Church of Scientology Distributes Drug Abuse and Addiction Facts Internationally

Members, friends and allies of Scientologists and Church of Scientology missions and churches in countries around the world are carrying out an all-out international effort this month to do something effective about drug abuse and addiction in their communities.

Treating April as “Drug Information Month,” volunteers distribute copies of 13 separate drug education booklets, which give simple and direct facts about drugs. These free booklets cover the effects of drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs, cocaine, heroine, crystal meth, crack, painkillers, LSD, Ecstasy, and Ritalin (known as “kiddie cocaine”), and show how these substances destroy a person’s health, creativity, family and relationships.

Scientologists distributed over 3,000 drug facts booklets in Hamburg, Germany, and thousands more in Berlin and Dusseldorf. Volunteers in Cagliari, Italy helped several hundred people learn the truth about drugs, many of whom asked for more booklets to pass on to their friends.

Teams in Marseilles, Angers, Clermont, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon, France passed out more than 10,000 booklets. In Paris, volunteers went right to the most notorious neighborhoods in the city, passing out booklets to at-risk teenagers and youth while local police quietly stood by to guard against retaliation from drug dealers. “Our booklets were in such high demand,” said one of the volunteers. “We had teachers coming up to us to ask for copies for their students, two medical doctors wanted them for their waiting rooms and a professor liked them so much he grabbed some booklets and joined us.”

In Amsterdam, where the sale of so-called “soft drugs” is legal and “coffee shop” is a code name for a hash bar, volunteers passed out over 500 drug education booklets. In Auckland, New Zealand volunteers handed out some 1,200 copies at a marketplace.

Countless lives are lost to drugs. Newspapers and TV news shows spotlight the famous artists who die from drug overdose, but most people have experienced personally the loss of a friend or family member through drug abuse. Many of those who resort to selling sex are supporting their habits. Our prisons are full of men and women who are there because they dealt drugs or are drug addicts who committed crimes to support their habits. Governments, nonprofit organizations and private individuals spend billions every year in an attempt to combat this tragedy. Scientologists and Scientology churches, missions and groups partner with people from all faiths, professions and walks of life to do something effective to counter drug abuse. For more information visit the Scientology video channel at www.scientology.org or www.youtube.com/ChurchofScientology

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Restore Hope in the Land of Dreams

In a very quiet way, day by day, Scientology Volunteer Ministers on the Outback Goodwill Tour help people overcome the barriers to their happiness and renew the dreams of the people of dreams—the indigenous people of the Australian Outback.

The plagues that dominate indigenous Australian culture are drug and alcohol abuse and illiteracy. In 2005, the reading levels of less than half of third year Aboriginal students and only 31 percent of fifth year students met national standards. While only 5 percent of Australia’s 10-17-year-olds are Indigenous, they make up 40 percent of all young people in the nation’s juvenile justice system. A report released in June 2009 found that Indigenous Australians are 13 times more likely to end up in jail than the rest of the population. The report found a clear link between drug and alcohol abuse and the high number of incarcerated Indigenous people.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour tackles these problems in villages and camps on a one-on-one basis, using Study Technology, the Answers to Drugs Booklet, and Scientology Assists—”spiritual first aid” that helps establish the person’s communication with his or her body to overcome the pain and discomfort often associated with withdrawal. This spiritual technology, developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, is making a difference in the lives of these people, one person at a time.

Alice Springs is a cultural meeting place for the 60,000 Indigenous Australians of the Northern Territory. An additional 2,000-3,000 Indigenous people pass through 18 outlying town camps and thousands visit the Todd dry riverbed, a sacred site that runs through the town. Volunteer Ministers have introduced hundreds living in the city and camps and those making the spiritual trek to the city to technology to help with drug addiction, literacy, ethics and morality.

An elder from Alice Springs heard about the Volunteer Ministers on the “bush telegraph” (in other words, by word of mouth) and how much their Scientology Assists had helped people. When she encountered the volunteers she had them train her to give Assists and she now uses them regularly with her own friends and family. A Lutheran pastor from Hermannsburg heard about Assists and he too is now delivering them—and has taught 30 others this technology.

With their motto “Something can be done about it,” the Goodwill Tour reaches hundreds of people each month, and through training them in these tools for better living, reach out to an entire culture.

For more information on the Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tours visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website at www.volunteerministers.org.

Article by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard

Twenty-seven years ago, L. Ron Hubbard wrote an article for Freedom which contained a striking analysis of how and why riots and civil unrest occur amongst minorities in the United States.That article, which follows below, is as meaningful today as it was in 1969.

iots are not always caused by economic depravation. The bulk of American riots are caused by injustice.

Only the wealthy can afford justice. It may say there must be justice in the Constitution but it can only be obtained in upper courts.

The little fellow doesn’t have a hundred thousand dollars to fight the unjust actions of those in power.

Until there is justice for the little people, not just for the rich, there will be riots. And these riots can easily swell into complete raw red revolution.

A Black can be innocently standing on a street corner, can be grabbed, beaten, thrown in jail, and worked at hard labor all on some imaginary charge. It may say it can’t be done in the law books, but where’s his $100,000 to take it high enough for action.

I have seen a Filipino university professor hauled in for nothing, his jaw broken, held without bail, all because he was a Filipino in a white US community (Port Orchard, Washington).

I have seen jails full of men who could not even say what the actual charge against them was—but they worked like dogs every day as convict labor.

As a minister, going amongst the people, I have witnessed enough injustice to overturn a state only waiting for a spark to ignite the suppressed wrath into revolution.

Until justice applies to all, until a person is really assumed innocent until proven guilty, until it no longer costs a tenth of a million to get to an upper court, the government is at risk.

They may be very big, their sweat may have no odor, their arrogance may put them above all others, but the leaders of a nation who for one instant tolerate injustice to their poorest citizens today should have heads ready for the basket. Another 1789 is boiling up, only waiting for one big spark to flash across the Western world.

Injustice is not something in which any man with power should ever trade. It is not just a sin. It is suicide.

New Scientology Church in DC

The newest ideal Scientology church opened on Saturday--the Founding Church of Scientology of Washington DC. What a milestone! David Miscavige dedicated the new building. It is HUGE! And it is SO BEAUTIFUL!

Scientology of Baton Rouge Helps Community with Dianetics

Known throughout the region for their work in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Church of Scientology Mission of Baton Rouge provides a different kind of relief these days, using Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health.

The Church of Scientology Mission of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, uses Dianetics technology to help the people of their city. Open seven days a week, the Mission provides Dianetics seminars, courses and one-on-one counseling. Dianetics is a spiritual healing technology that can help alleviate unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses (illness caused or aggravated by mental stress).

Just over four years ago the Church of Scientology Mission of Baton Rouge was headquarters of the Scientology relief effort when the major hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore through the region in one of the worst humanitarian crises in United States history. Almost 1,000 Scientology Volunteer Ministers traveled to the area where they helped the survivors of the disaster put their lives back together.

But life’s tragedies are not always so dramatic. And for nearly 60 years people of all walks of life, religions and backgrounds have been using Dianetics technology to overcome life’s disasters, big and small, and to gain understanding and relief.

“Life is grand! Although it wasn’t always. In the not so distant past, it was murky and jaded and there wasn’t much hope for a great future,” said a woman whose Dianetics counseling resulted in her “feeling content and energetic.”

“Today I was audited on the emotions surrounding my grandmother’s death,” said a woman after her first Dianetics session. “She passed away nine years ago and I had no idea all of those emotions were still lurking just beneath the surface. It really put things into perspective for me. … It was as though the layers of an onion were being pulled apart and I could get to the root of everything that troubled me about her death, as well as the things that gave me peace.”

Dianetics uncovers the source of unwanted sensations and emotions, accidents, injuries and psychosomatic illnesses, and provides effective handlings for these conditions. “Back in 1985 I was hit by a vehicle while directing traffic during an evacuation of an approaching hurricane,” said a man who had Dianetics counseling at the Baton Rouge Mission. “While assisting a crew who were securing a live downed power line, I was struck by a vehicle and ended up on the hood and then the roof, eventually falling off the vehicle and hitting the ground. I suffered a serious injury to my left leg and right shoulder, which both required surgery to repair. I’ve experienced pain in my left knee and right shoulder ever since 1985.”

After Dianetics counseling it was quite a different scene. “As the session progressed, the pain in both my knee and shoulder began to ease. By the end of the session my pain was gone. It’s been four days since the session and as of this writing my knee has been pain free!!!”

Self-doubt and unwanted behaviors surrender to Dianetics too. “I used to smoke weed every day,” said a woman who addressed this in her Dianetics sessions. “Yesterday I was put into a situation where, before, I would have given in. But I honestly had no urge to, and it was put right in my face. I am extremely surprised and very excited to see that I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’m going to take that ‘one hit.’ Because I know I won’t.”

“I feel like I’ve visited some past occurrences that have caused me much unhappiness throughout my life, and have influenced my behavior in negative ways,” said a man who came to the Mission for the Dianetics Seminar. He found that the Dianetics counseling he received is allowing him “to face these negatives and see them in a different way, with love and truth. I feel this process is altering me for the better, giving me sanity and serenity where I didn’t have it before.”

For more information about Dianetics or to find where you can attend a Dianetics Seminar or receive counseling visit the Dianetics site at www.dianetics.org. For more information about the Church of Scientology Mission of Baton Rouge visit their web site at www.scientologybatonrouge.org.

David Miscavige Dedicates New Church in Nashsville

It was such an exciting afternoon in Nashville TN when David Miscavige was joined by celebrities and thousands of guests and Scientologists from around the world to open the newest Celebrity Centre. For the full article, visit Freedom Magazine

THE FASTEST-GROWING RELIGION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Charting the Course for Scientology Expansion

Each year in June, top Scientologists from around the world assemble aboard the Sea Org Motor Vessel Freewinds religious retreat for the “OT Summit.” It comprises a week of briefings, seminars and strategic planning sessions presided over by Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige.

This year’s Summit marked the announcement and release of historic advances for the Scientology religion.

In this way, Mr. Miscavige keeps parishioners fully abreast of Church accomplishments, current planning and goals for the coming year and beyond. He provides them with the “big picture” of Scientology expansion and the future of the religion, including their part in the acquisition, renovation and staffing of new Churches, the utilization of new training courses and restored L. Ron Hubbard scriptural materials.>>

Scientologists from the Founding Church of Scientology in D.C. Take the Truth About Drugs to Nationals Park

Scientology volunteers from D.C. help Washington Nationals fans learn the truth about drugs.

Volunteers from the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington D.C. are committed to help keep D.C. residents from “striking out” through drug abuse.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, cocaine and crack are the most significant drug problems in Washington, D.C. The city also has a large number of long-term heroin abusers. Over the past decade, 49% of those arrested in Washington D.C. have tested positive for a controlled substance.

That’s why a team of enthusiastic Scientologists spent a recent Sunday afternoon at Washington Nationals Park, passing out drug education booklets to baseball fans at the center field gate.

Members of the Church of Scientology bring the truth about drugs to the people of the District, passing out drug education booklets at clubs, sporting events and right on the street to help young people make informed decisions to stay drug-free.

\

Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, said, “One has the choice of being dead with drugs or being alive without them. Drugs rob life of the sensations and joys which are the only reason for living anyhow.” These volunteers are urging their fellow D.C. residents to live their lives to the fullest, free from the disastrous effects of drugs.

For more information on the work Scientology churches and their members do to combat the drug problem visit the Scientology site.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa

Interview with Bright Freeman, leader of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa

The leader of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour In Central and West Africa is Bright Freeman, a native of Ghana, who found Scientology when studying at the University of Cape Town. “I searched for many years to find a solution for my people,” said Mr. Freeman. “I was born and raised in Ghana, and while that country is in pretty good shape, it is surrounded by countries plagued with hopelessness, fear and poverty”.

In 2003, in his search for answers, Mr. Freeman traveled from Ghana to the University of Cape Town, where he embarked on a study of political diplomacy, his third university degree. He chose this field to find answers for his country and Africa.

“I had tried helping my people through education as a teacher, and I had helped people as a pastor and through various human rights programs. I had tried many avenues, but in all my travels and studies, I found no answers that truly changed the condition of my people.”

It was in Cape Town that Mr. Freeman was introduced to Dianetics and Scientology by a local Scientologist.

“Africa is steeped in centuries of superstition and suppression. When I learned the study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard and I read the Dianetics book I knew I had found the answer. I knew this would lift the darkness in Africa, a darkness that has come from ignorance. Now I am bringing the light of understanding to my people.

“The difference with this program is that we bring real solutions. I’ve spoken to diplomats who command nations, and they have personal difficulties they can’t resolve—how to raise their children so they will do well in life and continue to respect their parents, how to address marital difficulties. I have spoken to men who live in poverty, and they too have the same difficulties. No matter their station in life, people have no solutions, and with the technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard they see the difference.

“They have seen many people come and go. Some have been motivated by an effort to control and suppress, offering false hope and help. Some have been motivated by kindness, but they lacked any effective technology. But the technology of L. Ron Hubbard works, and they see it right away. We are not preaching to them, we are empowering them. This is how we will change Africa forever. Finally the African people will be able to choose their own destiny and create their own future.

“This will end the suppression and despair. I’ve seen it for myself. We’re not telling people they must belong to some new society, or rally to some idea, we restore their self-respect and give them the tools to live a better life. The technology of L. Ron Hubbard is changing Africa, and I am proud to be part of that”

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa is a humanitarian endeavor made possible by the support of Scientologists from around the world.

For more information visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site.