Work is crazy

I have the sort of job that is always busy, but sometimes it gets BUSY!!! That's how it is just now - crazzzy. So to the guys waiting for answers to their questions, please be patient. Although I'd like it to be, this blog is not my full-time occupation and the job that puts the bread and butter on the table is yelling for my attention.

All I can say is thank goodness I've read Problems of Work so I can handle all this madness.

What have you done for me lately?

My wife was watching a video about various celebrities getting fed up with the media harassment of Tom Cruise (I don't know what site she was on but you can see the video here: Celebrities say "Enough is Enough"). Anyway, she noticed a comment someone had posted that said something like "They should leave him alone. But what does his church do for anyone anyway?"

My wife was flabbergasted: What does his church do? The commenter obviously had no idea. Now I won't vent my own frustrations in this area (or at least I'll keep it to a minimum) but the main-stream media almost never mentions the gazillions of things Scientologists and the Church of Scientology do for their fellow man.

So for the benefit of anyone who doesn't know, here is a small sample:

• Runs the largest residential drug rehab network in the world
• Runs the largest anti-drug educational campaign in the world
• Runs the largest human rights educational campaign in the world
• Runs the largest volunteer disaster relief organization in the world
• Runs the largest psychiatric abuse watchdog organization in the world

Yeah, but what have you done for me lately?

Questions About Scientology

If anyone has any questions about Scientology then I am willing to answer them. Please post your question as a comment to this post.

My rules are:

• Questions should be asked politely.
• If a question is worded in an offensive, sarcastic or antagonistic way then you won't get an answer.
• If a question contains links to negative profiles or sites or to profiles or sites I don't like in some way then I may reject the comment, but I may give an answer to a reworded version of the questions which I will put in my answer. In other words you won't have to post it again.

After all, this is my site and I get to set the rules :) You can set the rules on your site!

(27 Jan 08 Addition) My original idea for this post was that I'd get a question: "What is abcde?" and then I'd post the answer "It is ghijk". Simple. However that's not how it's turning out. I'm getting long comments with several questions and lots of explanations and side comments. While I don't mind that at all, it sort of defeats the purpose of the page, which was to have short questions and answers. I don't want to stifle people, so keep asking questions however you like, but forgive me if I cut your post down to a simple "What is abcde?" so I can keep the page readable. If you have a questions that relates to a specific post on this blog then please make the comment on the page of that post.

(28 Jan 08 Addition) Wow, this post is proving to be popular. Please forgive me if I take a while to answer a question. I have other things I do in life too :). If you don't see an answer within a few days please be patient. I will get to you.)

(28 Feb 08 Addition) This page is getting loooooong and I don't think it is going to be very workable for people to see their answers here. So, ask your questions here and I'll post the answer as a blog article rather than as just a comment. Of course, you can always post questions and comments to specific articles and I'll answer them there, unless I think they are something that would be of broad interest in which case I'll also post them as a blog article.

Thanks again to everyone who has asked a question. Sorry if I'm slow in replying, but if you follow my guidelines I promise I'll answer eventually. Be patient :)

How the news media treats Celebrities

Have you ever noticed how parasites destroy their host? For example, the tape worm eats the host's food before it gets to the host and the host eventually starves to death. When human parasites and worms eat their way through a person's body they destroy the immune system and leave the host prey to infections that can potentially kill.

Have you ever noticed how the news media treats celebrities? It is just the same as how any other parasite works and just as repulsive. Take a look at some gutter press magazine such as "US" or "In Touch" and you will see exactly what I mean.

L. Ron Hubbard put it best when he said: "News media is parasitic on those who make news. It is not true that those who make news need the news at all. Who needs cancer?"

Psychiatry, Tom Cruise and Scientology

Here is an article that says it all. Ever wondered about the onslaught by the main stream media on Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology? Why do media outlets repeat the same lies and scandalous rumors over and over, never checking to see if there is an ounce of truth behind them? Perhaps this article will give you an idea: Psychiatry, Tom Cruise and Scientology.

Also remember that the pharmaceutical industry makes many billions of dollars every year from psychiatric drugs and that they spend over a billion every year on advertising. Think how much power that gives them over the TV networks and other media outlets who live off advertising. (See: CBS Conflict of Interest). With so much money at stake is it any surprise they would stop at nothing to protect their huge profits? (See: Antidepressants, Bipolar Disorder and the Chemical Enslavement of Humankind by Drug Companies, Psychiatric Medications, Illicit Drugs, & Alcohol)

Do Not Harm a Person of Good Will

"Factually, the society runs on men and women of good will. ... Such people are easy to attack; their very decency prevents them from overprotecting themselves. Yet the survival of most of the individuals in a society depends upon them. The violent criminal, the propagandist, the sensation-seeking media all tend to distract one's attention from the solid, everyday fact that the society would not run at all were it not for the individuals of good will." L. Ron Hubbard from The Way to Happiness.

I think this applies to Tom Cruise and the recent attack on him via the Andrew Morton Unauthorized Biography. Tom is a person of good will and he does a lot to help his fellow man (Tom Cruise Helping 9/11 Rescue Workers). So is it any surprise that he is attacked by "the sensation-seeking media"?


Click here to view other Public Service Announcements

Those who don't respect the rights of others

It seems that all you have to do is mention "respect" of others, whether it be their religious beliefs or their human rights and you get attacked.

A couple weeks ago I posted: "Respect The Religious Beliefs of Others" and I got a very nasty comment that contained a link to an antireligious site.

Yesterday I posted "Respecting The Rights of Others - Human Rights" and this time I get a mocking comment from someone who (according to their profile) just joined Blogger - I guess to make their comment on my site. As if Human Rights were a joke. Ask someone in North Korea or Pakistan if Human Rights are a joke. Ask someone who survived the Holocaust or the Ethnic Cleansing in the Balkans if Human Rights are a joke.

The bigoted idiots who attack the idea of respect for others, who attack the idea of tolerance for different viewpoints, are too stupid to realize that they are putting themselves in danger. If Human Rights are lost then these clowns will be the first to get thrown in jail or lined up against a wall and shot by some fascist who doesn't want any expression of opposing views.

We can't afford to ignore the rights of anyone. Suspend one man's rights and you suspend everyone's.

Respecting The Rights of Others - Human Rights

The Church of Scientology and all Scientologists are big supporters of Human Rights. All people are entitled to certain rights as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was signed by most countries in the world following the horrors of WWII. It's just a shame that not all the countries who signed the declaration follow it.

Scientologists are working hard to make Human Rights a reality by supporting many different programs. The biggest being Youth For Human Rights.

Other links regarding Scientology and Human Rights:

• Church of Scientology Human Rights Department
• Church of Scientology Making Human Rights A Reality
• Church of Scientology Human Rights Office in Germany
• Church of Scientology Human Rights Office in France
• Human Rights Director, Church of Scientology International

Official Response to the "Biography" of Tom Cruise

Here is the truth about the Tom Cruise Biography written by British tabloid journalist Andrew Morton.

Church of Scientology statement. Response to Andrew Morton's unauthorized Tom Cruise biography

When you read this statement you realize just what a bigot Andrew Morton really is. By-the-way, he's the guy who slimed the Royal Family in his unauthorized biography of poor Princess Diana.

His own personal life also doesn't bear scrutiny: multiple affairs during his marriage, kinky sex during one such affair and more: Andrew Morton.

What are Scientologists up to in the world?

You can find out what goes on in the world of Scientology and what Scientologists are up to by checking out Scientology Today. It contains all the latest news.

The site also contains all sorts of other info such as ...

• A Description of Scientology
• What Scientologists Say about Scientology
• The Aims of Scientology

... and a lot more.

Who runs the Church of Scientology?

The recent media feeding frenzy about the really badly written unauthorized biography on Tom Cruise has put attention on how the Church of Scientology is organized and run.

So to cut through the bull from the media I thought I'd tell you what I know. Scientology is made up of about 7,500 churches, missions and groups operating on all continents (except Antarctica J). Each continental area has one or more administrative churches that look after the others. For example, in the USA there is an East US church and a West US church, so the Church of Scientology Los Angeles is administered by the Church of Scientology Western United States.

The church itself is headed by the Church of Scientology Executive Director International, Guillaume Lesevre, who is an extremely busy guy. Heck, who wouldn't be, running 7,500+ church related entities. He has a huge staff to help him run things and they work hard keeping Scientology going and expanding. My son used to work at the International HQ of the Church in LA, so I know whereof I speak!

Another very important entity in the church is Religious Technology Center. They make sure that when something is called Scientology, then it really is. Scientology is different from many other religions in that it has a technology or methodology for handling situations in life and for bringing about spiritual improvement in individuals. The steps to carry out a Scientology process are very exact and must be followed exactly to get a result. You could think of it like a recipe: if you do it wrong the cake comes out tasting like cement. So RTC is there to make sure people do it right and to help them if they mess up.

The guy who is in-charge of RTC, David Miscavige, is looked upon by most Scientologists as the leader of the Church, because he's the guy who makes sure that what we are getting is Scientology.

So there you go. The truth about how the Church is run and who runs it. Just FYI, there are no actors in high positions in the Church J.

Some more links:

• Scientology Religion and its Ecclesiastical Hierarchy
  
• Management of Scientology
  
• Church of Scientology International
  
• International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors (IHELP)
  
• Scientology Missions International
  
• Religious Technology Center

Scientology and Genetics

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer because Scientology has absolutely nothing to do with genetics. Scientology is defined as "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life." (Definition of Scientology)

Scientology deals with the spirit and has very little interest in bodies. It's like a car and a driver. If you wanted to know how to prevent accidents you'd study the drivers, not the cars. Sure you'd be interested in air-bags and safety belts and reinforced panels, but those are there to protect the driver. If you want fewer accidents, you would address the drivers: teach them how to drive better, teach them not to drink and drive, etc. You wouldn't get very far teaching a car how to drive better.

In Scientology we are interested in the driver, not the car. The subject of genetics studies the passing on of physical traits from one generation to the next and the way these traits vary over time. It is a purely physical study and is therefore interested in the car, not the driver – the opposite to the order of importance assigned to these things in Scientology.

This spiritual orientation gives one a slightly different view of children and family. For example, my daughter is a wonderful person and some people think she looks like my side of the family and some others think she looks like her mother's. She is not very tall, which is a trait she got from her mother but her eye color is similar to mine. These are physical traits which were passed on in the usual way. But when it comes to personality, intelligence, aptitude and interests I don't look upon her as taking after me or her mother. She is a spiritual being who makes her own decisions, has her own identity and personality and these were not passed on by heredity.

Heredity and bloodlines are of very little importance when you are interested in spirits. So if anyone tells you, or you hear somewhere that Scientologists believe someone is important for purely hereditary reasons or that something in Scientology was done in order to keep some bloodline in existence then you know that the source is misinformed or lying.

Wins and Expansion for Scientology in 2007

2007 has been a great year for Scientology. Apart from huge expansion, the purchase of many new and very large buildings all over the world to house Scientology Churches and expansion of Church sponsored programs to promote human rights, drug education, expose psychiatric abuse and improve the moral fabric of society, the Church has also had some big wins in the area of religious recognition:

• On the 24th of September 2007, the European Court of Human Rights confirmed the Court's unanimous decision of April 2007 affirming that the Church of Scientology is entitled to the rights and protections of religious freedom that flow to religious organizations pursuant to Article 9 of the European Human Rights Convention. The principles enunciated in that decision upheld the religious freedom of Scientologists and their religious associations and apply throughout the forty-seven member states that have signed and ratified the European Human Rights Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, including Germany and other key European countries.
  
• On the 31st of October 2007, the National Court in Madrid issued a landmark decision recognizing that the National Church of Scientology of Spain should be entered in the Registry of Religious Entities as a religion.
  
• On the 5th of November 2007, the Church of Scientology of Portugal was officially recognized as a religious organization.
  
• On the 3rd of December 2007, the South African Revenue Service granted the Church of Scientology the status of a Public Benefit Organization as a religious entity with full tax exemption.
  

The Scientology religion was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was established in the United States in 1954. It has grown to more than 7,500 churches, missions and groups and ten million members in 163 nations.

What Scientologists Did in 2007 - Part 2

Last year we continued to run the largest Human Rights campaign in the world, distributing over 100,000 Human Rights Education kits to civic and social associations, educators and legislators.

The 30 Human Rights Public Service Announcements which demonstrate each of our human rights were aired on CNN, ESPN, Sky News and on screens at airports, bus stations and many more places.

We helped over 140,000 people sign petitions urging their governments to adopt a human rights agenda and mobilized another 720,000 people as human rights advocates.

Since the start of this campaign (shortly after 9/11) we have introduced 600 million people to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

More ahead in 2008!
2008 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in recognition of this, a new series of Human Rights message ads will run in governmental newspapers and journals all over the world.

Plus we will introduce even more people to the Universal Declaration so millions more will know what their rights are, because only by educating people and by them demanding their rights will Human Rights become a fact.

What Scientologists Did in 2007 – Part 1

2007 was another very active year for Scientologists all over the planet.

We continued to run the largest anti-drug campaign in the world, distributing over 156,000 "Truth About Drugs" booklets, putting up 280,000 posters and billboards across 57 nations and creating three Truth About Drugs Public Service Announcements that will play on TV networks to 20 million 7 – 14 year olds and their parents.

Since its inception the campaign has gotten "Truth About Drugs" booklets into the hands of more than 18 million people in 15 different languages. All this has been achieved through the volunteer efforts and donations of Scientologists and the support of the International Association of Scientologists.

Download free booklets and learn the truth about drugs:

• Ecstasy
  
• Crystal Meth
  
• Joints
  
• Crack
  
• Cocaine
  
• Kiddie Coke
  
• Painkillers
  
• Heroin
  
• LSD
  
• The Truth About Drugs