David Miscavige: At the Helm of Scientology's Explosive Growth

Incredible photo of the new Fort Harrison. Such an upgrade for Clearwater!

By the Numbers: Scientology members
in the Clearwater Community

(Freedom Magazine Report) Since the Church moved its spiritual headquarters to Clearwater in 1976, Scientologists have become an integral part of the community. Not only do they travel from all over the world for extended stays while participating in religious services, many Church members and families have made Clearwater their home. The presence of the Church generates thousands of jobs, boosting the economy and revitalizing the area. Independent studies on the overall economic impact of the Church found its presence had a decisively positive effect. At the end of the 1990s, the Church and its members accounted for 5.4 percent of the area’s sales, 10.7 percent of its employment and 3.4 percent of area income. While direct spending by Scientologists totaled almost $100 million, the Church’s greater impact on the Clearwater economy was estimated at almost half a billion dollars which, in turn, generated more than 5,000 jobs. The studies reported that without the Church’s stabilizing presence, the entire city would be far less viable economically. Today, 10 years later, the economic influence of Scientologists in the community is commensurately higher.

• 9,523 Scientologists live in the Tampa Bay area.
• There are 22 Church of Scientology facilities in downtown Clearwater.
• The Church is the largest property taxpayer in downtown Clearwater, paying nearly $1 million in property taxes last year.
• 1,500 Church staff provide religious services at the Scientology facilities in downtown Clearwater.
• 8.2 percent of Clearwater’s population are Scientologists.

THE RELIGION OF SCIENTOLOGY A DESCRIPTION

Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these truths:

• Man is an immortal spiritual being.
• His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime.
• His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

Scientology further holds man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe. In that regard, Scientology is a religious philosophy in the most profound sense of the word, for it is concerned with no less than the full rehabilitation of man’s innate spiritual self — his capabilities, his awareness and his certainty of his own immortality. Furthermore, as religion deals with the spirit in relationship to itself, the universe and other life, and is essentially the belief in spiritual beings, Scientology follows a religious tradition that is at least as old as mankind. Yet what Scientology ultimately represents is new. Its religious technology is new, its ecclesiastical organization is new, and what it means to 21st-century man is entirely new.

At the heart of Scientology lie its axioms that precisely define the fundamental laws and truths of life, including who we are, what we are capable of, and most importantly, how we might realize our native spiritual abilities. These axioms form the foundation of a vast body of wisdom that applies to the entirety of all life. From this wisdom has come a great number of fundamental principles people can use to improve their immediate lives, as well as to achieve spiritual immortality. In fact, there is no aspect of life that cannot be improved through the application of Scientology principles.

Scientology Bursting at the Seams in Clearwater

It's pretty exciting being in Clearwater these days. New OT VII completions at every Friday night graduation. Literally hundreds of people completing courses on the new editions of the Scientology and Dianetics books and a totally new level of optimism and cooperation.

David Miscavige was here in March at the celebration of L. Ron Hubbard's birthday and he promised even more to come. I can't image what could top the last year!

Now on! Freewinds Maiden Voyage Events in Clearwater!

A roughly 150- by-200-foot tent was erected by the Church of Scientology in Tampa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Scientology training ship Freewinds. The celebrations were presented by Scientology leader David Miscavige and took place on the newly refitted motor vessel Freewinds at the end of June 2008. The recordnings are being shown in Churches of Scientology all over the world.

Quilt Exhibit Celebrates African-American Art

In celebration of Black History Month, Clearwater City Hall is honoring the achievements of African-Americans with a display of quilts created by artist Anthony Jones.
Jones continues the American tradition of quilting that is hundreds of years old yet explores innovative techniques in his work. “My work is grounded in the traditional, yet is hopefully a thoroughly modern expression of that tradition,” he says.
Now through March 28, the quilts will be on view. The exhibit is free to the public in the building’s lobby at 100 S. Osceola Ave. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For further information, contact Elizabeth Minor in the city of Clearwater’s Cultural Arts Division at 562-4814.

One of my favorite videos of all time is, This is Scientology, in which Mr. David Miscavige describes the Scientology religious movement and it's impact on the world.

In addition to full religious recognition in Spain, the Church of Scientology has gained full religious recognition in Portugal in the month of December 2007! This again shows the exponential expansion of Scientology in countries throughout the world.

I love the Way to Happiness public service announcements, particularly the one "Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others".

Kids at Risk from Meth

A story in today's St. Pete Times shows that kids are not only dangerously uninformed about the dangers of Meth, they are at risk from the false information they have gotten on the subject.

According the the survey released yesterday and reported on by the Associated Press, nearly a quarter of teens say it would be "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to get methamphetamine, and one in three teens also believes there is only a "slight risk" or "no risk" in trying meth once or twice.

Yet former Meth users uniformly speak of how they were addicted to the drug the first time they used it.

Case in point, in the Meth booklet that's part of the Truth about Drugs series published by the Foundation for a Drug Free World, a woman named Marie says:

“My life spun out of control after a simple 'girls night out' to alleviate boredom. After being introduced for the first time at age 40, within 3 years I was shooting meth. I left my husband and three children (10, 12 and 15) and ended up living on the street.”

The Church of Scientology of Tampa and the Flag Service Organization both sponsor Say No to Drugs groups that distribute these booklets and enlist the participation of other community groups to spread the word about drugs like Meth. For copies of the booklet or information on how to start your own group, contact the Foundation for a Drug Free World.

Clearwater Volunteers use the Scientology Handbook

There are so many Scientologists in Clearwater, and among the activities they do is the Volunteer Ministers program.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are probably best known for their work in times of disaster, but there are just as many who simply volunteer in their communities to reach out and help their neighbors.

Volunteer Ministers have the advantage of having, studying and using the Scientology Handbook, based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. It's actually a compendium of skills LRH developed for the various areas that trouble people most in life, such as being able to cope with their own and others' emotional reactions, being able to communicate even if the other person doesn't want to cooperate, being able to study any subject, smoothly, simply, easily.

It's a great book. The online version is not the complete text of the handbook but it has a lot of very helpful information and you can not only use it yourself, you can send your friends to it to help them if they need something to get them over a hard spot.

Auditors Day

Tonight, Auditors day was celebrated in Clearwater, the spiritual "headquarters" of the Scientology religion.

I've been reading the basic books of Scientology (released in late June in Clearwater by David Miscavige and although I've been a Scientologist for many years, I am getting a much much better understanding of what it means to be an auditor.

L. Ron Hubbard used the word "auditor" instead of counselor or therapist or whatever because the word itself explains what a person who is an auditor does and what his attitude is toward the people he/she helps. Auditor means "one who listens" and that is one of the most important skills and functions he/she learns and performs.

When I was new to Scientology a friend of mine, who introduced me to it, sat down with me and just listened to me for about three hours. I felt much better at the end of that. Just having someone listen to me and let me vent without feeling compelled to tell me what he thought I should think about myself was so helpful.

From there I read the Dianetics book and that's when I realized how much this subject had to offer.

Anyway, tonight was Auditors Day in Clearwater, as I said, and auditors who train in Clearwater from around the world (literally) were acknowledged and thanked for their help. And boy do they help!

People are making huge life-changing gains from study of the Basic Books and Lectures, the fundamentals of the Scientology religion. Knowing these materials results in 100% understanding of the technology of life. Mr. David Miscavige has done a tremendous job making these materials available to everyone.

This page has links to the biography of David Miscavige in 16 languages.

This page on religious tolerance gives a good overview on the Scientology religion.

The Man Behind Scientology is an interesting article about an interview of Mr. David Miscavige by the St. Petersburg Times. It is at www.geocities.com/athens/delphi/1200/davidmiscavige.html

When Mr. David Miscavige was interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times, the resulting article gave some interesting quotes. This is a page that covers them. www.sptimes.com/TampaBay/102598/scientologyquotes.html

Mr. David Miscavige is an outstanding individual and driving force for freedom for mankind. This page has biographical data on him that provides a good picture of his accomplishments and goals.
www.scientologytoday.org/bio

Here is a page about the St. Petersburg Times interview of Mr. David Miscavige, including quotes. www.sptimes.com/TampaBay/102598/scientologyquotes.html

This page on Mr. David Miscavige biographies and articles includes many presentations he has done. He is a great motivational speaker. www.scientologytoday.org/bio