuals can accomplish by demanding their rights and insisting on the rights of others," says Rev. Robert Adams, Vice President of the Church of Scientology International. "But a knowledge of these rights comes first. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, yet in many ways, despite advances, the violations of its articles are as abhorrent today as they were six decades ago. We work with many dedicated groups, organizations, agencies and government bodies to make human rights a reality. To achieve this goal, education in human rights must be mandatory, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be given the force of law."
Since Human Rights Day 2010, through direct action and sponsorship of activities and materials, the Church of Scientology has reached hundreds of millions of people with humans rights information, distributing more than 2 million publications and providing educational materials to more than 45,000 human rights organizations and 4,500 educators and educational institutions.
________
The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has grown to more than 9,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups and millions of members in 165 countries.
Labels: church of scientology, human rights, L. Ron Hubbard, scientologist, scientology
Monday, October 24, 2011
Church of Scientology Cuts Ribbon on Twin Cities Landmark Home in Minnesota’s Capital of St. Paul
Scientologists, guests, state and city officials assembled in downtown St. Paul, Saturday October 22, for the dedication of the new Church of Scientology Twin Cities.
Scientologists, guests, state and city officials assembled in downtown St. Paul, Saturday October 22, for the dedication of the new Church of Scientology Twin Cities. (Event Images: http://www.ScientologyNews.org ). The Church stands at 505 Wabasha Street and was formerly home to the Science Museum of Minnesota. The acquisition of the 82,000-square-foot facility in the heart of St. Paul was necessitated by the meteoric growth of the resident Scientology community. The Church of Scientology Twin Cities is now the largest Scientology facility in the American Midwest and will serve parishioners from Wisconsin to the Dakotas.
Located just blocks from the State Capitol and St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Church is additionally adjacent to the famed Fitzgerald Theater and so forms an “historic square” of buildings in downtown St. Paul. The premises were carefully renovated to preserve its most memorable features, including the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Wabasha Street and the three-story atrium. Also faithfully preserved was the original 300-seat IMAX Theater, now to serve as the Scientology Chapel and community meeting ground for citizens of all denominations. >>
Meet a
Scientologist!Labels: grand opening, scientology, St. Paul, Twin Cities
