After all the devastation of hurricane Charley, it's little solace to read that Charley a Harbinger of Busy Hurricane Season
and with headlines such as this: Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath
I'm really glad to see Scientology volunteer ministers are on the job helping to sort things out in the aftermath.
Scientology Volunteer Ministers Help at Florida Disaster Site
As you can see in this site (Scientology Volunteer Ministers Bringing effective help to the community)
Scientology Volunteer Ministers have a reputation of always being there to help in times of disaster.
And life's personal disasters can be a lot worse than the "natural disaster" kind. Sometimes what goes on behind the walls of a perfectly "normal" home can be crushing - drug or alcoholism, infidelity, financial stress....
Scientology volunteer ministers use Scientology applied religious philosophy as laid out in the Scientology Handbook to help friends, neighbors, family members or even total strangers.
By the way, you don't have to be a Scientologist to use the techniques in the Scientology Handbook, or to be a Scientology volunteer minister. All you have to be is a caring person who wants to help others.
I'd say most people fit those qualifications....
Monday, August 09, 2004
I thought this was an excellent letter to the editor that showed up in the St. Petersburg times. Thought I'd reprint it here before it disappears into the ether of the WorldWideWeb.
"Re: Scientology's town, July 18.
Thank you for the time and attention of your reporter in ensuring accuracy in the recent two-part series on Scientology in Clearwater. (Tampabay: Scientology's town, Tampabay: About Scientology, Tampabay: The history of Scientology: A timeline, Tampabay:Scientology: Striving for mainstream, building new connections and Tampabay: Four key Scientologists)
The Scientology religion has grown at an unprecedented rate internationally in recent years, and that of course is reflected in Clearwater, the home of our international religious retreat. There is no conflict between that expansion and the revitalization of downtown, which benefits the entire community, a community much more diverse than some suggest. In addition to church staff and parishioners, the community includes 1,400 Pinellas County employees, 1,000 city of Clearwater employees, 1,000 business employees who work downtown, and the more than 100,000 residents who live within a 3-mile radius.
The downtown Starbucks is a good example of an amenity enjoyed by all citizens of Clearwater. Certainly the number of church parishioners and staff in Clearwater was a major factor considered by Starbucks. That is to be expected. Starbucks, like any business, must have confidence that it will succeed, and success means volume of customers. Similarly, the church presence would be a major economic factor in the decision of any other business or national chain considering opening downtown.
The economic impact of the church on downtown development is not based primarily on the church staff who live in Clearwater, but rather on the thousands of visiting parishioners who travel to Clearwater from around the world. In fact, they provide the same economic impact as "tourists" but year round. As your article explained, this presents an ideal opportunity for the development of downtown.
Downtown was a ghost town when the church moved to Clearwater in 1975. While it had previously thrived and was enjoyed by all local citizens, development had concentrated on the beach for tourists and on the malls for residents. At that time it appeared unlikely downtown could be developed as a destination point. The church filled that void. Today, virtually any retailer - especially name-brand stores, restaurants or a theatre - can expect to survive because of the numbers of Scientologists living and visiting in downtown. And that benefits all citizens, since the new facilities will be available to anyone, as in the case of Starbucks.
While some critics, who are not involved in downtown planning and do not know the factors involved in its development, may believe our motivations are selfish, they miss the point. Of course we would like a nice downtown with shops and restaurants and entertainment for the benefit of our visiting parishioners. But the church presence is also a "selling point" to bring those businesses downtown. If the city wants to use that presence, we not only do not object, we support the city in its efforts.
As we explained to the mayor, the city manager, and other city officials, and as people involved in downtown planning and others of goodwill have recognized, church and city expansion plans are not a point of conflict, but of cohesion. Cooperation is necessary to be successful.
It is time for us to move forward and work together to create the vibrant downtown that 80 percent of the citizens recently surveyed by the city said they want.
-- Ben Shaw, director, Church of Scientology, Flag Service Organization, Clearwater"
"Re: Scientology's town, July 18.
Thank you for the time and attention of your reporter in ensuring accuracy in the recent two-part series on Scientology in Clearwater. (Tampabay: Scientology's town, Tampabay: About Scientology, Tampabay: The history of Scientology: A timeline, Tampabay:Scientology: Striving for mainstream, building new connections and Tampabay: Four key Scientologists)
The Scientology religion has grown at an unprecedented rate internationally in recent years, and that of course is reflected in Clearwater, the home of our international religious retreat. There is no conflict between that expansion and the revitalization of downtown, which benefits the entire community, a community much more diverse than some suggest. In addition to church staff and parishioners, the community includes 1,400 Pinellas County employees, 1,000 city of Clearwater employees, 1,000 business employees who work downtown, and the more than 100,000 residents who live within a 3-mile radius.
The downtown Starbucks is a good example of an amenity enjoyed by all citizens of Clearwater. Certainly the number of church parishioners and staff in Clearwater was a major factor considered by Starbucks. That is to be expected. Starbucks, like any business, must have confidence that it will succeed, and success means volume of customers. Similarly, the church presence would be a major economic factor in the decision of any other business or national chain considering opening downtown.
The economic impact of the church on downtown development is not based primarily on the church staff who live in Clearwater, but rather on the thousands of visiting parishioners who travel to Clearwater from around the world. In fact, they provide the same economic impact as "tourists" but year round. As your article explained, this presents an ideal opportunity for the development of downtown.
Downtown was a ghost town when the church moved to Clearwater in 1975. While it had previously thrived and was enjoyed by all local citizens, development had concentrated on the beach for tourists and on the malls for residents. At that time it appeared unlikely downtown could be developed as a destination point. The church filled that void. Today, virtually any retailer - especially name-brand stores, restaurants or a theatre - can expect to survive because of the numbers of Scientologists living and visiting in downtown. And that benefits all citizens, since the new facilities will be available to anyone, as in the case of Starbucks.
While some critics, who are not involved in downtown planning and do not know the factors involved in its development, may believe our motivations are selfish, they miss the point. Of course we would like a nice downtown with shops and restaurants and entertainment for the benefit of our visiting parishioners. But the church presence is also a "selling point" to bring those businesses downtown. If the city wants to use that presence, we not only do not object, we support the city in its efforts.
As we explained to the mayor, the city manager, and other city officials, and as people involved in downtown planning and others of goodwill have recognized, church and city expansion plans are not a point of conflict, but of cohesion. Cooperation is necessary to be successful.
It is time for us to move forward and work together to create the vibrant downtown that 80 percent of the citizens recently surveyed by the city said they want.
-- Ben Shaw, director, Church of Scientology, Flag Service Organization, Clearwater"
Sunday, August 08, 2004
When I look at how much he accomplished, and how much he helped people, I am astonished at how much
L. Ron Hubbard cared.
As brilliant and capable as he was, who could have expected him to do more than publish the book
Dianetics. Just that one book was an immense accomplishment and a priceless gift. Ask anyone who has experienced the miracles of Dianetics auditing or
New Era Dianetics auditing much more refined and exact techniques that took more than 20 more years of intense research to finally codify.
The other day I was listening to a taped lecture by L. Ron Hubbard, and I notice it was recorded on December 26th, and realize this man never took time off from helping people.
His life is an inspiration to me.
Here is some more information on L. Ron Hubbard:
Open Directory Project: L. Ron Hubbard
Times Must Change - An Article by L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard - The Dianetics Letters
L. Ron Hubbard - Bibliography Summary
L. Ron Hubbard, The Humanitarian - Education
L. Ron Hubbard and the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program
Catalog: L. Ron Hubbard Biographical
ePolitix.com - Hubbard Foundation
Alibris: L Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard - Humanitarian - Road to Self-Respect
L. Ron Hubbard cared.
As brilliant and capable as he was, who could have expected him to do more than publish the book
Dianetics. Just that one book was an immense accomplishment and a priceless gift. Ask anyone who has experienced the miracles of Dianetics auditing or
New Era Dianetics auditing much more refined and exact techniques that took more than 20 more years of intense research to finally codify.
The other day I was listening to a taped lecture by L. Ron Hubbard, and I notice it was recorded on December 26th, and realize this man never took time off from helping people.
His life is an inspiration to me.
Here is some more information on L. Ron Hubbard:
Open Directory Project: L. Ron Hubbard
Times Must Change - An Article by L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard - The Dianetics Letters
L. Ron Hubbard - Bibliography Summary
L. Ron Hubbard, The Humanitarian - Education
L. Ron Hubbard and the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program
Catalog: L. Ron Hubbard Biographical
ePolitix.com - Hubbard Foundation
Alibris: L Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard - Humanitarian - Road to Self-Respect
Friday, August 06, 2004
IAS (International Association of Scientologists)
A couple of weeks ago I attended an event about the International Association of Scientologists, usually abbreviated to "IAS". This is a group that was founded in 1984 and it is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
So much has changed and improved in the the past 20 years - new Scientology churches and missions in many countries, L. Ron Hubbard's technology of study and drug rehabilitation in use in secular programs around the world, not to mention religious recognition in the United States and many other countries.
This is no small part due to the efforts of the IAS.
IAS Freedom Medal Winners
Read this story about an extraordinary man, what he has accomplished, and why he was awarded an IAS Freedom Medal:President, Criminon International: IAS Freedom Medal Winner Greg Capazorio
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