How Would You Score the Decade So Far?

Personally, I wouldn't score it all that high.

The first year wasn't all that bad except for the disappointment, for me, in the way the election turned out. Let it be known as the year of the chads (or how Florida's inability to perform an election recount resulted in two terms of war).

Of course 2001 will be known as the year of 9/11 (at least as long as America is a superpower).

Then 2002 - shall we call that the year of Afghanistan? The year we got rid of the Taliban and the opium harvest was brought back to life?

2003 - Well that has to be the year of Iraq.

2004 - More Iraq, and somehow GWB still managed to get himself a second term. Despite Michael Moore.

2005 - more deaths

2006 - The year of Sadam? How many of his lawyers were murdered en route to his being deemed guilty and sentenced to death by hanging?

Now it's 2007. And what does that bode for us?

Well, not much better unless we change things.

And we can change things, too.

The spirit of Christmas prevails - despite so many changes in culture and attitude over the 21 Centuries since it began.

Why?

Because it is a message of personal liberty, spiritual freedom, hope and peace.

May 2007 bring these things to you.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers are a word help movement, renowned for producing the most effective results to people everywhere. They live the motto: Something can be done about it. Here is a video showing them in action.

Still Room in Our Lives for the Holidays

It's pretty remarkable, isn't it, that we still celebrate an event that occured more than 2,000 years ago?

What other aspect of our lives has that kind of staying power?

Many people have not heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which lays out what the fundamental human rights are of every individual. There are 30 of them. Videos have been made of each one that really show what they mean. See them at youthforhumanrights.org.

Pope denounces 'false secularism' that bans religious symbols, input

I was very pleased to see the Pope come out on this important issue:

Pope Benedict XVI denounced what he called a "false secularism" that bans religious symbols from public places and excludes religious input on crucial moral questions.

While the church does not seek to interfere with the freedom of every people to organize its political life, it cannot be mute in front of threats to human life and human dignity, the pope said.

He made the remarks in a talk Dec. 9 to the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, which was meeting in Rome to discuss the theme of secularism in modern society.>> continued

The Role of Religion in Improving Life in the Here and Now

Many years ago, before I became a Scientologist, I was convinced that a true spiritual path would provide not only enlightenment and increased awareness but would help one overcome those things that caused the being to suffer this lifetime. I was pretty sure that people lived more than one lifetime, and that what one did in an earlier life could have an affect on one in the here and now.

When I found out that Scientology not only believed this too, but that it wasn't even a "belief" but a technology that was invariable and could break through the amnesia of who one was before, I was sold!

And that was only the beginning of what I got out of Scientology!

And, by the way, just as I suspects, if you live a decent life now, you can overcome what you may have done before, and set yourself up for a much brighter futurel.

Media Code of Ethics

The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom is composed of members of national and supranational parliaments from around the globe. IPC allows members of parliaments to meet and address the issues of human rights and freedom of conscience with common understanding and background as parliamentarians.

Last week, at their conference, one of the sessions was
"Freedom of Religion vs. Freedom of Expression:Balancing Rights in the Exchange of Ideas – After the Cartoons"

At that session a media code of ethics was announced.

Religion in Cyberspace

What do you think would have happened with Christianity or Islam if they were launched during a time when communications were as they are today?

Scientologist Group Calls for Help it the Philappines

Scientology Volunteer Ministers disaster relief teams are being formed up to help in the aftermath of Typhoon Durian. The devastation is very oppressive, with 1000 presumed dead.

If you can help, whether you are a Scientologist or not, your help is seriously needed.

Contact the Volunteer Ministers Coordinator at vm@volunteerministers.org

Scientology Wedding for Tom and Katie

The news has gone wild over the fact that the Scientology religion has its own unique wedding ceremonies, in which the minister tells the couple to use the ARC Triangle to create their future happiness. (Here's more information on this in the Scientology Handbook chapter on the Components of Understanding.

ARC stands for Affinity Reality and Communication and together these factors form Understanding. This is a basic concept in Scientology

The most sensible advice I ever had - I've used it and it has gotten my over the worst upsets in life.

Here's a video about the Tom and Katie wedding.

Untitled

Tom and Katie's Scientology Wedding

An aerial view of the Orsini Odescalchi castle in the lakeside town of Bracciano, 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) from Rome, taken Friday, Nov. 17, 2006. Actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are expected to marry in this castle on Saturday. (AP Photo)

This is where they will be having their Scientology wedding.

What an absolutely beautiful.

Scientology weddings are so beautiful.

What a Scientologist Beleives

As a Scientologist I am a pragmatist more than anything else. In other words I don't "believe" in much. I'm more inclined to check things out for myself.

But there is one quote by L. Ron Hubbard about trust.

Here's a public service announcement about it.

Enjoy!

Scientology Volunteer Ministers

It's really a phenomenon of the 21st Century that with a mention on the Internet of a new disaster, you can mobilize thousands of people to help.

While disasters this century seem to have become worse, the outpouring of help restores faith in one's fellow man.

Here's a great video on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers including some of the work these volunteers have done at disaster sites over the past few years.

Breakpoint on Religious Tolerance

BreakPoint is a program of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison Fellowship with the mission to develop and communicate Christian worldview messages that offer a critique of contemporary culture and encourage and equip the church to think and live Christianly.

The 17 October posting on Religious Freedom by Breakpoint Chairman and Founder, Chuck Colson, is an example of the kind of religous leadership required of the 21st Century.

Here it is, in full:

The Elections and Religious Freedom

With the election season is full swing, I’m going to ask you to forget for a moment all the mud-slinging and scandal-mongering that is raging across your television set, coming from both sides. Instead, consider the really serious weighty issues before the American people this fall: the war on terrorism, Iraq, the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, immigration, and so much more. Some politicians are talking about these critical issues—more need to. We need to know where our candidates stand on these questions.

But as Mark Earley told you yesterday on “BreakPoint,” there’s another issue that Christians absolutely need to bring into the political discussion this election year: religious freedom—not only around the world, but also here at home.

Certainly the global outlook is grim. Just this past June, a pastor and members of the Full Gospel Church in the province of Than Hoa, Vietnam, were dragged outside by police and brutally beaten. Their only crime: gathering to worship Jesus. In Pakistan, a 7-year-old Christian girl was lured away from her home, raped, beaten, and left for dead in a ditch. She was targeted because of her faith. In China, Peter Xu Yongze, pastor of one of the largest underground Protestant churches there, was hung up across an iron gate during one of his five jail sentences. They then yanked open the gate, so that his chest nearly split in two.

As chilling as these reports are, even more chilling is the fact that the vast majority of religious persecution cases never make the news. While North Korea is in the headlines for testing a nuclear weapon, few Americans know that hundreds of thousands of Christians are penned up and tortured in grotesquely brutal North Korean concentration camps.

And lest we should think that Christians are the only ones subject to torture and death for their faith, consider the following cases:

Kurban Zakirov, a Jehovah’s Witness in Turkmenistan, was injected with psychotropic drugs while he was imprisoned for his faith. Farzad Kasiri, a Baha’i in Iran, was flogged for his faith. And in Uzbekistan, thousands of Muslims are imprisoned, denied due process, and subjected to torture.

So, what does America and the upcoming elections have to do with all of this? Let me put it this way: To whom much is given, much is expected. From the very early days of our republic, Americans recognized the truth that freedom of religion is a God-given right, in fact, the most basic of human rights. And, as the leading world power, the United States is in a unique position to help curb religious persecution around the world. To remain silent about religious persecution would be to betray all that we stand for.

As Christians, we must speak out and bring the issue of religious persecution to the forefront of the political debate this fall. And we must press candidates to find out where they stand on this life-and-death issue.

And be sure to visit our website for more information and links to organizations that fight religious persecution.

Tomorrow on “BreakPoint,” we’ll talk about religious freedom right here at home. Sadly, there’s a lot to discuss on that front as well.

Learning about Scientology

For anyone wanting to learn what Scientology is, I have a suggestion.

The next few weeks, every Scientology church and mission will be having an event. It's a showing of an event featuring David Miscavige that was held in the UK last weekend.

From everything I've heard, this event was really something. And the reason I think it would be a good place to if you are new to Scientology is you will see what Scientologists do.

David Miscavige Guest of Honor at the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of London

Thousands in the UK braved the rain to attend the grand opening of the Church of Scientology of London.

The guest of honor, Chairman of the Board of Relgious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige, had announced that the International Association of Scientologists was providing the wherewithal for the purchase and renovations of the new church, but the renderings of the proposed building didn't do it justice as the crowds who toured through the building right after the ribbon cutting discovered.


David Miscavige made it clear, in his speech at the grand opening, that this begins a new era of expansion for Scientology in the United Kingdom. "This is the city L. Ron Hubbard himself selected as home to the first Scientology organization. This is also the city wherein he first defined the human spirit as an immortal being possessed of capabilities beyond anything predicted, and so arrived at the axiomatic truths on which the whole of Scientology is founded. Your early London organizations were also the original proving ground for the bulk of Mr. Hubbard’ s social betterment programs which are used to uplift neighborhoods just like this one."

Buddhism, its relevance to the 21st century

An interesting article from METTANET - LANKA

Buddhism, as one of the four major religions in the world today, is an empiricistic and antimetaphysical religion .It does not accept anything which cannot be experienced either through the senses or extrasensory perception. People in the world are hurriedly getting ready for the next millenium or the 21st century. Our prime intention here is to identify the relevance of the teachings of the Buddha for this modern so called scientifically and technologically developed world.

The Buddha was born in the 6th century B.C in India. He discovered the reality behind phenomena in our Universe. In the world there is nothing permanent as well as nothing isolatedly existing but everything co-exists. He realized this .Interdependence is the great truth of life. He was not a divine being, nor a man as we know him, but a man par excellence (accariyamanussa). There is no equivalent in a western language for this concept accariyamanussa. This means not thought of, a not comparable kind of being. There is no word in English unless use the term Buddha with this concept in mind. His teaching is mainly focused on man himself. People are born again and again, and die again and again. There is no ending to be cognized. This was the question which arose in him and which he found a positive answer . That is why he is a Buddha.

Below is a link to an article on the issue of whether women should be allowed to wear full face veils, I think it's really in appropriate for politicians to come out with statements on this issue.
I believe they should deal with leaders of the community, and let them work within the community. If his real purpose is that these communities not isolate themselves from the rest of the culture, as Blair contends, he should work with the communities, not try to enforce his views from outside.

Taboo broken with veil debate | WORLD | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz

This week's release of "One Night with the King" the story of Queen Esther, grossed 4.3 million in its opening weekend.


The film One Night with the King is an epic of adventure and intrigue set in ancient Persia. The movie is based on the biblical story of Esther and is part of a growing genre of films with religious themes.

The story from the Book of Esther in the Bible was set in ancient Persia, modern-day Iran, but the tale is universal, says producer Matthew Crouch. It is the story of Jewish girl named Hadassah who marries the King of Persia, becoming known as Queen Esther. She bravely thwarts a plot to kill the Jewish people.

Einstein

A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. (Albert Einstein)

Religious Tolerance

I believe that one role religions must play in the 21st Century is to foster religious tolerance.

Our world community is too small to permit bigotry or hate to go unchecked.

Perhaps we could survive despite this kind of behavior during the Crusades, and during other religious wars of past centuries. But today with weapons of mass destruction this can no longer be permitted by sane men and women.

The Church of Scientology International has sponsored a human rights education campaign, one of the purposes of which is to defuse the kind of violence we see in the world today.

I believe that Religion should help the individual understand his/her relationship with his/her own spirituality, with the infinite.

I also believe that the more religious one is the better one's integrity should be.

I believe religion should help one become a better person, more aware, more in tune with others and life.

Morals

Do you think morals are a thing of the past? Do they have any bearing on how we live today?

The First AME Church

The First AME Church is a church with a social conscience.

Their work in Los Angeles has everything to do with the fact that we haven't had a riot since Rodney King in 1992.

They are working in the community to raise the quality of life of their parishioners, and provide for all of their needs.

And they have a packed Sunday service that rocks!

Religious Trends in the West

According to the Ontario Consultants on Religious Freedom:

Christianity has been largely abandoned in Britain and the rest of Europe. Although most adults still identify themselves as Christian, few actually attend any type of religious service. The religion/philosophy followed by the Jedi Knights of Star Wars fame is now the fourth largest religion in the UK!

Christianity has partly faded in Canada, where only 20% of adults say that they attend church regularly, and only about 10% actually do.

In about the year 1990, Christianity started to lose market share in the U.S. The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christians is dropping by about 1 percentage point per year. The percentage who say that they attend church on most weeks is 40%. But, again, half are lying. Adults who identify themselves as having no religious affiliation are largely taking up the slack. Some small religions are growing rapidly. One example is Wicca, an Earth-based Neopagan religion. It is doubling about every 30 months. If this trend holds, then sometime during the early 2030's, Christianity will become a minority religion in the U.S.

North America is rapidly becoming more religiously diverse. The Northeast is largely mainline and liberal Christian, and secular. The South is largely conservative Christian. The West coast has many followers of eclectic and mystical religions. There may not be a strong enough foundation of religious tolerance in the U.S. and Canada to support this growing future diversity without significant conflict

A 21st Century religion has to, unfortunately, be concerned with drugs as an issue, because of such widespread drug abuse, not just of street drugs but prescription drugs as well.

These beautiful children are promoting living drug-free through the Church of Scientology of Auckland's Drug-Free Ambassadors' program.

The story appeared on Scientology Today - the Church's news site.

Surprising (to me) statistics

Oct. 16, 2006 issue of Newsweek - In the 1990s it was "Touched by an Angel." Then it was John Edward's "Crossing Over." Now it's the increasingly popular "Medium" and "The Ghost Whisperer." Americans have always seemed fascinated by the idea of communicating with spirits in another world. According to a recent study by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, 20 percent of Americans believe that the living can communicate with the dead. In an online survey of 10,000 Beliefnet members, 77 percent said they'd felt the presence of a spirit, angel or dead soul.

The Church of Scientology of Taiwan, Working to Protect the Next Generation from the Scourge of Drug

There is an article on the Scientology News Site of the work of the Scientologists of Taiwan to help kids steer clear of drugs.

It's great to see the work they're doing.

Religion has an Essential Role in the 21st Century

L. Ron Hubbard's article, "Religious Influence in Society" has more bearing now than it did 30 years ago when he wrote:

"Today we are witnessing that decline and since we are involved in it, it is of utmost importance to us. At stake are whether the ideals we cherish will survive or some new abhorrent set of values win the day.

"These are not idle statements. We are today at a watershed of history and our actions today will decide whether the world goes up from here or continues to slide into some new dark age.

"It is important to understand bad conditions don’t just happen. The cultural decay we see around us isn’t haphazard. It was caused. Unless one understands this he won’t be able to defend himself or reach out into the society with effectiveness.

"A society is capable of surviving for thousands of years unless it is attacked from within or without by hostile forces. Where such an attack occurs, primary targets are its religious and national gods and heroes, its potential of leadership and the self-respect and integrity of its members."

He went on to say:

"Probably the most critical point of attack on a culture is its religious experience. Where one can destroy or undermine religious institutions then the entire fabric of the society can be quickly subverted or brought to ruin."

He points out a trend that was very visible at the time he wrote this - 1976:

"For the last hundred years or so religion has been beset with a relentless attack. You have been told it’s the 'opiate of the masses' that it’s unscientific, that it is primitive; in short, that it is a delusion."

All it takes is a Google search on the subject-- 21st Century religion -- and it is clear that this has continued and worsened.

And I don't think anyone would deny the level of ethics, decency, even safety of our society has declined terribly, even over the past 30 years.

Mr. Hubbard goes on to explain why and how this has occured, and I really recommend reading the entire article (which, by the way, introduces the Volunteer Ministers program as a solution to reverse this dwindling spiral).

God is Alive and Well in America

This article on the Pew Research Center says it all:

by David Masci and Gregory A. Smith
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
April 4, 2006

Forty years ago this month, Time magazine published one of its most famous and controversial covers. Splashed in bold red print across a black background was a short, simple and yet intensely provocative question: "Is God Dead?"

Without providing a definitive answer, the authors of the piece, dated April 8, 1966, seemed to imply that the idea of an omnipotent creator could be heading for history's dustbin. The spread of communism, they pointed out, meant that nearly half of the world's population lived "in thralldom to a brand of totalitarianism that condemns religion," while "in the traditional citadels of Christendom, grey Gothic cathedrals stand empty, mute witnesses to a rejected faith." Even in the United States -- where, the authors acknowledged, "faith in God seems to be as secure as it was in medieval France" -- many theologians were openly concerned about "the quality and character of contemporary belief." As the eminent historian Martin Marty observed at the time, "too many pews are filled on Sunday with practical atheists -- disguised nonbelievers who behave during the rest of the week as if God did not exist."

But four decades after the Time article was first published -- and nearly 125 years after the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche first famously declared that "God is dead" -- reports of the Almighty's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated. For although religious faith and observance certainly have declined sharply in Europe, belief in God as well as attendance at religious services have remained strong in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

In fact, the existence of God is one of the few things almost all Americans consistently agree on. Recent polling by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 96% of the public says they believe in God or some form of Supreme Being, roughly the same number as in a 1965 survey cited in the Time piece.

This is not to suggest that religious belief and observance in the United States were unaffected by the decay of organized religion noted in the Time piece. The number of Americans who think of themselves as "secular" has grown noticeably in the past 40 years. According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which has been asking Americans about their religious preferences since 1972, the number of those expressing no religious preference has doubled, from just under 7% in the 1970s to just over 14% at the beginning of the 21st century. And the number of Americans who report attending religious services only once a year or less has increased as well, from 34% in the 1970s to nearly 40% by the turn of the millennium.>> continued

Prayer for Total Freedom, by L. Ron Hubbard

posted on the eve of International Peace Day, 2006

May the author of the universe enable all men to reach an understanding of their spiritual nature.

May awareness and understanding of life expand, so that all may come to know the author of the universe.

And may others also reach this understanding which brings Total Freedom.

At this time, we think of those whose liberty is threatened; of those who have suffered imprisonment for their beliefs; of those who are enslaved or martyred, and for all those who are brutalised, trapped or attacked.

We pray that human rights will be preserved so that all people may believe and worship freely, so that freedom will once again be seen in our land.

Freedom from war, and poverty, and want; freedom to be; freedom to do and freedom to have.

Freedom to use and understand man’s potential — a potential that is God-given and Godlike.

And freedom to achieve that understanding and awareness that is Total Freedom.

May God let it be so.

A Religion for Our Times

The 21st Century have every potential to be a truly enlightened era.

However, in his article called Religious Influence in Society, written in the 1970's, L. Ron Hubbard warned of the deterioration of society from the denigration of the religious influence in it.

"In early 20th century philosopher spoke of the impending decline of the West. Today we are witnessing that decline and since we are involved in it, it is of utmost importance to us. At stake are whether the ideals we cherish will survive or some new abhorrent set of values win the day.

"These are not idle statements. We are today at a watershed of history and our actions today will decide whether the world goes up from here or continues to slide into some new dark age.

"It is important to understand bad conditions don’t just happen. The cultural decay we see around us isn’t haphazard. It was caused. Unless one understands this he won’t be able to defend himself or reach out into the society with effectiveness.

"A society is capable of surviving for thousands of years unless it is attacked from within or without by hostile forces. Where such an attack occurs, primary targets are its religious and national gods and heroes, its potential of leadership and the self-respect and integrity of its members.

"Religion is the first sense of community. Your sense of community occurs by reason of mutual experience with others. Where the religious sense of community and with it real trust and integrity can be destroyed then that society is like a sand castle unable to defend itself against the inexorable sea.

"For the last hundred years or so religion has been beset with a relentless attack. You have been told it’s the “opiate of the masses,” that it’s unscientific, that it is primitive; in short, that it is a delusion.

"But beneath all these attacks on organized religion there was a more fundamental target: the spirituality of man, your own basic spiritual nature, self-respect and peace of mind. This black propaganda may have been so successful that maybe you no longer believe you have a spiritual nature but I assure you you do."

The past 40 years have seen Mr. Hubbard's prediction come true. The deterioration of the culture is evident no matter where you look. Pornography and drugs are two of the most lucrative industries of our time. Stories of business corruption are so commonplace as to be ordinary.

If we want a better culture we have to create it.

Scientology has the tools to do this.

That's why I call it the 21st Century religion -- because it is a religious FOR the 21st Century.

Alec Baldwin Defends Scientology

Alec Baldwin has spoken out in defense of fellow screen star Tom Cruise's Scientology beliefs, insisting followers of his controversial faith are not nearly as worrying as those who "drove planes into the World Trade Center."

The actor believes that, until Scientologists are found to be responsible for atrocities such as the 9/11 attacks, the media should leave Cruise alone.

He tells PageSix.com, "I think what's been done to Tom is kind of silly. I don't really understand Tom's religious beliefs; nor do I want to. All I know is I don't see people who are disciples of Tom's faith driving planes into the World Trade Center. When Scientologists start crashing planes into the Pentagon, then I think we should sit Tom down and have a grand jury talk to him. In the meantime, let's just leave him alone."

This is a photo of a seminar, delivered at the L. Ron Hubbard Traveling Exhibit in Warsaw, Poland.

In his article on 21st Century religion, Alexander Penman says:

"A theology based on this "law of love," concludes that all faith is valid, and that "love is all you need", where love is defined as the act of "caring." With an understanding of this theology it can be understood that all philosophies and religions that promote mercy and/or compassion are a part of God's overall plan. This knowledge might just contribute to a more spiritually peaceful society in the 21st Century."

Scientology is a pan-denominational religion, respecting the religious beliefs of all people and helping them accomplish their spiritual goals with an effective technology that helps them do so.

Religious Influence in Society

In 1976, L. Ron Hubbard observed a general decline in spirituality in the culture and developed the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program to counteract this destructive trend.

The Scientology Handbook was compiled from Mr. Hubbard's works to provide basic Scientology technology people could use to improve their lives, and this is the text that Scientology Volunteer Ministers study and use.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers are now 70,000-strong and it is a true grassroots movement with VMs located all over the world, helping their neighbors and friends and providing relief in times of disaster.

As the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard’s discoveries on the subjects of man, the mind and spirit have helped people all over the world to better understand themselves and others.

“To know life,” he once wrote, “you’ve got to be part of life. You must get down there and look, you must get into the nooks and crannies of existence, and you must rub elbows with all kinds and types of men before you can finally establish what man is.”

That is one reason Scientology has grown as fast as it has -- it is a practical religion.

The Spread of Christianity

It took over 700 years for Christianity to spread from Israel through Rome to the British Isles through the work of the Venerable Bede.

It has taken less than 50 years for the Scientology religion to reach every continent on earth with its Scientology Volunteer Minister program, churches, groups and missions.

I wonder if the Bede was ever accused of "proselytizing?"

Of COURSE he proselytized! That's what he was venerated for doing!

So why, is what was exhaulted in one faith, scorned in another?

Could it just be that psychiatric destruction of religiosity in the 20th Century has perverted the entire subject?

Do you realize that in 100 years when our grandkids look back at what we are doing now on planet Earth, they are going to think we are crazy. And they would be right. If you look at the wars, famine and the what we are doing to the ecology - well its pretty obvious we are out to lunch.

Something can be done to improve the world and this is what is happening, which is why I know that in the 22nd century the world is going to be a different place.

I know this because the religion of the 21st century is Scientology and it is improving conditions.
If you want more specifics on this check out this website: http://www.rtc.org/en_US/presentations/thisisscientology.html

Why 21st Century Religion?

I named this blog 21st Century Religion not to discuss various 21st Century religions but because that's how I see Scientology. It was born in the 20th century and combines a profound understanding of the soul and mind with the most practical of modern technologies. Scientology reunites religion and science which, we are taught in school, had become progressively more separate since the time of Galileo.

I found this wonderful site that very simply explains a lot of the main religions of today. It is actually a BBC website and this section is called "Religion and Ethics."

As someone who appreciates the work that goes into a website, I think they have done a great job - this is a very well presented view and their religion editorial policy is admirable:

"Religion editorial principles

"We will ensure that the beliefs and practices of the great world faiths are described accurately and impartially.
"We will ensure the religious views and beliefs of an individual, a religion or religious denomination are not misrepresented, abused or discriminated against, as judged against generally accepted standards.

"We will reflect an awareness of the religious sensitivity of references to, or uses of, names, images, the historic deities, rituals, scriptures and language at the heart of the different faiths and ensure that any use of, or verbal or visual reference to them are treated with care and editorially justified. Examples include the Crucifixion, Holy Communion, the Koran, and the Jewish Sabbath.

"We will respect the religious sensitivity surrounding the observance of holy days and the principal festivals of the various faiths so that unnecessary offence is avoided by material that might be more acceptable at other times. "

I think there would be less war in world if these sort of policies were followed by more people.

The First Monks of England

In the 3rd and 4th Century, monks used to take the journey from the mainland of europe to England to disseminate the Christian religion to the "pagans."

A far cry from taking the tunnel under the North Sea and getting from Paris to London in just a few hours.

I guess the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tours are Scientology's 21st Century version of this.

Religion in the 21st Century

Some of the most advanced scientists and technological geniuses have also been the most religious.

I believe there has been far too much of an orientation away from spirituality and too much fixation on the material.

I believe people in some of the less developed countries on Earth, despite the barriers they have from lack of availability of I resources, actually have the advantage over Westerners in terms of spiritual awareness.

A 21st century religion has to provide solutions to 21st century problems.

Today drugs are just crippling society, not just street drugs either - also psychiatric drugs. People become addicted to those and lets face it, those drugs are being used to try and solve the problems of life.

Many Scientologists use the Scientology Handbook to help people through those problems so they don't have to turn to chemical "solutions."

Also at a recent event, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, introduced a speaker who told of the massive anti-drug campaign that Scientologists around the world are promoting. To assist with this new booklets were released that give the inside information on both individual street drugs and prescription drugs - very interesting information.

If you can get a hold of the booklets you should get them and share the information.

I really want to help educate people to help prevent more addicts and this one of the most important things my religion is doing.

How would you classify the 21st Century so far?

How would you classify the 21st Centry so far?
When I was in college in the 60's I thought by now we would have the Age of Aquarius in full swing. But instead we have Israel and Lebanon escalating a conflict up into a full-blown war, starvation in Darfur and threatening the lives of millions throughout Africa, and Americans, who have everything that 80% of the planet craves and strives for - wealth, leisure, entertainments, IPods and MacDonalds - popping pills to and being told they have a disorder and need to take the latest pharma cash cow to cope with it (never mind the side effects, so WHAT if it increases your risk of suicide 7 times over someone who doesn't take it. The psychiatrists say it's safe and they're the authorities).

I don't know about you, but I personally don't like this kind of world, and I want to do something to change it.

I'd like to see Americans spending less time on their angst and more time helping people. I personally find it terrifically therapeutic to help somebody else. It normally makes ME feel great.

But then again, I have something I can use to help people. You would be amazed how fast a simple Scientology "assist" (see the definition of an assist here) works and how fast it is to learn how to do it. In fact you can just go to the Scientology Handbook web site and read about assists there.

I see the 21st Century as the century of potential. Because Scientology IS something people can learn quickly that really works to help people and this gives us a fighting chance to change the things we find despicable about this place and make it humane and prosperous and fair.

Human Rights Religion

You could call Scientology a human rights religion.

It's part of the creed of the Church of Scientology (We of the Church believe: That all men of whatever race, color, or creed were created with equal rights). It's part of the Code of a Scientologist (To decry and do all I can to abolish any and all abuses against life and mankind).

And now Scientology churches around the world are supporting an international human rights education campaign based on 30 public service announcements, each of which illustrates one of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

You can see three of these PSAs online at the Youth for Human Rights International web site.

What sort of a Church structure do you expect to see in the 21st century? Nowdays you can see anything and everything from historical cathedrals to modern state-of-the-art establishments.

The Church of Scientology International has and is continuing to renovate a number of their premises and in a lot of cases, is purchasing new structures and then upgrading them. Some examples are:

The most recent premises that have been opened or are about to can be seen at these links provided here:

* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN SOUTH AFRICA
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF TAMPA
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF NEW YORK
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN SPAIN
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF BUFFALO
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF SAN FRANCISCO
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF TORONTO
* CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF

A Better Life

There are few people who wouldn't agree that life could be better.

Many view that in materialistic terms -- it would be nice to own more. But without spirituality there is no quality of life.

What I love about the Scientology religion is how practical it is, and while it helps me cope with life's problems I also feel I grow spiritually all the time from what I learn from the works of L. Ron Hubbard.