More on Religious Recognition of Scientology in Spain

In October the Church of Scientology of Spain was granted religious recognition by the Spanish National Court. Here is an article on that win from a French web site:

National Church Of Scientology Recognized In Spain

Oh, and while looking for the Spanish Church's web site I just found another article:

National Church of Scientology Recognized in Spain

Tom Cruise receives award for courage in Germany

I've said several times that the international media should apologize to the German people for its portrayal of Germany as still being somehow steeped in Nazi traditions. Such disgusting headlines as "Why Germany hates Tom Cruise" from Time Magazine clearly attempts to make Germany look like some sort of extremist fascist state, which it most certainly is not.

(My earlier posts on this subject: The German People Deserve an Apology from the International Media and Unfair Treatment of Germany in the Press.)

To further prove the fact that if the media can't find controversy they will make it up there comes this story from Germany: Tom Cruise receives the BAMBI award for Courage .

It says on the BAMBI website: "BAMBI award ... is the most important award in Germany. With an audience awareness of 94%, it holds a top position – in Germany it is even more well-known than the legendary Academy Award, the OSCAR. ... This award is given to nominees in the whole sector of communication and to people in all other segments of entertainment and show business as well as economy, politics and sports."

It seems unlikely this award would have been given to Tom Cruise if things were as bad in Germany as the media likes to pretend. So, once again I call for an apology to the German people from such entities as AP, Reuters and Time Magazine.

Wouldn't it be nice if reporters actually told the truth? It would make freedom of the press something worth fighting for.

Church of Scientology of South Africa Wins Tax Exemption

With so much good news coming out about Scientology I almost missed this one. The South African Revenue Services (the IRS of South Africa) has granted the Church of Scientology South Africa tax exempt status because it is a Public Benefit Organization.

Here is the story: South African Church of Scientology gets tax exemption

Respect The Religious Beliefs of Others

Here is something the world needs a lot more of:



URL: Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others

Scientology Books Site

Here's a new site I just found. It is a site of Scientology quotes and articles. Check it out. Here is one of the articles:

Communicating with others is a vital part of your life and if you have difficulty with it, you can feel "left out of life". What is it that keeps you from saying the things you want to say?

Jerry Seinfeld on Scientology

Here's something interesting. In an interview with Parade magazine it came up that Jerry Seinfeld studied Scientology 30 years ago. What he has to say about it is doubly interesting because not only is it refreshingly accurate but it is the opinion of an unbiased person who isn't a Scientologist.

If you are interested in the communication course he talks about then you can find out about it here: Scientology: Success Through Communication Course

Great News In Spain

The Church of Scientology of Spain just won total religious recognition. This is not just a victory for Scientologists but a win for all the people of Europe who want religious freedom and freedom of thought and expression.

The German People Deserve an Apology from the International Media

In an earlier post (Unfair Treatment of Germany in the Press) I pointed out how the press had created controversy where there was none and had attempted to make modern day Germany look like a throwback to the Nazi era. The international media were drooling over a false report that the German government had denied access to a war memorial site for a movie production because the star was Tom Cruise. A week or so after the press frenzy, the German government stated that the memorial was closed to all filming because of an incident back in 2003 and it had nothing to do with anyone's religion.

So now it's a couple of months later and the movie company has been granted permission to film in the memorial (Cruise movie gets OK to film at key site).

So let's review what actually happened:

1. A right-wing anti-religious extremist politician made a post to her personal web-site saying that the German Military wouldn't allow the movie to be shot at the war memorial because of the religious beliefs of Tom Cruise.
2. Some over zealous reporter saw it.
3. Without verifying it's accuracy the media started reporting it as fact.
4. A few days later the German Military said they didn't have the authority to say "yes" or "no" to filming because they were not in charge of the building.
5. A few days after that the Finance Ministry said they didn't allow any filming in the building because of an incident in 2003.
6. Two months later the movie company convinces the Finance Ministry that they will treat the memorial with respect and the Finance Ministry says "okay".

So where was the controversy? Where was the conflict? Where was the Nazi-like behavior of the German Government? Answer: None of it ever existed. These things were created by the media who think they can't live without controversy and negative reporting.

Once more I call for an official apology to the German Government and especially to the German People from the reporters who told lies and passed around false information in a blatant attempt to paint Germany in a very bad light.

Freedom of the press will be lost if the press doesn't take some responsibility for what they report.

Help still needed in Peru

Help is still needed for the more than 100,000 people left homeless by the recent earthquake in Peru. Scientology Disaster Relief Team Calls for Volunteers to Help

If you can help then contact the Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

Way To Happiness #6 - Set A Good Example

It is amazing what you can do by setting a good example!

Solving the Problems of Work

As you will have noticed I've not made many blog posts recently. Truth is I've been flat out on a project at work. Getting a piece of commercial software completed and packaged up is a major undertaking. There are so many "little details" that have to be handled properly and many of which turn out not to be so "little" after all.

If I were not familiar with the solutions to the many problems one hits at work that are given in the book "The Problems of Work", I think I'd have curled up into a little ball of quivering jelly by now.

The book is a lifesaver and contains such things as how to handle confusion (like the many demands from a client coming at you all at once), how to overcome exhaustion (very useful after 11 straight hours of banging away at it) and how to keep all the many elements of a job under control.

It's a great book, and really easy to read, especially with the new edition and its incredible glossary. So go get it!

Prediction of Human Behavior

I recently saw the movie Breach, inspired by the true story of the greatest security breach in U.S. history. What I found most interesting was the fact that this guy, Robert Hanssen, was able to go undetected for about 20 years, all the while passing US secrets to the USSR and later to post-communist Russia. He was responsible for the deaths of at least 50 US agents and handed over huge amounts of other extremely sensitive information which caused so much damage that it still can't be estimated.

There is a book by L. Ron Hubbard on the prediction of human behavior, called "Science of Survival", in which Ron goes into great detail on how to predict who you can trust, what you can expect from people and how you can help them improve.

In watching the movie and observing the characters it was obvious to me that if anyone in the FBI, who worked with Hanssen for all those years, had read Science of Survival, they would have spotted him long ago. He had many characteristics of the sort of person you cannot trust and I thought it was kind of sad that so many people died and so much damage was done by this guy when a little knowledge could have prevented him from carrying out his destructive impulses and he could probably have been helped to lead a better life.

So if you don't want to be caught out by a Robert Hanssen, read Science of Survival and listen to the accompanying lectures: Science of Survival - Prediction of Human Behavior.

Helping to prevent Crime and Drug Abuse

National Night Out is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. It is designed to
* Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
* Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;
* Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
* Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Churches of Scientology all over the United States participate in National Night Out, supporting their communities and community partnerships with law enforcement. At this year's event, Scientologists also called for parents, educators, and community groups to strike back at widespread drug abuse and crime by initiating strategies for drug demand reduction.

The full story can be read here: National Night Groups Urged to Strike Back at Crime and Drug Abuse

Volunteer Ministers Celebrate another year of helping New York

The Church of Scientology of New York Volunteer Ministers Street Fair this year was another huge success. The Scientology VMs were there at Ground Zero after 9/11 and they continue to provide help whenever new disasters occur.

Of course, not all disasters are of the magnitude of 9/11 or the Asian Tsunami, so the VMs are ready to help even with the smaller disasters of everyday life: marriage difficulties, drug problems, family situations and more.

VMs are trained in the methods described in the Scientology Handbook and they have received numerous recognitions for the effective help they have provided to millions. (Scientology Volunteer Ministers Recognitions) So an annual celebration seems very much in order!

Anatomy of the Human Mind Course

Wow! I just found this awesome site that has 21 videos covering the Anatomy of the Human Mind Course. This isn't some dry academic presentation; it's alive and interesting.

Check it out! Anatomy of the Human Mind Course.

Way to Happiness #5 - Honor and Help your Parents

Being a parent myself I'm all for this one :)

Way to Happiness #4 - Love and Help Children

Children are our future and treating them properly is very important. This video shows the reality of what it really means to be a parent:

Way to Happiness #3 - Don't Be Promiscuous

This is a funny video, but it makes the point.

Way To Happiness PSA #2 - Be Temperate

Wow! This is a hard hitting video:

The precept is "Be Temperate" but the video makes you realize how much that can impact your life.

Way To Happiness Public Service Announcements

Although the Way To Happiness is a common sense, non-religious moral code and therefore not part of the Scientology religion, Scientologists do follow it. So I will be featuring the new Way To Happiness Public Service Announcement videos. Here is the first video:

Still Helping After All These Years

When the Tsunami hit Southern India in 2004, many people when to help. Two Scientology Volunteer Ministers from France where amongst them. They assisted people in overcoming the trauma of the Tsunami and after other volunteer and relief organizations had packed up and left, these two stayed. Now, 2 1/2 years later, they are still helping the people of the region. There help is appreciated to such an extent that they just received an official acknowledgment from the chief administrator of the city of Cuddalore:

Cuddalore District Government Acknowledges the Work of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers

Volunteer Ministers in Italy are Doing Something About It

The European Volunteer Ministers Cavalcade is in Southern Italy doing something about improving the plague of crime in the city of Bari. Poor Bari is, according to a recent survey, the second most dangerous city in Italy to live in. So the VMs have come to see what they can do to help: Plagued by Crime, the City of Bari Needs Effective Solutions to Recidivism

Scientology Basics Like You've Never Seen Them Before

The basics of Scientology are available, not only in their original form but with incredible glossaries and accompanying lectures. These new editions are the original writings of L. Ron Hubbard, without editorial alterations. They've never been available in this way before.

Unless you saw the event where they were introduced, which contained the full explanation of what happened and what was done to correct it, you won't appreciate the importance of these new editions.

If you are new to Scientology then you don't even need to know what I'm talking about above, you just need to go get a basic book and read it. If you want to know what Scientology is then read a book on it!

Basic Scientology Books

Getting An Apology from the BBC

The BBC makes a trailer that some in the media interpret as showing the Queen getting annoyed at a photographer and the BBC falls over itself to apologize to Her Majesty: BBC apologizes to Queen Elizabeth II. I think that's great. It's about time the media showed some respect for the people they feed off. But what about an apology for this?

I think that little outburst from BBC reporter John Sweeny is rather more serious than a trailer some sensationalism seeking reporter manages to twist to something derogatory to the Queen.

Victoria Beckham speaks out about her Scientologist Friends

As a devout football fanatic (that's soccer to you Americans) I am, naturally, a devoted adherent of David Beckham. The man is a god! I was over the moon when he announced he was going to be joining the LA Galaxy. My great hope is that the sport will now get the attention it deserves in the USA.

Anyway, I was also happy to learn that Becks is a good friend of Tom Cruise. That's cool. Good people should stick together! Of course the must-have-controversy-and-sensationalism brand of news reporting has tried to imply that two friends can't just hang out together if one has a religion that is different to the other. What a crock. I have friends who are Jewish, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu and even atheist (as well as Scientologists of course) and none of us has a problem with the religious beliefs of the others plus we don't attempt to "convert" each other.

This interview with Victoria Beckham just proves that people can get along and be best friends no matter what their beliefs: Beckham Defends Scientology Pals Cruise and Holmes.

Guilty until proven Innocent

If the police walk in on a guy standing over a murdered corpse, the blood stained knife in his hand and his clothes spattered with the victim's blood, even he is treated as innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

But in matters of religion it seems that any bigot can make whatever outrageous accusation he wants and the target of his venom is assumed guilty and the unsubstantiated claim is repeated and repeated as if proven beyond the shadow of a doubt.

This method of attack on religion is very ancient. It was used against the early Christians who were accused of cannibalism (a twisting of the communion). For hundreds of years during the dark ages Jews were told by their Rabbis never to drink red wine during the Passover because a rumor had been put about by the Vatican that they drank the blood of Christian babies.

In this day and age, accusations of cannibalism and drinking the blood of babies would be laughed at, so the hate mongers have to turn to the modern equivalents: brainwashing and financial exploitation. Outrageous accusations can be made, put onto web sites, given to the press and generally spread around and the religion is considered guilty without any trial or anyone having to provide any actual evidence.

This happened to Scientology in the United States until finally in the early 1990's the IRS did the biggest investigation ever of an organization applying for tax-exempt status. As part of that examination they investigated all the claims, no matter how outrageous, and came to the conclusion that the Church of Scientology was a religious, public benefit organization.

This same pattern has been repeated in other countries and the result has always been the same: when the accusations are investigated they are found to be false and Scientology is recognized as a religion and as innocent of the charges of wrong doing.

So why am I writing this? Because I am sick to death of seeing the press mindlessly repeating the ridiculous accusations of certain bigots in the German government. If such libelous statements were made against an individual he could sue, but when they are made against an organization which is never given a chance to answer the claims in a court of law there isn't much you can do about it, except make posts to your blog.

Some data on Official Recognition of Scientology as a Religion:

- Official Recognition of Scientology as a Religion
- Scientology Religious Recognition in Tanzania and Zimbabwe
- Official Recognition of Scientology as a Religion
- First Official Scientology Wedding In Sweden Follows Religious Recognition
- Overwhelming Religious Recognition for Scientology
- More than 50 courts around the world have ruled that Scientology operates solely for the benefit of Mankind
- Scientology Religion Bona Fides - Recognition by the Courts
- Church of Scientology of Moscow Wins Landmark Decision in European Court of Human Rights - Confirmation of Scientology's Religious Bona Fides by the Highest Court in Europe
- Scientology Wins 17-Year-Old Case In Spain - Total Victory as Court Declares Charges Groundless

More on Germany and Scientology

Here is an article from columnist Susan Estrich regarding the recent situation in Germany: Tom Cruise And The German Problem.

I particularly agree with:

"... the film Mr. Cruise is set to star in has absolutely nothing to do with Scientology. Mr. Cruise is an actor seeking to work in his craft, and the Germans are seeking to prohibit him from doing so because of his religious views. If any country should be sensitive to the harms of religious discrimination, it is Germany."

Unfair Treatment of Germany in the Press

Because of the legacy of World War II and the Holocaust, the people of Germany are quite rightly sensitive about accusations or implications of anything touching on fascism in their current Government. Germany wants to be thought of as the birthplace of Strauss and Beethoven, as the producer of finely engineered luxury vehicles and as a modern democratic nation.

So the hullabaloo in the international press last week must have been painful. Lurid headlines such as Time Magazine's particularly offensive, "Why Germany Hates Tom Cruise" were bringing back unpleasant echos of the 1930s.

The ordinary people of Germany must have been gritting their teeth in frustration at the reports by Reuters, AP, Time, etc., etc., all loudly trumpeting the "fact" that a Hollywood movie studio, partly owned by the world's biggest movie star, was being denied access to a German military memorial because of his religious beliefs.

Worse still, the movie that was being thwarted was about the attempt by the German Resistance to assassinate Hitler. Tom Cruise was to play Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the leader of the plot. Surely this movie was a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the world that during WW II Germans were opposed to Hitler and his atrocities? Yet, according to the media, the German Government was saying, "Nein!" for reasons that sounded hollow to any reasonable person.

After a few days of this the German Ministry of Defense finally spoke up saying that they weren't responsible for approving film shoots at the building in questions. The Ministry also said they had no opposition to the film shooting in Germany. (Germany now would welcome Cruise production)

It turns out that the source of the report was the web site of, Antje Blumenthal, a right-wing, anti-religious politician. No one in the news media had bothered to verify the accuracy of her posting.

The truth about the "ban" was not reported anywhere near as much as the lie. It seems that accuracy in reporting comes a poor second to sensationalism.

Personally, I think Reuters, AP, Time and the rest of the crew who published this lie should apologize, not only to Tom Cruise, but also to the people of Germany who now have a new stigma to live down, and this time it's not even a factual one.

Questions About Scientology

I just found this site: Scientology FAQs. It has a lot of data.

Also, I am very willing to answer questions about my blog articles and about Scientology. I also welcome comments.

(I do moderate comments and I will reject angry, antagonistic, snide, obscene or offensive comments. So, let's just be friendly, open and demonstrate some manners. Random acts of Kindness are a great idea, so let's extend the idea to random acts of good manners :)

What Scientologists Believe

The word "creed" means a set of religious beliefs. The beliefs of Scientologists are summarized in the Creed of the Church of Scientology.

(One uncommon word that is used in the creed is "inalienable", which means "that cannot be taken away." Also the word "man" is used with the definition "human being".)

I think any reasonable person would find it hard to disagree with the beliefs of Scientologists. Here are a few:

We of the Church believe:
That all men of whatever race, color, or creed were created with equal rights;

That doesn't sound too radical or unusual in these civilized times. Of course to racists and others of a like mind such ideas proabably seem dangerous, but you would think that in a modern democracy this idea should be quite acceptable. Here is another one:

That all men have inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own organizations, churches and governments;

I think only a totalitarian would disagree with that. Here is a more spiritual belief:

That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his attainment
of brotherhood with the universe.

Rather altruistic sounding, but we believe it! And here is one more that only a nut could disagree with:

And we of the Church believe that the laws of God forbid man:
To destroy his own kind;

And one last example, a rather unusual belief for a religion you might think:

That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance;

So if you hear that a particular person or government agency doesn't like Scientology then you will know that they disagree with these beliefs and you will know them for what they truly are.

And if you hear someone pretending that these aren't the beliefs of Scientologists, you'll know that they are trying to find an excuse for attacking good people.

The 2007 Governor ’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award to the L. Ron Hubbard House at Camelback

The President of the Arizona Preservation Foundation, Vince Murray, presented a Governor’s Heritage Preservation Award to The Friends of L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology International to recognize the contribution their restoration project has made to the preservation of Arizona’s unique heritage. The award was presented on June 14, at the 2007 Arizona State Wide Historic Preservation Partnership Conference at the Elk’s Theater in Prescott, Arizona. Mrs. Marlyse Brock, Property Manager of the L. Ron Hubbard House, Mrs Monica Sanz Polo, President of the Friends of L. Ron Hubbard Foundation and Mr. Luc Dubois, representative of the Church of Scientology International accepted the award at the Elk’s Theater.

The award-winning project was an historic restoration of the late 1940s single-family dwelling constructed at 5501 Tatum Boulevard (now the northern end of 44th Street), which was at that time the outskirts of Phoenix. The historic House was the home of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology founder, from 1952-1955, during the time when he made important advances in his work.The L. Ron Hubbard house provides a historically accurate record of the way it looked in 1952 and stands at the dawn of the religion’s birth, as Mr. Hubbard established the first Scientology organizations, codified basic principles of Scientology, authored half a dozen Scientology texts and delivered more than 600 instructional lectures to local residents and thousands of people who traveled to Phoenix from around the world to hear him

I haven't been there yet but a friend of mine who visited it was blown away by the work that was done and the accuracy of the renovations.

A Lesson in Ethics

The disbarment and disgrace of Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong is making headlines and I'm sure the three falsely accused Duke University lacrosse players are very relieved to have been completely exonerated. However, in all the hoopla, I think an important point is being missed: If the lacrosse players hadn't been getting drunk at a party with a hired stripper then the girl couldn't have accused them of rape.

In his book "Introduction to Scientology Ethics", L. Ron Hubbard says:

"Ethics actually consists of rationality toward the highest level of survival for the individual, the future race, the group, mankind and the other dynamics taken up collectively. Ethics are reason."

I don't want this to sound preachy or prudish, but the simple fact is that if those three students had been thinking and behaving ethically they wouldn't have been at such a party. Put yourself in an iffy position and you are asking for trouble. Their decision to be there, as we have seen, ended up in a year of hell for them. If they had been thinking ethically, they could have still had a party and a barrel of laughs but without the possibility of false accusations, arrest and very nearly having their lives ruined.

Right now, the ethical standards of this society are so low that the concept most teenagers have of college is that it's a place you go to get drunk and have a good time and many adults think this is "harmless" and "doesn't hurt anyone," probably because they did the same thing themselves. They don't seem able to think it through and see what sort of an effect such behavior has on themselves, their families and their future. It takes an extreme example like that of the three Duke University lacrosse players to highlight what can happen.

Drug-Free Hungary Marathon 2007

Look at all the hands! That's kids in Hungary pledging to be drug free!

Just one of the many products from the Drug-Free Hungary Marathon 2007.

I wrote an article earlier about Scientologists being drug-free and the Marathon is just one more way we go about encouraging others to live happy and drug-free lives. We're a busy lot!

Freedom Magazine TV Edition

The award winning Freedom Magazine, is now available in a video format: Freedom Magazine - TV Edition. Check it out and enjoy.

Head First Books: Hitting and Missing the Mark

Several months ago I bought the best book I've come across to do with Software Design Patterns: Head First Design Patterns. It's a great book for software developers who want to understand what design patterns are and how to use them effectively. The reason it is so good is that purely by accident it utilizes some of the basics of L. Ron Hubbard's Study Technology.

• The first basic is study gradients. The book takes a "start simple and gradually get more complex" approach when introducing the different patterns, and the book itself starts with the simpler patterns and gradually gets into the more complex.
• Next is supplying the mass or objects of the subject. Not an easy thing to do when talking about software, but the book gives tons of real-world examples. It demonstrates why a pattern would be better to use than another method by showing you realistic examples.
• It's not bad on defining words, but could do a better job. For example it doesn't really get into a clear definition of "Design Pattern" until page 579.
• Another basic of Study Technology is emphasis on underlying basics and fundamentals. The book does a good job of that.

Compared to other Design Pattern books I've had to painfully slog through, because they violated just about every principle of Study Technology, this one was not only easy to read but I got a much better understanding of the subject and found I could apply it much better, which is after all the end product of study.

So, when I was looking for a good book on project management I decided to check out the book Head First PMP (PMP means Project Management Professional). I browsed through it in the store and was majorly disappointed. Unfortunately, because the designers of the 'Head First" methodology think that they are basically stuffing a brain rather than communicating ideas to a living being, the book completely misses the mark. It just isn't useful. It has too many of the "Head First" gimmicks in it and the actual principles which made Head First Design Patterns work were (as far as I could see) missing.

For those of you interested in learning more about L. Ron Hubbard Study Technology here are some links:

• L. Ron Hubbard Study Technology: Effective Learning and Education
• Applied Scholastics Study Technology and Tutoring
• Study Technology in Use
• Applied Scholastics International
• Study Trouble; Difficulty Learning and Retaining Things?
• How can we improve the quality of education?
• Overcoming Education Struggles & Learning Disabilities

Scientologists are Drug Free

Here is a great article with tons of links to related data and web sites. The article is not only about how Scientologists are drug free but also covers how they are effectively helping others become and stay drug free.

Kudos to ppedersen for all the work taken to produce the article: Scientologists are Drug Free

Scientology Solutions from the Scientology Handbook

I was hunting for an online reference to an article by L. Ron Hubbard and I remembered that the article is in the Scientology Handbook. I went to the book's web site and found an index of online articles from the Scientology Handbook. It's not the entire book, the book is huge, but there is a tremendous amount of the book on the site.

It also made me think that this would be a good starting place for someone who wants to know what Scientology is. Because Scientology is a practical religion, a religion that is all about living, solving the problems of life and improving situations, the best way to find out more about it is to read the actual methods it provides for handling life and its situations. The index on the Scientology Handbook site is a perfect place to start.

Scientology Solutions From the Scientology Handbook

The Insanity of War

I just saw a rather controversial documentary about 9/11 and the subsequent war in Iraq. The documentary is called Fahrenheit 9/11, an alteration of the title of the book by Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. My guess is that the director of the movie, Michael Moore, probably wanted to draw parallels between the society depicted in the book and what has happened in our society since 9/11.

There has been great controversy over the movie with a great deal of political polarization. Unfortunately politics has become a spectator sport and if something is perceived to be critical of one side then all the supporters of that side defend their team to the last breath, no matter what.
So having said all that, I'm not going to pass any public judgement on the movie. Like every other source of information you should evaluate it carefully - not just blindly accept or reject it.

What I do want to say in this post is that back in 1950, in the book Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard said something about war that is 100% applicable today:

Wars never solve the need of wars. Fight to save the world for democracy or save it from Confucianism and the fight is inevitably lost by all. War has become associated in the past with competition, and it has been believed, therefore, by shifty logic, that wars were necessary. A society which advances into a war as a solution of its problems cannot but depress its own survival potential. No government was ever permitted to enter a war without costing its people some of their liberties. ... A democracy engaging in war has always lost some of its democratic rights. As it engages in more and more wars, it eventually comes under the command of a dictator. ... So went Greece, so went Rome. So goes England. So goes Russia. And so goes the United States and with it goes mankind.

Technology changes, times moves forward, perhaps societal attitudes change, but man basically is man and what was said over 50 years ago is just as applicable today. Mankind MUST stop engaging in war. When the Iraq war began it was heralded as a "conflict" that would be over soon and was being engaged upon to "save the world from WMDs." Back then it was obvious to those supporting the war that it would be a short war and we'd be out of Iraq in just a few months. Several years later we see that the reasons given for the war were ... how shall I put it? ... inaccurate and the idea that any war can be over in a few months is, to put it mildly, short sighted.

Before the war we were told that it was a solution to certain problems and now we are told we can't pull out because it would create even bigger problems. I think anyone who has studied history would have seen the inevitability of this mess from the start.

There is a solution to the insanity of war. It's a solution that will take a lot of work and effort, but I think any amount of effort is better than the millions of deaths that accompany a war.

As L. Ron Hubbard said:

Man is now faced with weapons so powerful that man himself may vanish from the Earth. There is no problem in the control of these weapons. They explode when and where man tells them to explode. The problem is in the control of man.
...
There is a higher goal, a better goal, a more glorious victory than gutted towns and radiation-burned dead. There is freedom and happiness and plenty and a whole universe to be won.

Dianetics has the tools to bring rationality to man. It is the answer to war. Learn about Dianetics and use it and let's make this world a better, saner place!

Tennis and the Conditions (States of Operation)

I just saw the romantic comedy "Wimbledon". A cute little movie that is a slight variation on the usual theme: in this one there is no other man or other woman. Anyway, in the special features of the DVD there is a "making of" featurette that touches on the superstitions of tennis players.

The main superstition, and one that you see in the movie, is that if the player wins a match then he or she will try to keep everything the same in the next game. They'll try to use the same racket, have the same ball-boy on their court, if they arrived late they'll try to arrive late again, etc., etc.

Although this was called superstition in the featurette, in actual fact they are trying to follow a formula for success that they have a vague inkling exists. They don't really know the mechanics but they know that if they keep things the same then the same outcome should happen. Of course, because they don't have the exact formula and they don't understand what the phenomena is that they are dealing with they don't always have the success they were hoping for in the next game.

What they are missing is something that L. Ron Hubbard discovered in the mid-1960s, namely the conditions or states of operation of existence and the formulas for improving them. It is pretty obvious that everything in this universe is in some sort of state or condition but is that condition something random and unpredictable or are there specific predictable conditions? And if one can determine which condition something is in then are their steps one can take to improve the condition?

The answers are: no, yes, yes and yes. No, the conditions are not random. Yes, they are predictable (and there are only a few of them). Yes, you can determine what condition you are in. Yes, there are steps you can take to improve your condition.

There is more data on this discovery here: Improving Conditions in Life

And in this booklet: Ethics and The Conditions

Cultural Lag

The philosopher Schoepenhouer said: "All truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally it is accepted as self-evident." This also applies to any new idea that doesn't follow the mainstream. The Mormon religion is a good example of this: When the religion first began in the 1820's it was ridiculed, but soon that changed to outright attack. The attacks consisted not just of nasty articles in newspapers but of physical violence and murder. The situation got so bad that church leaders decided to leave the east coast of America and make a dangerous journey across the heartland of America to Utah. (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) The attacks continued for many years but the religion survived and eventually became accepted to such a degree that we now have a Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon.

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, called this phenomenon "Cultural Lag": the time it takes a culture to accept a new idea. He said, "an example is Dr. Semmelweis's discovery of the cause and cure of childbed fever. For over a half a century after that women still died in agony after childbearing."

It is unfortunate that cultural lag exists, but it is a reality and we have to bear with it. In the United States, Scientology was first ridiculed and then attacked and now it is generally accepted as a bone fide religion. However, other countries have a longer cultural lag, so it is not surprising that recently in the United Kingdom a rather nasty attack occurred. The interesting thing about the attack is that if follows right on the heels of the biggest expansion the church has ever had in the UK: The grand opening of the new Church of Scientology of London and the purchase of large new buildings for the Church of Scientology of Manchester and the Church of Scientology of Sunderland.

The attack was all the more egregious because it came through a channel that many people around the world trust and respect, the BBC. But the BBC is very large and I don't suppose it is easy for them to keep an eye on everything that goes on. The BBC TV program, Panorama, decided to do a hatchet job on Scientology, so they got their best hatchet man, John Sweeney, handed him a hatchet, opened his cage door and yelled "sic 'em!"

The results were predictable. But what neither the producers of Panorama nor John Sweeney expected was that the Church didn't just crawl into a corner and weep, instead they produced a documentary exposé about the BBC, Panorama and John Sweeney. It makes very interesting viewing: see John Sweeney screaming at the people he is supposed to be interviewing, see John Sweeney interviewing a convicted sex offender as an "authority" (and swapping criminal records as they talk), see the tactics used by Sweeney to make his victims seem uncooperative, see what happens when a church camera crew attempts to get an interview with the Director General of the BBC.

The entire video:

• BBC Panorama Exposed
  

  The video in parts:
  

• BBC 1/3 - Scientology Documentary on BBC Panorama program
  
• BBC 2/3 - Scientology Documentary on BBC Panorama program
  
• BBC 3/3 - Scientology Documentary on BBC Panorama program
  
• Other related links:
  
• Scientology and Me - BBC Panorama Program – all related videos
  
• Freedom Magazine Report

Great Source of News

For years Freedom Magazine has been doing leading edge investigative reporting. That's just one reason why at the National Federation of Press Women’s annual conference Freedom was awarded 1st place winner in the category “Writing for the Web”. Read the full story at: Freedom Magazine Wins Top Prize for Investigative Journalism.

Now you don't have to wait for the next edition of Freedom in order to keep up with the news. There is a new Freedom Magazine Blog that you can even add to your browser's news feeds just click here: Freedom Magazine Blog RSS Feed.

In a world bombarded with news that is often simply attempting to attract eyeballs so advertisers can make a quick buck rather than present useful news, it's nice to find a site that gives you straight news on important subjects that may impact your life.

More on the Dianetics Anniversary

Here is another announcement about the 57th Anniversary of Dianetics:

Published 57 years ago today, "Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health" ignited an entire movement which now spans 5 continents and 160 nations, and comprises over 7500 Scientology churches, missions and groups.
Celebrating the 57th Anniversary of Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health.

Blog Post on Dianetics

Here is what a Scientologist from the UK has to say about Dianetics and the 57th Anniversary:

Dianetics Volcano Still Erupting!

57th Anniversary of Dianetics

Today is the 57th Anniversary of the publication of the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health!

Translated into oodles of languages and available all over the world, the book is still a best seller and no wonder when you consider what is in it.

I came across Dianetics in 1977 (boy, am I showing my age). I got a copy of the book and began reading it and was fascinated right from the start. I started applying what I learned and got immediate results.

The first thing that happened was that a cold I'd had for 3 weeks suddenly went away. I read something in the book and decided the cold would go away and whamo, it did! After that I used Dianetics more and more and my world improved concurrently. For example I no longer have the horrible shyness I used to have, my IQ increased, I became happier and was able to take on more in my life. The list goes on and on.

Anyway, I recommend the book, so get it, read it and use it and may you never be the same again.

Good news for the North East of England

The first piece of good news is that Sunderland have not only gained promotion to the Premiere League but they did it by winning the Championship League! Not bad for a team that started the season at the bottom after losing their first four games!

Keane takes Sunderland to Championship title: Sunderland put the icing on Roy Keane's first season in charge by winning the League Championship title on Sunday. Their 5-0 win at relegated Luton Town coupled with Birmingham City's 1-0 defeat at Preston North End sent the Wearsiders into the Premier League as champions. Keane, who guided Manchester United to seven Premier League titles in his time as a player, took charge in August with Sunderland bottom of the table after losing their first four games.

When I was growing up in the area I was a devote Newcastle United supporter but after moving to the US and being away for so many years, I have become a supporter of both local teams. My hope is that now Sunderland has made it back to the Premiere League (and in such glory), it will give Newcastle a good kick in the butt and encourage them to get out of the doldrums they have been wallowing in for the past couple of disappointing years.

The other good news is that the Church of Scientology of Sunderland has purchased a new MUCH bigger building and will move into it after renovations are completed. This means that the North East will soon have a major Scientology Church with the capability of delivering services to thousands of people!

The Phenomenon of Dianetics Continues after 57 years

It is amazing to think that a book published 57 years ago is still an international best-seller. Not only that but the book has been translated into 53 languages and has sold over 21 million copies! The book is Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The reason for its success is that the techniques described in the book work and bring about a vast improvement in your life, relationships and viewpoint.

As L. Ron Hubbard wrote in the book's introduction: "Dianetics is an adventure. It is an exploration into terra incognita, the human mind, that vast and hitherto unknown realm half an inch back of our foreheads. Some of the things you will find may astonish you."

From personal experience I can tell you that Dianetics sure is an adventure and (although it sounds like a cliche, it's true) it's a life changer. So get the book, read it, apply it and, as LRH says in the intro to the book, "May you never be the same again."

Some truth about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise

All the media baloney about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is quite amazing. Here are two newly weds who look incredibly happy every time you see a picture of them and the dumb-ass media is constantly trying to make out that something controversial is going on. Well, the media seems to have the idea that if it ain't bad news or controversial then it ain't worth reporting, unless you can make it seem bad or controversial.

So it's nice to have Jada Pinkett Smith step up and tell it like it is: Jada Pinkett Smith: Katie Holmes Runs the Show

Influence of L. Ron Hubbard

I just saw the DVD of the movie "Stranger than Fiction" which came out in 2006, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson. It's a great movie, very funny and with an uplifting ending.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing about it is that if you have ever read the book "Typewriter in the Sky" by L. Ron Hubbard then you will recognize many elements of that story in the movie. The movie doesn't acknowledge L. Ron Hubbard, but I think it's pretty obvious that the writer of the movie has read "Typewriter in the Sky." The writer in the movie even uses a typewriter - how many people still use typewriters in this day and age?

So I recommend you read the book and watch the movie and enjoy both.

Cool Scientology Blog

I just found a blog by another Scientologist that I think is better than mine. I'm too busy to create long posts so most of mine are short with a link to what I'm blogging about. This guy (jetteroheller) puts more into his posts and also posts on techie type topics. Anyway, I started reading it and next thing I knew it was half-an-hour later.

He also has a list of blogs by other Scientologists: Scientology Blogs

Cruise the heal-raiser - It's Hollywood in Chelsea at WTC bash

Superstar actor Tom Cruise headlined a Chelsea soiree with all the excitement of a movie premiere last night to raise money for his program to help Ground Zero workers still suffering from the toxic after-effects of 9/11.

"It is an injustice that after six years people who were down there are still suffering," Cruise told about 200 guests. A fund-raiser for the program held last year raised $1.5 million. The money goes to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, a program Cruise co-founded in 2002.

From Cruise the heal-raiser

Happiness and Interest

I just heard a lecture by L. Ron Hubbard in which he is talking about happiness and interest:

The clue to happiness is being interested in life. And their happiness is as great as they create it. ... They'll get the amount of happiness that they can generate. But this happiness is not itself an emotion. It is a word which states a condition and the anatomy of that condition is interest.

This is a very practical piece of data. If you are feeling unhappy with your life then you need to create more interest in your life. Find a job you are more interested in. Take up a hobby that you are interested in. And don't forget that it is you who creates the interest, it doesn't just spring into being, it requires you to create it.

There are many tools provided in Scientology to help you create and maintain interest in life. The basic ones can be found here: Tools to Achieve Happiness

Kirstie Alley is Busy!

Not only is Kirstie Alley executive producing and starring in a Lifetime original movie: "Write & Wrong" but she is also about to star in a new TV series "The Minister of Divine".

"Minister of Divine" is based on the British TV series "The Vicar of Dibley" written by Richard Curtis who also wrote "Black Adder", "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill" and more. Curtis is a producer of "Minister of Divine", so with him and Kirstie both on this it should be great!

Expansion like never before

I've been amazed over the last couple of years at the rate of expansion of Scientology. It has expended more since 2001 than in the prior 50 years!

One manifestation of this expansion is the number of new buildings being purchased for Churches around the globe. At the L. Ron Hubbard birthday celebration in March, 5 or 6 more new large building purchases in 4 or 5 different countries were announced.

Here is a story about just one such building: Kansas City Scientologists Look to the Future

Help is needed following the earthquake in the Solomon Islands

Help is urgently needed in the Solomon Islands which were recently hit with an earthquake followed by a tsunami. If you can help then please volunteer. If you need training it will be provided.

Full Story: Volunteers Needed to Help in the Solomon Islands
To volunteer: Contact a Scientology Volunteer Minister Consultant

Church of Scientology wins major legal victory in Europe

Here is something pretty awesome!

In a unanimous landmark decision, the European Court of Human Rights found in favor of the Scientology religion, upholding the religious freedom of Scientologists throughout the forty-six nations that comprise the Council of Europe, in a precedent-setting ruling that will help guarantee these rights for people of all faiths.

Read the full article here: Church of Scientology of Moscow Wins Landmark Decision In European Court of Human Rights—Confirmation of Scientology's Religious Bona Fides by the Highest Court in Europe

What's really great about this is that this decision helps people of all faiths in Europe.

Scientology Disaster Relief Team - Tornado in Indonesia

We hear about tornadoes in the US and they are pretty scary, but when a tornado strikes here it usually doesn't destroy 1,000 homes. In Indonesia the story is different, there the tornadoes DO destroy 1,000 homes: Scientology Disaster Relief Team Returns to Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Church of Scientology's new Multi-Language Magazine Publishing System

Here's something really cool. Being an international organization makes it tough sometimes if you want to publish your stuff for many different countries. How do you handle all those different languages? Well the Church of Scientology has solved this with a new Flash based magazine publishing system. It's really neat. Check out this article: Scientology handles Multi-Language Magazine Publishing with new Flash Interface.

New L. Ron Hubbard Site

The L. Ron Hubbard website has been redone and looks great! There are tons of data about his life and achievements. Check it out: L. Ron Hubbard.

You are never too young to learn your rights and responsibilities

Knowing your rights is vital for all ages but educating children on their human rights is especially important and that's what Youth for Human Rights International does: Youth for Human Rights — Spreading the Message of Tolerance and Goodwill

2006 was the greatest year of Expansion for Scientology

Wow! 2006 was a year of huge expansion for the Church of Scientology and 2007 looks to be no different, in fact it looks like a year of even more expansion!

I was at the Church's international New Years celebration and the videos of expansion around the world were amazing - e.g., an African country has implemented the L. Ron Hubbard Study Technology in its entire educational system!

Anyway, you can read about it yourself here: The Church of Scientology International Announces Record Expansion of the Religion in 2006

Scientology Opens Prominent New Church In Berlin

Berlin has a new Church of Scientology. There has been a Scientology Church in Berlin for a long time, but the new building is enormous! Read all about the grand opening of the Church of Scientology of Berlin.

Also visit the Church of Scientology Berlin website to see a slide show of the grand opening of the Church of Scientology of Berlin.