Scientology Books

It's hard to call Scientology books "news" since they were all written more than 50 years ago! But they are news, because since David Miscavige released the new editions of the books and the publication of all the lectures that accompany these books, it's made a huge difference to Scientology.

I've never seen so much activity, with more Scientologists coming on board, reading their books or listening to lectures every day.

What a difference this had made in my life!

China Picking Up the Pieces

In the news today, China has 5 million homeless in the wake of last month's massive earthquake.
According to the story I read just now "Beijing’s announcement last week that some 15.5 million people have been “relocated” because of the quake."

Some of my friends who are Scientology Volunteer Ministers are in China to help with the relief effort and what I hear from them, you can't even begin to conceive the amount of devastation the Chinese people are having to confront.

It's hard to believe that with all this going on the Olympics set to begin in 2 months.

Scientology Basics

On another subject entirely, I've been continuing my study of Scientology with the Basic Books and Lectures of L. Ron Hubbard . These are the materials that were released almost a year ago at an international event, by David Miscavige. And if anyone reading my blog has any concern about being able to get through these materials (since they are really extensive) there's a good solution to that in Study Technology. You can actually take a free course in Study Tech online at the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site.

Great Wins on the Basics of Scientology

I'm having great wins on the Scientology Basic Books and Lectures.

I've been a Scientologist for many years, and I've had lots of Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling) and training. But I feel in many ways I'm just now becoming a Scientologist through studying these Basic Books and Lectures, exactly the way L. Ron Hubbard intended.

I am much more confident, more extroverted, more optimistic and happier (and mind you I wasn't a slouch in these departments before!) and I would recommend these books and lectures to ANYONE!

David Miscavige and all of Religious Technology Center, and Sea Org member sand Scientology staff did a magnificent job getting these materials available for us, and I am really grateful they did!

The Real Scientology News

The real Scientology news is what it does to help people, all types of people, every day, all over the word.

And the new books, released last year by David Miscavige have everything to do with how fast we are growing in 2008. Outstripping every other year. L. Ron Hubbard would be so proud!

Human Rights Bloggers

Every once in a while there's something so cool in the blogosphere, that is a phenomenon that could never have taken place without the Internet, and one such is the blogging for human rights.

Blog Catalog has been promoting to have bloggers speak up for human rights. This is part of their activism, which they describe is follows:

Bloggers Unite is an initiative designed to harness the power of the blogosphere to make the world a better place. By challenging bloggers to blog about a particular social cause on a single day, a single voice can be joined with thousands of others to help make a real positive difference...

Then any blogger who blogs for that issue can post their blog on this web site and it forms an instant community, and real solidarity for the issue.

This week was Human Rights blogging. Such a valuable message and such a great idea!

I support Youth for Human Rights, as I believe education is the way to change the attitudes that either support human rights, deny and prevent them, or neglect and ignore the entire issue. Knowedge is power.

Dianetics Bookathon

One thing I really enjoy is helping people find out what's really going on when they're depressed or they lose their temper or act irrationally, when they do things they know will hurt them. What's road rage about? How come mothers who love their kids lose their tempers and wallop them for no valid reason. Why do people drink too much? How come all these meds?

I like going out for a few hours on a Sat or Sun and giving people stress tests (they can locate what is causing them the most stress in their lives, using a meter we have in Scientology that can measure thought) and then I show them how Dianetics can help them handle this.

The reason I find it so rewarding is because so many of these people come back to me later on and let me know how much it helped them. And that is so rewarding!

New Dianetics Site

I was so happy to find out about the new Dianetics video site. It smokes!

I heard about it Saturday night at the Dianetics event at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.


There must have been 5 or 6 thousand Scientologists there, and we saw a video of the event that was held in Clearwater the night before.

The emcee for the event was Heber Jentzsch and there were presentations by Guillaume Lesevre and Claire Edwards as well. Scientologists from around the world were awarded for their activities in disseminating Dianetics, selling Dianetics books and opening new groups.

The part I loved best was a man from Kenya, a pastor, who found Dianetics on the Net, got a copy of the book, realized that was the thing that was going to help his people (he was already running schools and an orphanage) and he's created a firestorm of Dianetics delivery with new groups all over the zone where he lives. And his speech was a total tear jerker!

Then we got to see a preview of the new Dianetics site, which is stellar! Videos! A very good introduction to Dianetics. A compilation of "What people say about Dianetics" and tons of testimonials.

The whole event was a great acknowledgment to L. Ron Hubbard for his brilliant technology. Many of those awarded also thanked David Miscavige for his work to keep Ron's tech pure, and for the release of all the basic Dianetics and Scientology books and lectures -- the Golden Age of Knowledge.

Scientology Expansion

Around 4 years ago I heard the rumor that once all Scientology churches in South Africa were the size of old Saint Hill (the church Ron personally directed in the mid-1960s and where a lot of the policy on Scientology churches was developed) then a new Advanced Org (organization) would be established in Africa.

The significance of this is that now, South African's have to travel to Denmark, the UK, Sydney, Clearwater or Los Angeles if they want to advance their spiritual progress. That can be pretty rough. You'd almost have to set aside several months because taking 2 weeks off a few times a year is totally unviable if you have to add an expensive overseas flight to the cost.

At the March 13th event (Ron's birthday celebration is a holiday we celebrate in Scientology, and there is a huge international event, usually held in Clearwater, Florida but then seen all over the world thanks to DVDs produced of the event), Chairman of the Board RTC, David Miscavige, announced that the building for the African AO (Advanced Org) has been purchased. And what a place!

They showed a video of the place at the event. What's really exciting is that it's in primo shape -- doesn't even need much by the way of renovation. It's ready to go!

You can tell from the image above, this is as ideal as you can get.

I suspect there will be people coming to South Africa from all over the world now (vs. vice versa) to do these upper levels in the most picturesque, tranquil, aesthetic environment you can imagine!

For anyone new to the subject, I recommend you watch the video on the YouTube Scientology channel or the Scientology web site on what auditing is. That's Scientology spiritual counseling (audire means to listen and that's the fundamental thing an auditor does -- listens to you and helps you locate what's wrong vs. telling you what he/she thinks.

(Thank you to http://www.flickr.com/photos/robgizzy/ for the image!)

Oprah and Tom

I must admit I really enjoyed Oprah's Tom Cruise interviews last Friday and Monday.

I was a big TC fan long before I knew he was a Scientologist (and long before he was).

I found Risky Business hysterically funny. But what really made me a Cruiser was Top Gun. I am not usually into action flicks. I'm more a chick flick person. But a friend of mine hounded me for weeks until I rented the video, and it was all over for me. I notice that in most of Tom's movies he starts off with glaring defects in his personality and the way he treats people, and through the course of the film, not only does he entertain and thrill us with the action (and his incredible good looks) but he undergoes a transformation, which makes him a much better person. You see it in Top Gun. It's there again in the Firm, in Jerry McGuire, War of the Worlds, Rainman. At the end, he's a real human being.

I went to see the new Tom Cruise web site, which was launched yesterday and looking through his filmography I noticed I'd seen all but 2 or 3 of him movies. I was amazed! (Nice touch, on his web site, to have the trailers for each of those films right there. I browsed through those too and thoroughly enjoyed myself!)

Now, I am so looking forward to Valkyrie (check out the trailer!)

YouTube Scientology Channel

The YouTube Scientology channel is a great visual presentation of Scientology, what it encompasses, what the basic beliefs are and what Scientologists are like and what they do. Highly recommend anyone interested in the subject spend some time on this channel and find out what it's really all about.

So Cool

I just spent about an hour looking at some of the videos on the new Scientology site. They are awesome! I think I recognized where one of these videos was filmed. It looks like a place in Northern California, around Santa Cruz. One of my favorite parts of the country. Brings back great memories.

But the video itself is so good. It is such a simple expression about what life is all about.

Scientology Video Site -- 10 out of 10!

I just got my first glimpse of the new Scientology video site. Whew! I'm thrilled!

Of course (from the name of my blog) you can see I've been sharing my thoughts and referring people to information on Scientology for YEARS. So having this as a tool...I can't tell you how exciting this is!

I don't know what it is about Scientology that gets people polarized. Seems you either love it or you are agin' it and there ain't too much in between. (Well, in fact it's probably MOST folks that are in between but they don't talk about it one way or the other). But from all my years of being up front about being a Scientologist I have found over and over again, the anti-guys are usually misinformed (except those deliberately doing the misinformation).

So, join me in a trip through this new site. If you've ever had a question or been curious about Scientology, here's a simple and very enjoyable way to get the straight scoop!

Religious Scholar Trounces Anti-Scientology Editorial

An historian of religions at the UCLA Center for the Study of Religions responded last week to a guest editorial in the LA Times, criticizing Skeptic Michael Shermer for his irresponsible take on recent bigotry against the Church of Scientology.>>

Scientologists Against Drugs

the Viwpoints from Florida blog has a post about Kelly Preston and the work she is going to help the kids in Hawaii.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Kelly Preston, who lives in Florida now, is originally from Hawaii.

She is also passionate about helping people avoid the tragedy of drug abuse.

Here's a recent story of how she is taking this passion back to her home state, to help with the Meth epidemic in that area.

For more information on Scientology-sponsored drug prevention and education programs visit the Scientology Anti-drug site.
Kelly's work was covered in the Hawaii NBC affiliate and they have a nice article on it on their webs site.

A great story

I ran across this piece in the Briston Press
and I had to share it, it was so cute.

BRISTOL -- When Maureen Green and her daughter, Colleen Czarnecki, made their first trip to Europe two weeks ago, the city residents never imagined they’d share breakfast in Paris with movie star Tom Cruise.

"Our second morning [in Paris] we left our hotel and went out to find breakfast," Czarnecki recalled. "There are tons of cafés there, so we just picked one. ..We were pretty much the only people eating in there. Then the employees started changing the tables and everything, and they asked us to move to another table, by the window."

Green and Czarnecki moved and wondered what all the fuss was about.

"So now I’m facing the door," Czarnecki said. "Four adults and two children walked in, and [the staff] started moving the tables around. And I thought, ‘There must be a group coming in.’ I looked out the door, and I saw all these cameras going off. I looked again, and there was Tom Cruise, standing right by the window. And I said, ‘Mom, look, there’s Tom Cruise!’"

Czarnecki scrambled to find her camera and snap a picture before he left. But mother and daughter were both surprised when Cruise walked to their table and spoke to them.

"He thought we were French at first," Green said. "He said ‘bonjour,’ and I said ‘bonjour,’ and when he asked where we were from I said ‘les Etats-Unis.’"

"He seemed pretty happy that we were Americans, and that he could talk to us," Czarnecki said. "So he shook our hands, and asked us where we were from. We asked if we could take a picture with him and he said yes. ..he was really nice. Very down-to-earth."

Cruise was in Paris in late April to promote his new movie, "Mission: Impossible III," and, according to press reports, to shop for baby clothes. His fiancee, Katie Holmes, and their then week-old daughter, Suri, stayed home in Los Angeles

While Cruise and his entourage were in the café, the staff would not allow any new customers in. So Green and Czarnecki were the only other customers in the café.

"The whole time we were eating, people were just looking in the window and using their camera phones, trying to get a picture [of Cruise]," Czarnecki said.

"We didn’t talk to him anymore after that," Green said. "We kept looking over, but we didn’t want to bother him while he was eating with his kids."

"He was extremely nice and very friendly," Czarnecki said.

Scientology expands at home

The St. Petersburg Times covers the global expansion of the Scientology religion and its impact on the Clearwater community in this article.

Meanwhile in the Clearwater/Tampa Bay area Scientology expansion is a very tangible thing, with the Church of Scientology of Tampa and the Scientology spiritual headquarters in Clearwater joining forces to bring help to the community.

Scientologist teams assist in storm relief

The Baton Rouge Advocate published this piece yesterday.

Many of my friends are in Louisiana or have been there are are there now, helping as Scientology Volunteer Ministers


LAKE CHARLES -- Mixed in with the Red Crosses and various military units giving help in coastal Louisiana now, one might also see the bright yellow shirts of the Church of Scientology.

On Wednesday, a crew of four Scientologists was doing its bit in Lake Charles, offering direct hands-on help to local officials by helping clear and organize government buildings in the city still recovering from the onslaught of Hurricane Rita last week.

T.J. Hensley was supervising the crew, which he said was part of an overall count of about 300 Scientologist volunteer ministers pitching in across the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Another volunteer minister, Chris Parodi, said the four-person team had come over from helping the Katrina cleanup about two days ago, offering their services wherever and however needed.

Hensley said the contingent of Scientologists who have come down to the area are also offering aid specialized to their discipline to help people deal with the trauma of what they've experienced in the wake of the devastating storms.

That's taking the form of what the Church of Scientology refers to as "assists," which look to people not familiar with the process like a light massage.

Hensley said the ministers are using the assists to help hurricane victims and emergency workers recover from the mental and spiritual strain they are dealing with.

The "assists" are meant to help cleanse some of the pain and stress from the people they are provided to, Hensley said.

The ministers have also recruited volunteers to help out with the "assists," for which the Scientologists have detailed, step-specific procedures, he said.

Parodi said that at least half the team working with the ministers is made up of volunteers from outside the Church of Scientology.

Before volunteers can perform such "assists," they are drilled on the proper way to carry them out, Hensley said.

He pointed out that the ministers are not trying to convert others to Scientology, but simply trying to help get people through trying times.

Hensley said a basic tenet of Scientology is that people are free to choose their faith, and that applies to this situation, as well.

He said some people have drawn back from aid offered by Scientologists, but that's not a problem.

"We always have an open door," Hensley said.

I also found an interesting posting on http://davidmiscavige.blogsource.com/
that tells of the experiences of one Volunteer Ministers who went to Baton Rouge right after Katrina.

Scientology Counseling Group: Counseling that Works

People looking for a Scientology auditor (the term used for Scientology spiritual counselor) in Montrose California are in luck. There is an auditor. They specialize in personal and marriage counseling, and in helping people solve their problems.

Scientology counseling is quite a wonderful experience. What is most amazing, to my way of thinking, is that things which have bothered you, or areas where you really knew you needed more ability but seemed to be blocked in acheiving it, suddenly resolve or improve.

And what is incredible is that really anyone can train at a Scientology church to become an auditor.

Some Interesting Blogs

Some blog reviews:

Sci Fi Reviews and More - This looked like it was going to take off and the review he posted about Conquerers' Trilogy was pretty interesting, but not much more action in the past year.

Issues and Ideas Tends to concentrate on Scientology issues like the Scientology Volunteer Ministers and descriptions of some of the Scientology beliefs.

Check out this cool photo of Michael Phelps on this blog.

Big Happy Family Blog Happily raising and homeschooling 6 kids? She MUST have something going for her!

My Garden Home All about England and Scientology in England. I've been to St. Hill in England -- what an absolutely beautiful place! Magical!

On Art and Living I enjoy reading her posts. Wish she would do so more often.

Alpen Fun Interesting bi-lingual blog (English/German)

No Drugs This looks Swedish to me. Maybe it's Norwegian. I have trouble telling the difference. I do like the message, though. I feel very strongly about drugs. I had a drug problem and I think kids and youth should be told the facts about drugs and how they will affect them later on. If I'd had any idea what drugs would have done to me I'd never have taken them.

Tom Cruise and Scientology in the News Again

I don't agree completely with what By Ruben Navarrette Jr. says in his article in the Sant Diego Union-Tribune but I respect him for his integrity in writing it.

Here's what he says (with some comments from me)

Tom Cruise has right to his opinion on important subject

SAN DIEGO -- I can't believe I'm defending Tom Cruise.

(I don't know why- maybe you've bought a bit too much of the media slant on him)

But someone has to do it. Cruise has been criticized and ridiculed after a heated exchange with "Today' show co- host Matt Lauer the other day over a rather important topic: the possible overuse of prescription drugs that supposedly treat depression or other forms of mental illness.

It all started when Lauer came to the rescue of Brooke Shields, who while promoting a book disclosed that she had therapy and took antidepressant drugs to combat postpartum depression.

Cruise doesn't believe in psychiatry ("a pseudo science') or antidepressants ("mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs'), and he said as much after Shields made her remarks.

Lauer thought that Cruise was being judgmental, and that he should keep his opinions to himself. He also thought Cruise should stipulate that while the actor didn't approve of taking antidepressants those for whom the drugs had worked should be free to take them.

Why should Cruise keep his opinions to himself? Shields didn't keep her bout with mental illness to herself. She advertised it to sell books. Cruise is entitled to his opinion, just like anyone else.

The problem isn't that celebrities have opinions. It's that the rest of society is quick to treat them as experts. They're not experts. They're movie stars with opinions. And they should be free to express their opinions, and the rest of us should be free to discount them if they don't hold up.

But Lauer seemed to be saying that Cruise didn't have a right to his opinion because many people like the millions of Americans who use prescription drugs might find it offensive.

Cruise held his ground. He didn't just give in to Lauer's brand of "I'm OK, you're OK' psychobabble. When asked if it was OK if drugs worked for Shields, Cruise said, no, it wasn't.

"I disagree with it,' he told Lauer.

Cruise suggested vitamins and exercise as a viable alternative and said drugs only "mask the problem.'

I enjoy a good fight. How many other celebrities in the same situation would have caved in and said whatever they thought the interviewer wanted to hear?

Instead, Cruise kicked off a debate over a subject that a lot of people don't feel comfortable discussing: whether Americans are too quick to turn to prescription drugs and whether their doctors are too quick to prescribe them. Cruise zeroed in on "drugging children' with Ritalin, which is supposed to treat hyperactivity or attention- deficit disorder.

That's a hugely important discussion and it shouldn't matter who gets the ball rolling. Even if the push comes from a gasp celebrity, and one who has links to gasp Scientology.

So far the public isn't buying it. According to an online poll by MSNBC, 69 percent of viewers said Cruise was "just plain wrong' on the role of doctors and the use of drugs to alleviate mental distress.

Those people are naive. My friends who are doctors tell me that they are constantly being lobbied by drug companies, trying to convince them to prescribe some of this and more of that.

Could this have anything to do with the economic incentives and perks that drug companies offer doctors and hospitals? What do you think?

That's the discussion we need to be having. And if it's finally under way, it is no thanks to the scores of newspaper reporters and radio talk show hosts who piled on Tom Cruise. After watching the interview and the reaction, I felt embarrassed not for Cruise, but for many of my colleagues in the media.

All of a sudden, the issue went from being about drugs to being about celebrity and Scientology. Talk-show hosts in Southern California ribbed "Dr. Cruise' for thinking that he knows anything about psychiatry. A writer for The Washington Post joined in, asking: "Should we address him as Dr. Tom Cruise from now on? Or will the Rev. Dr. Cruise suffice?' And how's this for a headline from one online newspaper: "Tom Cruise 'Today Show' Scientology Rant Hurts Image.'

What Scientology rant? The guy was talking about or rather trying to talk about our society's increasing dependence on mind-altering and mood-altering drugs. And at no point in the interview did he even attribute those views to his religion.

Do you suppose it's possible for an entire profession in this case, the news media to suffer from attention-deficit disorder? The problem is that Tom Cruise raised a serious issue, one that deserves serious attention.

E-mail Sant Diego Union-Tribune columnist Ruben Navarrette's at ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com