Wednesday, October 24, 2012
16TH ANNUAL CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY CHARITY CONCERT - RAISES £50,000 TO AID ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION
Sunday October 21st, an audience of over 1500, including mayors, dignitaries and other special guests, attended a musical spectacular hosted by the Church of Scientology at Saint Hill Manor. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charitable institution founded in 1824 to save lives at sea, was the beneficiary of this 16th annual Gala Charity Concert staged in the Grand Marquee—one of the largest marquees in Europe.
Mistress of Ceremonies Marisol Nichols, a star from Fox Television's drama series "24", introduced an audience from around the world to a wide spectrum of music. They were treated to top class acts, from award-winning Gospel singer Jesse Stevenson and Italian Queen of Jazz Elena Roggero to rapper Chill E.B. Special guest Rebecca Grant, singer and actress known for playing Nurse Daisha Anderson in "Holby City", joined The Jive Acres—the UK's top jive band—for two of their high octane numbers.
Over the 16 years that the Saint Hill Gala Charity Concert has been taking place, numerous and varied charities have been supported—from the Sussex Air Ambulance and RSPCA, to the National Drug Prevention Alliance and the Bluebell Railway Trust. The concert follows the tradition initiated by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1960's when Saint Hill Manor was his home and he supported many of the local charities.
Speaking on behalf of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Mr. Peter Tarrant said he was overwhelmed with the cheque for £50,000, which he received on stage from Ms Marianne Rowell of the Church of Scientology. He said this will fund the Lifeboat Crew Room at the brand new Lifeboat Station in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Mr Tarrant expressed his gratitude to the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation and the Church of Scientology and all who made the concert possible. He said, "This enormous contribution will mean so much to our life-saving activities. I also love the special connection with Master Mariner L. Ron Hubbard who supported the RNLI when he lived at Saint Hill Manor."
The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Scientology organization was formed in the United States in 1952 and the religion has expanded to more than 10,000 Organizations, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 countries.
"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
Monday, April 09, 2012
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.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Friday, April 09, 2010
Scientology Volunteers Gather Signatures on Human Rights Petitions in 21 Countries
On United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Scientologists call for mandatory human rights education to promote peace and tolerance
LOS ANGELES—Volunteers from Churches of Scientology in 21 countries including Denmark, France, Australia, South Africa and Canada gathered signatures on human rights petitions March 21, on United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Discrimination. The petition drives were done to gain support for mandatory human rights education, and to bring about realization of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights statement that “…recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
The Declaration was ratified by the UN General Assembly more than 60 years ago, yet racial and ethnic conflicts fuel wars throughout the world. The Scientologists say the answer is in human rights education.
The United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is held each year on the anniversary of the day in 1960 when police opened fire in Sharpeville, South Africa, on a crowd of unarmed Black South Africans, killing 69 civilians who were protesting the repressive apartheid laws.
In a speech marking the 50 years since the Sharpeville tragedy, UN Secretary General Ban Kid-moon said, “The United Nations marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on this solemn anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to guard against a repeat of the horrors rooted in racism - from slavery to the Holocaust, from apartheid to ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
In addition to petition drives, Churches of Scientology partner with Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) to carry out a human rights awareness campaign to educate people of all ages on human rights.
“Most people don’t know the rights covered in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Tracie Morrow, Youth Coordinator for the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology International Human Rights Office.
“Without an understanding of these rights as covered in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights people will not demand their own rights, let alone defend the rights of others. Through human rights education we have found young people become much more tolerant and understanding and many are inspired to become human rights advocates,” said Morrow.
The Church of Scientology has championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for more than 50 years and sponsors the largest non-governmental information campaign to make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known the world over. The Church’s human rights initiative sponsors groups and activities and provides its materials to individuals, groups and government agencies in 82 nations. For more information on the human rights initiative of the Church of Scientology visit the Scientology website.
"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
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Scientologist Plans Cross-Country Ultra Marathon to Promote Moral Values
Fifty-four-year-old Scientologist from Monrovia, California, runs to combat violence and help youth make the right moral choices.
Ultra-marathoner John Radich is already training for the May 2010 launch of a 3,700-mile run to promote moral values. His Trans USA Run will follow historic Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago, and will carry on from there to New York City and Washington, DC.
Along the route, John will hand out The Way To Happiness, a non-religious moral code based wholly on common sense that can serve as a guide to better living. “Violence is a fact of life in our society, ” says Radich. “It doesn’t have to be that way. If youth learn common-sense values they can make the right choices.”
In addition to distributing booklets, Radich will hand out The Way To Happiness DVDs containing the unabridged book on film.
Radich, 54, has completed hundreds of ultra marathons and covered 30,000 miles since his first in 1979, raising over $100,000 for charities in the process.
He is a nine-time finisher of the 135-mile Badwater Run from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, known as one of the world’s toughest races. He is a three-time Arizona Six-Day Run winner for 2005, 2006 and 2007 and has also run in the Angeles Crest 100-miler. In 1999 John ran for Human Rights from Athens, Greece, to Hamburg, Germany.
For more information or to help sponsor the program, visit the website at http://www.thetransusarun.blogspot.com/ or e-mail John at thetransusarun@gmail.com.
"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
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Scientology Churches and their members, from Australia to Zimbabwe and Canada to the Ukraine celebrate the rights of children by demanding action by private citizens and governments on International Children’s Day. Twenty years ago the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet millions of children still die each year from preventable causes.
Scientologists ask:
· If the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees freedom from want, why do almost 16,000 children die of malnutrition—one child every five seconds?
· If children have the right to life, why did nearly 10 million children die in 2006 before they reached their fifth birthday?
· Why did an estimated 2 million children lose at least one parent to AIDS in southern Africa in 2003, a number expected to rise to 18 million in the year 2010?
· Why have an estimated 20 million children been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations?
· How could 10,000 children be killed or maimed last year by landmines? Why have more than 2 million children died and 6 million been permanently disabled or seriously injured through armed conflicts?
· How come 300,000 boys and girls under the age of 18 have been pressed into service as child soldiers?
· And why do one million children suffer from sexual exploitation every year?
Churches of Scientology believe the answer lies with each of us, that only when people know their rights and freedoms will they insist on their enforcement, not only for themselves but for others.
That is why Scientology Churches partner with Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) and United for Human Rights (UHR) in distributing the documentary The Story of Human Rights.
Released in June 2009 The Story of Human Rights is an educational tour de force, making the subject of human rights, its history and ramifications understandable to a very broad audience, used to getting their information as entertainment in this multimedia age. The film lays the responsibility for implementing human rights where it belongs—with each one of us, to fight for our own rights and the rights of others.
The Story of Human Rights explains that although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, “…it did not have the force of law. It was optional. And despite many more documents, conventions, treaties and laws, it is still little more than words on a page.”
The film ends with a hard-hitting appeal to the individual: “Those who fight today against torture, poverty and discrimination are not giants or superheroes. They are people—kids, mothers, fathers, teachers—free-thinking individuals who refuse to be silent, who realize that human rights are not a history lesson, they’re not words on a page, they’re not speeches or commercials or PR campaigns. They are the choices we make every day as human beings. They are the responsibility we all share, to respect each other, to help each other and to protect those in need.”
Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard once wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.” Understanding human rights is the first step in bringing this about.
To sign a petition to mandate human rights education in schools in your country or to watch The Story of Human Rights online, visit www.humanrights.com. To learn more about the human rights education initiative of the Church of Scientology, visit the Scientology site.
"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
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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.
"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
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
New Church of Scientology Opens Doors to Rome
Thousands attend grand opening of new Church in Rome;
All invited to find out for themselves “What is Scientology?”
More than 6,000 people gathered in Rome’s Casalotti de Boccea district Saturday, October 24, to celebrate the grand opening of the new Church of Scientology Rome.
The 6,400-square-meter Church, situated on 28 acres of parkland, marks the largest expansion to date for Scientology in its 30-year history in Italy. The new Church will serve parishioners of Central Italy and other regions of the Mediterranean.
Signifying the stature and prominence of this new Church, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, Mr. David Miscavige, welcomed parishioners to their new home in the historical crossroads of Western civilization. Speaking of what inspired every Scientologist to make this new Church possible, he stated:
“How on earth can one possibly speak of history without a nod to Rome? This City of God, this City of Man, this center of the Western world for at least a thousand years - if ever a place was destined for an Ideal Church of Scientology, it’s here. For what better arena to show what Scientology can do than this age-old religious empire?”
Among those participating in the dedication of the new Scientology Church were Dino De Pasquale, Disaster Manager of the Civil Protection Agency; Professor Silvio Calzolari of the Theological Faculty at the Vatican University in Florence; Professor Luigi Berzano, Professor of Sociology of Religions at the University of Turin; and Ms. Laura Guercio, President of Legal Aid Worldwide.
The new home for the Church of Scientology of Rome is a contemporary building that has undergone extensive remodeling to accommodate all Scientology religious services, the many community activities of Church members, and introductory services for visitors.
An expansive Public Information Center houses a permanent interactive multimedia exhibit containing more than 230 films covering the Church’s beliefs, practices and activities. Along with descriptions of Scientology principles and information on the life and accomplishments of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, the displays also cover the Church-sponsored international social programs that effectively combat drug abuse, illiteracy, criminality, immorality and human rights violations. The Church’s doors are open to anyone to take self-guided tours through the Public Information Center to find out about Scientology for themselves.
The Church of Scientology of Rome will coordinate the social betterment programs of the Church in Central Italy. With two decades of experience in drug prevention, its “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life” program provides proven solutions to one of the most pressing problems in Italian society.
In his dedication address, Mr. Miscavige emphasized the importance of the Church’s social mission and stressed to the Scientologists in attendance the vital necessity of taking responsibility for the community in which they live:
“You owe [Rome] our salvage campaigns to eradicate drug abuse, instill a respect for human rights and provide basic technology for living through The Way to Happiness.
“You owe her our learning and literacy programs.
“You owe her a system of criminal reform based not on punishment, but the restoration of self-respect.
“You owe every addict a drug free life and every lost and hopeless soul the chance to discover something can be done about It. “But most of all, you owe every Roman citizen an opportunity to discover Dianetics and Scientology…”
The new Church of Scientology in Rome represents a milestone for the Scientology religion, which comprises more than 8,000 Churches, Missions and groups in 165 nations. As part of the continuing program to meet the increasing demand for Scientology services, new Churches have been established in Berlin, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, New York, San Francisco and elsewhere. This year alone, new Churches have opened in Malmo, Sweden, Dallas, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.
"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
Friday, October 23, 2009
David Miscavige Gives Overview of Past 25 Years of Scientology Expansion
This year's anniversary event for the International Association of Scientologists is a really special one as it marks 25 years since the Association was founded.
Listening to David Miscavige presenting the most significant highlights in that 25-year history made me realize just how far we've come. And it is pretty amazing.
I believe the two main reasons for the many successes over the past 25 years are L. Ron Hubbard's vision and technology and David Miscavige's leadership.
"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