CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY HAMBURG CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Musicians representing five diverse cultures perform a concert in the new chapel of the Church of Scientology of Hamburg

The Church of Scientology Hamburg hosted a Concert for Diversity in their new chapel March 9, featuring artists from five different nations.

The eclectic mix of genre and style spanned the cultural landscape from Iran to Nigeria, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Germany. Each of the seven groups or artists brought to the audience their unique sound and expression, and the finale where they performed together capped the evening.

The theme of the event was the role of the artist in bridging cultural differences and bringing about a better world, as expressed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists.”

The Church of Scientology of Hamburg newly opened its doors in a dedication ceremony on January 21, 2012, attended by 1,500 Scientologists, guests and dignitaries. The grand opening marked the culmination of the transformation of the seven-story Church into an Ideal Church of Scientology to better meet the needs of Hamburg’s growing Scientology congregation and the community at large. The renovation and grand opening was part of a program to open Ideal Scientology Organizations around the world to fulfill L. Ron Hubbard’s vision for the religion. They are designed to provide all Scientology religious services to their parishioners and to serve as a home for the entire community and a meeting ground of cooperative efforts to uplift citizens of all denominations.

Scientology Video: Why we help

Scientology Disaster Response in Thailand

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are providing relief in Bangkok, Thailand, where flooding has affected some 3 million people.

Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Bangkok are working with other relief organizations to cope with the needs of those at a temporary shelter at Chon Buri College where more than 4,000 evacuees were moved to two weeks ago where they cooked and distributed food and provided Scientology Assists.

Teams of Volunteer Ministers also packed some 5,000 food boxes and delivered them by boat to those stranded by the floodwaters.

To join the response team, fill out the disaster relief form on the Volunteer Minister website.

Scientology Video: Why we help

Scientology-sponsored Youth Group Brings Truth about Drugs to Los Angeles Thai New Year Festival

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles chapter of the Drug-Free Marshals, sponsored by the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles, joined the festivities of the Songkran Festival, the celebration of Thai New Year, getting kids to pledge to live drug-free lives.

Located just blocks from the heart of Thai Town, the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles joined this year’s Songkran Festival, the celebration of Thai New Year, by helping neighborhood children avoid the tragedy of drug abuse. Scientology volunteers distributed copies of The Truth About Drugs drug-education booklets and “swore in children” as Drug-Free Marshals, a program that encourages youth to pledge to live drug-free lives and help their friends and family do the same.

Thai New Year, celebrated each year in April, is a time of renewal, marked by lighthearted fun and enthusiasm. Several blocks of Hollywood Boulevard were closed to traffic and filled with hundreds of booths, offering a variety of Thai products including food and beverages, clothing and gifts. There were also booths from community programs including the Drug-Free Marshals.

“Every 12 seconds another school-age child experiments with illicit drugs for the first time,” said Noelle North, Outreach Program Coordinator for the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles. “Our aim with the Drug-Free Marshals is to reach children with the truth about drugs before they succumb to peer pressure or pro-drug false propaganda.”

The Drug-Free Marshals program was founded by the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles 17 years ago. The non-denominational program has been adopted by individuals and organizations throughout the United States and in many other countries as well.

For more information on drug education and prevention programs of the Church of Scientology, visit www.scientology.org.

Church of Scientology–Final Judgment of European Court of Human Rights Defend Religious Freedom

On March 8, 2010, the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of religious associations of the Church of Scientology in Surgut and Nizhnekamsk became final.

March 13, 2010—On March 8, 2010, the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of religious associations of the Church of Scientology in Surgut and Nizhnekamsk became final.

On October 1, 2009, the European Court of Human Rights delivered the judgment in the cases NN 76836/01 and 32782/03 in favor of the churches of Scientology of Surgut and Nizhnekamsk.

The final judgment of the European Court found a violation of rights of the applicants by the Russian Federation, in particular, violation of the provisions of Article 9 of the Convention (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) in the light of Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association).

The court found that “the restricted status afforded to religious groups under the Religions Act did not allow members of such a group to enjoy effectively their right to freedom of religion, rendering such a right illusory and theoretical rather than practical and effective, as required by the Convention.

“The applications for registration as a religious organization submitted by the first and second applicants as founders of their respective groups… were denied by reference to the insufficient period of the groups’ existence. Finally, the restricted status of a religious group for which they qualified and in which the third applicant existed conveyed no practical or effective benefits to them as such a group was deprived of legal personality, property rights and the legal capacity to protect the interests of its members and was also severely hampered in the fundamental aspects of its religious functions.

“In the instant case the Russian Government did not identify any pressing social need which the impugned restriction served or any relevant and sufficient reasons which could justify the lengthy waiting period that a religious organization had to endure prior to obtaining legal personality.”

President of the Church of Scientology of Nizhnekamsk, Mr. Emir Ramazanov, stated, “the judgment of the European Court not only raises the standards of the protection of freedom of conscience and freedom of association to a new level in Russia and in Europe, but also confirms that the European standards guarantee the protection even when injustice comes from national laws.”

The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. Scientologists believe that Man is an immortal spiritual being and basically good, and that the spiritual potential of Man can be restored (i.e., man can be salvaged) within one lifetime. The first church was opened in the United States in 1954. Now Scientology has over 8,300 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups and millions of members in 165 countries. In Russia there are over 40 churches and Mission of Scientology, from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.

Nevada Scientology Volunteer Minister Planning to Return to Haiti

Donna Cooper’s story of wanting to join the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Haiti relief effort appeared in her hometown paper, the Pahrump Valley Times , in January. Donna has returned from Haiti but is planning to go back in April with her 17-year-old daughter. Donna, mother of 8 and soon to be great grandmother, retires in 16 days. She is a veteran of the Scientology Disaster Response in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Donna mainly worked at the Volunteer Ministers compound at the Port-au-Prince Airport, where she cooked for those who were working in the hospitals. “The doctors were great,” she said. “They slept on the ground in sleeping bags just like the rest of us. They didn’t ask for special favors. They were friendly, cheerful, and never complained about anything. We didn’t have a kitchen—just a couple of two-burner hotplates. One day I grabbed two big bags of rice, 33 cans of Healthy Choice soup, four cans of peas and cooked them all together. Everyone loved it. People were so easy to please. I did laundry too, especially for the doctors and nurses, because they simply had no time to do it themselves.”

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.

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.

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.

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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.