SCIENTOLOGISTS MOBILIZE IN SUPPORT OF UN INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

In cities around the world today, Scientologists organize or participate in round tables, petition drives, seminars and marches in support of the United Nations International Day against Racial Discrimination.

The UN General Assembly selected March 21 to commemorate the day in 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police opened fire on thousands peacefully demonstrating against apartheid, killing 69.

The first article of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Yet 64 years after the document’s 1948 adoption, headlines still feature racially and ethnically motivated violence.

As announced today, a grand jury in Florida will look into racism as the cause of the February 26 shooting death of 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin. Four died Monday when a gunman opened fire on parents and children at an Orthodox Jewish school in Toulouse, France. Two Senegalese vendors were shot to death in Florence three months ago by an author known for his far-right extremism.

In his message today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Racism and racial discrimination have been used as weapons to engender fear and hatred. In extreme cases, ruthless leaders instigate prejudice to incite genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, “Leaving the dangerous societal problems of prejudice and racism to simmer on the back burner creates a real risk of explosive conflicts erupting, years or decades later.”

The human rights initiative of the Church of Scientology promotes education as the key to remedying these and other human rights abuse. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with the injunction to “strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.”

Since its inception, the Church of Scientology championed human rights. The Creed of the Church, written in 1954 by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, begins with the statement that Man is an immortal spiritual being and that all people of any race, color or creed are created with equal and inalienable rights.

“It is vital that all thinking men urge upon their governments (for the governments’ own sake if no other) sweeping reforms in the field of human rights,” stated Mr. Hubbard in 1969. To that end, today the Church sponsors one of the world’s largest nongovernmental human rights information campaigns, aimed at raising awareness and calling for governments to meaningfully support and ensure human rights.

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The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed inthe United States in 1954 and has grown to more than 10,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups and millions of members in 167 nations.

"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard

Church of Scientology Celebrates the Opening of an Entirely New Church in Inglewood and Community Center in South Los Angeles


5,000 Scientologists, guests and city officials gathered Saturday November 5, for the dedication of an entirely new Church of Scientology and Church of Scientology Community Center. The Church stands in the heart of downtown, at 315 South Market Street, and reflects the growth of a new Scientology congregation amongst these communities. The neighboring Community Center stands just a few minutes away in South Los Angeles, at 8039 South Vermont Avenue. Together this Church and Community Center provide for all Scientology religious services as well as its many humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs for the benefit of Inglewood and South Los Angeles.

The new Inglewood Church of Scientology on South Market Street houses a Public Information Center presenting the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion as well as the life and legacy of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Information Center further provides an overview of the many Church-sponsored humanitarian programs. These programs include a worldwide human rights initiative, an equally far-ranging drug education and prevention campaign, global networks of literacy and learning centers and the Scientology Volunteer Minister program now comprising the largest independent relief force on Earth. The Information Center’s multimedia displays include nearly 500 documentary films.

The new Community Center on Vermont Avenue is housed in an historic art deco landmark that dates from the early 1930s and which the Church has meticulously restored. It features a 380-seat event hall, the L. Ron Hubbard Community Auditorium, designed for community events and as a meeting ground for residents of all denominations. In that respect, it is a venue dedicated to community-wide initiatives in the spirit of the Founder’s vision of all church denominations working together to achieve the common dream of all religions. The Center further features numerous classrooms and seminar facilities for a full range of civic programs, including a complete literacy and tutoring center.

Marking the significance of the occasion, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, officiated at the ceremony. In pointing to what this day represents, Mr. Miscavige stated:

“This new Church of Scientology is quite literally imbued with the contributions and global spirit of Scientologists from more than a hundred nations. In that respect, it reflects the greater shape of Scientology—both body and soul. Moreover, it reflects the attributes of greatness all religions traditionally sought to inspire, including decency, nobility, compassion and charity. And that's also the spirit in which we provide our new Community Center, open for use by one and all, for the benefit of all its residents.”

Welcoming the new Church were Inglewood City Councilmember, Ralph Franklin; Inglewood Chief of Police, Jacqueline Seabrooks; President of NAACP Los Angeles, Leon Jenkins; Executive Director of the gang intervention group 2nd Call, Skipp Townsend; and Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray, retired head of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles and now Professor of Religious Studies at USC.

City Councilmember Ralph Franklin welcomed the new Church: “I for one am very excited about your move to your new home. Thank you for being our anchor to Market Street. You are helping revitalize downtown and offering us a platform from which we can make a segue into our greater future. I have faith that your presence will be the catalyst for this city’s renaissance. And so it is with great pleasure that on behalf of all of us here in the City of Inglewood I say congratulations on your new home and welcome to the family.”

Chief of Police Jacqueline Seabrooks spoke of the solutions offered by the Church’s anti-drug initiative: “I have been aware of your Drug-Free World program and know that this program has been supported by various entities here in Inglewood and in the larger environment. I must say that I am impressed by your dedicated initiative to ensure ‘The Truth About Drugs’ message is made available to everyone. Your volunteers are an active force, distributing educational materials and holding drug education seminars. Your colorful, information booklets are popular and effective. Because I have a strong background in education, I admire what you've done and what you continue to do to bring the drug abuse issue into the educational arena.”

Los Angeles NAACP President Leon Jenkins recognized the effectiveness of the Church’s human rights programs: “The Church of Scientology is taking an instrumental role in the change we need because what your Church does is address the individual. You know that everybody is different. That’s why your human rights program speaks to every one of us. And one by one you are helping to bring about a just society that can live in harmony together. The Church sets a standard for others in religion and in human rights. I think there are quite some groups that could take a lesson or two from you all. My hat is off to you for that.”

Executive Director of 2nd Call, Skipp Townsend, acknowledged the empowerment that comes from the Church’s programs: “We are grateful that the Church of Scientology is here and provides a stream of resources to the City of Inglewood. Your church is an open door to those individuals who seek betterment in the community. The beauty of it is that the Church has both developed a community and opened the doors to the community. That’s not just development, that’s empowerment. You empower the people. And I am sure the Church will continue the empowerment process by leaving the door open, so they can come in and get the resources and benefits you have to offer.”

Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray, retired head of the First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles and now Professor of Religious Studies at USC, expressed highest regard for Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology: “My friends, this new Church is an opportunity to make change. I encourage you, the community, to take full advantage. L. Ron Hubbard was a genius of a man who could say, ‘Here’s the problem, here’s the solution, and here are the details of how you achieve that solution.’ Well here is a mansion that has been constructed by L. Ron Hubbard, an architect of the soul and a designer of dreams. Our challenge is to make use of what we have been given. I am so very thankful for what you bring us today. God bless you all.”

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Church of Scientology Ideal Orgs realize the fulfillment of Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s vision for the religion. Ideal Orgs not only provide the ideal facilities to service Scientologists on their spiritual ascent, but 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.

The Church of Scientology of Inglewood is the third Ideal Org to open in the Greater Los Angeles area since 2010. Other Ideal Churches of Scientology opened in 2011 include:

• Church of Scientology of Twin Cities opened October 22, 2011, in Minnesota’s Capital of St. Paul

• Church of Scientology of Tampa opened March 13, 2011, in historic Ybor Square

• Church of Scientology of Moscow opened February 26, 2011, in the Russian capital’s central Garden Ring, a mile from Red Square

• Church of Scientology of Melbourne opened January 29, 2011, in a landmark estate in the cultural capital of Australia.

• Other new Ideal Churches of Scientology opened in the past two years include Dallas; Nashville; Washington D.C.; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Pasadena; Seattle; as well as Malmo, Sweden; Rome, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; Quebec City, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico.

For a complete list of new Churches of Scientology, visit Scientology.org.

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The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles in 1954 and the religion has expanded to more than 9,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 165 countries.

^{"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard}

THE BASICS BOOKS AND LECTURES

Mr. David Miscavige stood before Scientologists gathered from around the world for the much-heralded occasion. He announced that what he was about to describe was nothing less than “the recovery of Dianetics and Scientology”—an event that would “change the world of Scientology forever.” Over the next several hours, he recounted the complete story to an audience of thousands gathered in Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall.

2005

196 L. Ron Hubbard lectures released in 15 languages simultaneously across the world—largest single audio release in history.

2006

Two Guinness World Records awarded to L. Ron Hubbard: Most Published Author
(1,084 titles) and Most Translated Author (71 languages).

2007

1.8 million pages of L. Ron Hubbard’s writings translated since 2004. Total for prior 50 years 359,459 pages translated.

2008

14,211 hours of translated L. Ron Hubbard lectures recorded since 2005.

2009

March 13: Biggest single publishing event in history—nine L. Ron Hubbard Beginning Books released simultaneously in 50 languages (450 titles). 70 million L. Ron Hubbard books and lectures sold since 2007, more than in the first 50 years of Dianetics and Scientology combined.

Total number of Dianetics and Scientology course graduates is 10 times that of five years ago.

More than 3 million L. Ron Hubbard books on Dianetics and Scientology, in 15 languages, placed in over 125,000 libraries.

Third Guinness World Record to 
L. Ron Hubbard, for Most Audiobook 
Titles on Earth (185).

December 27: Historic accomplishment crowning the Golden Age of Knowledge, the release in English of L. Ron Hubbard's Advanced Clinical Course Lectures, more than 1,000 lectures and 750 issues comprising the day-to-day record of his path of discovery in Dianetics and Scientology. For the first time, all of L. Ron Hubbard's materials are available to everyone.

2010

Fourth Guinness World Record to L. Ron Hubbard, for the The Way to Happiness—the Most Translated Non-Religious Book on Earth (70 languages).

"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard

The Scientology religion contains workable answers to the problems people face in their lives. The subject matter of Scientology is all life. It contains practical means through which predictable improvement can be obtained in any area to which it is applied.

Scientology recognizes that man is not just so many vials of chemicals fortuitously combined into a remarkable stimulus-response machine. Scientology views man as a spiritual being with native capabilities which can be improved far beyond what is generally believed possible. In fact, it has been demonstrated that man deteriorates to the degree that he denies his spiritual nature and ceases to live with moral values, such as trust, honesty, integrity and other sometimes intangible characteristics. >>

"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard

A 21^st Century Religion in the Age of Multimedia

Scientology is truly a religion for the 21st century and so utilizes new-millennium technology to carry out its religious mission. To that end, the Church moved into the multimedia age with establishment of state-of-the-art film and audio facilities at Golden Era Productions. Set on 500 acres in Southern California, this is the worldwide dissemination center for the entire Scientology religion, responsible for all film, video, television, Internet and international event production.

It is here the staff of Golden Era Productions produces audiovisual informational and training materials for use within Scientology Churches, as well as films and public service announcements centered on Church-sponsored social betterment activities and humanitarian initiatives.

The focal point of Golden Era Productions is the 80,000-square-foot film studio. The main sound stage rises more than three stories, with an interior the size of two football fields.

Final production of the religious audiovisual properties filmed at Golden Era Productions is accomplished in the cutting-edge post-production facilities, which include six fully digital editing suites, while to create any required digital effects, Golden Era’s special effects department harnesses more than 500 computers with the computing power of 6,360 billion calculations per second.

Moreover, all religious film and video musical scores are produced and mixed in-house in Golden Era’s recording studios. The audio division facilities were designed to meet every production need: from an 84-track studio large enough to accommodate an orchestra, to a 112-track 5.1 cinema surround sound mixing studio.

Golden Era Productions is likewise responsible for the production of all L. Ron Hubbard recorded lectures on Dianetics and Scientology. The lecture studios feature one-of-a-kind echo chambers, used in the restoration and reproduction of Mr. Hubbard’s recordings and built to Golden Era's specifications.

Additionally, there is an entire building devoted to recording translations of Scriptural and other religious materials, where a bank of digital studios operates 24 hours a day. It is here that foreign-language voice talent record Mr. Hubbard’s translated lectures on Dianetics and Scientology in 15 languages.

Cutting-Edge Film Restoration & Preservation

The last decade saw the restoration and release of L. Ron Hubbard filmed lectures and an exclusive interview with Mr. Hubbard. The first to be restored was the Clearing Congress films, a series of six lectures delivered in Washington, D.C. in 1958. The next release, in 2006, was the only filmed interview of L. Ron Hubbard, An Introduction to Scientology shot in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1966. The final restoration was completed and released in 2008, the Classification and Gradation film—shot at the Scientology headquarters in Sussex, England in 1965.

The condition of these films had greatly deteriorated over the ensuing years. The project to fully restore and preserve them was initiated by Mr. David Miscavige and carried out by a 70-person team in Golden Era Productions’ film lab. All told, more than 620,000 frames of the original negatives were digitally scanned, meticulously cleaned by hand and fully restored. The result: Scientologists and the general public now and for all time can experience these seminal lecture series and the exclusive L. Ron Hubbard interview for themselves.

^{"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard}