What is Scientology?

Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.

Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.

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

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, his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

Scientology is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to accept anything on faith alone. On the contrary, one discovers for oneself that the principles of Scientology are true by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom.

New Scientology Ads on the Scientology Video Channel

Since several weeks hundred thousands are experiencing a new type of ad on TV and on the internet: the new Scientology ads! Worth watching, it is not necessary to suffer through the MTV or VIVA shows, but the Scientology.org Video channel now shows them as well!

Check this: http://www.scientology.org/videos.html#/videos/menu/scientology-ads

Scientology Ad Campaign - also on Youtube!

Scientology - Know Yourself - Know Life!

"You are not your name.
You're not your job.
You're not the clothes you wear or the neighborhood you live in.
You're not your fears your failures or your past.
You are hope.
You are imagination.
You are the power to change to create and to grow.
You are a spirit that will never die.
And no matter how beaten down,
you will rise again."

http://www.scientology.org - Scientology Video

"We're all looking for it.
Some of us have been looking our whole lives.
Some think they can buy it.
Some think they can wear it.
Some travel the world in search of it.
Most don't even know what they're looking for.
But we all feel it.
That aching desire.
That unexplainable emptiness that can only be filled by one thing:
the truth."

http://www.scientology.org - Scientology Video

"Its shiny cars, wistful eyes and roast beef for dinner.
Its questions and answers and 'I don't knows.'
Its finding true love and losing it and finding it all over again.
Its music and sensation and touchdowns and chocolate.
Its spirituality and inspiration and money and traffic jams.
Its disaster and heroism and paper clips and knowing when to breathe.
Its flirting and tasting and curiosity.
Its fast and its slow and its rising and falling.
Its every moment. Every hope. Every dream.
Every piece of the cosmic puzzle.
Its life. And its yours."

http://www.scientology.org - Scientology Video

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Help Martial Arts Students in Zambia Gain New Skills

With workshops based on the Scientology Handbook, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers African Goodwill Tour gave martial arts students a new perspective on life.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Africa Goodwill Tour trained students at a national marital arts tournament in Kitwe, Zambia in technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard. As Church of Scientology leader, David Miscavige, described the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program: “The final word, as regards our front-line work bringing our help wherever and whenever needed is our corps of Scientology Volunteer Ministers — on call, 24 hours a day in scores of nations.”

The volunteers usually provide training at the big yellow tent they erect in the towns and villages they visit, but while stationed in Kabwe, in central Zambia, a young man who had trained at their tent invited them to come to the nearby city of Kitwe, to attend a martial arts tournament and hold workshops for students and their guests.

The workshops were based on chapters from the Scientology Handbook, a compilation of technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard to help people cope with the problems they encounter in life and improve conditions for themselves and others.

From the feedback received, the workshops were a great success.

“Doing this course has been a challenge to me,” said a graduate of the communication workshop. ” I will use the knowledge I have acquired from this course to make my world better to live in.”

“Doing this course has really helped me,” a graduate of the Integrity and Honesty workshop said. “I have attained self-worth and integrity and the ability to feel honest with myself and others.” Another young man who completed the same training said, “This course was challenging. I have benefited so much. It has helped me become honest in everything I am doing, which will help my friends and family as well.”

Scientology churches around the world provide workshops and seminars free of charge in these and other subjects. To arrange for a seminar for your own group or organization visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Action: A personal report

G'day mate! (G'day means Good Day, which means Hello in "Australian.") My name is Mathew Andrews. I'm 24 years old and I come from Victoria, Australia. I wanted to be a part of the team that is doing something about it—making the solutions to life that Scientology offers available to one and all. So, I decided to join the Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VM) India Goodwill Tour. I took time off work and on June 15th, 2006 I arrived in India.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour is an incredible team.

First stop Calcutta!

When I arrived in Calcutta the Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour was about to start training the officers in charge of West Bengal's Civil Defence at the request of the Minister of State West Bengal Civil Defence. This was the first training programme that I was part of. So, I started off with a BANG.

We delivered the VM Disaster Response Specialist Course which focuses on six chapters from the Scientology Handbook: The Technology of Study, Communication, Assists for Injuries and Illness, Basics of Organising, Solutions for a Dangerous Environment and The Cause of Suppression. First, I trained on these courses myself so I could be ready in time.

I was in India for just over eight months so there's so much I could say and so many great stories to tell. The three major cities that I travelled to were Calcutta, Delhi and Bombay. In each city we distributed thousands of booklets, trained hundreds of individuals, gave seminars to hundreds of people and trained government agencies, disaster response agencies, companies, hospitals and schools on VM technology. We helped people with whatever they needed and wanted, since there is Scientology technology to help in any situation.

I helped in the training of the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, National Disaster Response Force, National Fire Service College, Bombay Fire Brigade, Bombay Government Disaster Management Department and the Bombay Education Department.

What an Experience!

It's hard for me to express how much this experience has meant to me, and how wonderful it has been to share the wins of the people I have helped since being here.

One example is a man I met on a train. I knew I had to get off in two more stations so I told him about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers tour, told him about a course I knew would help him and gave him the address of the VM tent and told him to be there the next day. Didn't think anymore of it but the next day there he was on course. He had tremendous wins from the course I recommended and continued to do more. And now he has become a Volunteer Minister himself and is helping others with this technology.

Another example is a store owner who had a sore back from a motorbike accident in which his son had also burnt his hand. I showed him and his son how to do the assists from the chapter on Assists for Illness and Injuries. Scientology assists are techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard that help people recover faster from illnesses and injuries by bringing the spiritual element into the healing process. They gave assists to each other. They were both so excited about this simple yet effective technology that they told all their friends about Scientology and the Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour. The store owner now tells his customers they should learn how to do assists and shares the technology that he has learned with them.

It's very exciting to be able to introduce this powerful, simple and effective Scientology technology to individuals and see the life changing results and their eagerness to pass it on to as many other people as they can. The Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour truly is a grassroots movement and I really feel like a pioneer.

There were a couple of other cool things that really stand out for me.

One was giving a seminar on Scientology at an annual business convention to over 4,000 businessmen at one time. We also helped open a Free School in the slums of Calcutta that is using the study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and which is now expanding and is run by local Volunteer Ministers. There are now thousands and thousands of Volunteer Ministers in India because of the Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour.

What I learned

India is definitely different from Australia, that's for sure. India is a very intriguing culture with a long tradition and heritage of religion and knowledge: Buddhism, Hinduism, the Veda scriptures. It is a place of such diversity and you really have to experience the people and the culture to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of India. The people of India really know they need to change the conditions in their lives and their society. And with the effective tools that Scientology offers they are making these changes.

What you can do

It's going to take a lot of Volunteer Ministers to get the job done.

I had such an amazing and life changing experience in India myself. I met leaders in government, education, disaster response and even a few Bollywood actors and models to round it off!

From the experience of being a member of this team I've had a massive increase in personal ability, certainty, and courage and I've seen individuals change their lives for the better. So much so that I am now organising to be back in India and will be by the end of August 2007.

It was an honour to be part of providing this training to the West Bengal's Civil Defence Department.

I invite you to join me. It's a blast.

As Mr. L. Ron Hubbard said "A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well."

Source: scientologytoday.org

Scientology: Senior German Court declares that Church of Scientology staff members are motivated by idealistic and spiritual aims

In October 2002 a senior German court whose 1995 ruling has been continuously relied on by the German government to justify discriminating against members of the Church of Scientology in Germany has now ruled that Church staff members work for idealistic purposes and spiritual improvement and that no employer-employee relationship exists.

The Federal Labor Court in Erfurt in central Germany ruled against a former member of the Church of Scientology in Berlin who had sought to use a 1995 interim decision by the Court to claim that the Church owed him 320,000 Euros in backlogged wages. When challenged by American officials, human rights bodies and media, German officials have repeatedly cited the 1995 decision as defense for their human rights violations against Scientologists – despite more than 35 decisions by other German courts recognizing Scientology as a religion. The Church has documented more than 1,500 governmental violations of its parishioners’ rights in Germany, many described at http://humanrights-germany.org.

The Court has now rendered its previous decision useless for German officials by ruling that “the plaintiff [Church worker] was not following with his activities the aim of gainful employment, but was seeking idealistic purposes and his own spiritual perfection through the teachings of Scientology.” The Court pointed out that Church of Scientology workers enjoy freedoms not normally part of an employer-employee relationship, such as the right to contribute to the creation of church activities.

The Court cited a landmark decision of November 1997 by Germany’s Federal Administrative Court. Ruling in favor of a Mission of Scientology in Stuttgart and against the government of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the court held that Scientology’s religious practices are intended for spiritual gain and have no commercial purpose.

Commenting on this week’s decision, Church of Scientology President Heber C. Jentzsch said: “For seven years the German government has cited that single 1995 Federal Labor Court ruling to the exclusion of dozens of others in our favor, to justify continuing violations of the rights of German Scientologists. Now the very Court the government has consistently relied on has acknowledged that dedicated church staff are motivated by idealistic and spiritual aims. The government has no arguments left. I urge German officials to live up to the democratic principle of respect for religious belief and end the discrimination against Scientologists."

The U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report, released earlier this month, again criticized the German government for discriminating against Scientologists. Also this month, three members of churches of Scientology in Germany filed a formal complaint against Germany to the United Nations Human Rights Committee over their exclusion from a mainstream political party in Germany solely because of their religion.

Scientology has been officially recognized as a religion in countries including the United States, Sweden, Portugal, South Africa and Australia. As the complaint notes, hundreds of administrative and judicial decisions, including in Germany, have acknowledged Scientology as a religious community.

Scientology Newsflash Archive

The last year in Scientology News!

9 Jul 2008 — International

The Church of Scientology International announced today the first time ever release of an online video presentation of Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

19 Jun 2008 — New Dianetics Book Site Launched by the Church of Scientology

In celebration of the 58th anniversary of the release of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the Church of Scientology has now launched a new and interactive portal at Dianetics.org for access to testimonials, videos, excerpts, home extension courses, and all information regarding Dianetics.

5 Apr 2008 — South Africa

Great Brak River is the latest town in South African to form up its own chapter of Youth for Human Rights International.

4 Apr 2008 — Sierra Leone

The Youth for Human Rights African Leadership Campaign is in Sierra Leone where 30 Sierra Leonean secondary school students and their faculty advisors are attending seminars that empower them to educate others on human rights.

3 Apr 2008 — Germany

The Church announced the release of the new Scientology web site that contains nearly 3 hours of videos, sub-titled in German, providing public with a comprehensive look at Scientology, what Scientologists are like and what the Church does for the community and society as a whole.

3 Apr 2008 — United Kingdom

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the London chapter of Youth for Human Rights International participated in an event held by the Westminster Faith Exchange, an interfaith group that promotes positive solutions in the community. Attendees watched video clips produced by Youth for Human Rights International, that educate people of all ages on the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

2 Apr 2008 — France

This week, in cities around France, volunteers from Scientology churches and missions in Marseilles, Avignon, Lyon, Bordeaux and Paris brought the truth about drugs to thousands of young people, through their "Say No to Drugs" campaign, which included distribution of flyers and pamphlets.

1 Apr 2008 — Russia

As many as 120 million people in Russia, CIS and Europe are learning about the danger of psychotropic drugs, with NTV airing a program on prime time about the effect of antidepressant drugs on youth and how these drugs are being pushed in Russia.

31 Mar 2008 — Russia

The Public Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology of Moscow represented the Church at the International Conference on Religion at the Russian State University of Humanities. The conference, entitled "Religion and Education: Russian and International Practice," featured leading specialists in the field of religious studies, representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and various religious organizations and public officials.

30 Mar 2008 — Taiwan

The 220 attendees of the drug education seminar held at the Yun-Lin County Teachers Training Center learned about the effects of the most commonly abused drugs, and how they can communicate effectively about this to their own students.

29 Mar 2008 — USA

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida manned a booth at the Youth Crime Watch of America conference this weekend, where more than 150 young people signed the Drug-Free Marshals pledge. They committed to staying drug free and helping their friends and families live drug-free lives.

29 Mar 2008 — Italy

To prevent the possibility of children contracting AIDS or hepatitis through accidental contact with infected syringes left in parks by addicts, Italian Scientologists held a syringe pick-up this weekend, an activity which has become a standard feature of the church-sponsored "Say No to Drugs" campaign.

29 Mar 2008 — Liberia

Youth for Human Rights International continued its African Leadership Campaign today, with meetings with government officials in Liberia to coordinate implementation of the YHRI educational campaign broadly throughout the country.

28 Mar 2008 — USA

The danger of psychiatric drugs was emphasized at the opening of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Traveling Exhibit in Portland, Oregon today. Speakers pointed out the direct relationship between the increase in violent crimes, particularly among young people, and the number of prescriptions of psychotropic drugs being filled for youth.

27 Mar 2008 — South Africa

The Church of Scientology of South Africa announces it has acquired the famous Johannesburg landmark, the Kyalami Castle, to be the home of its new advanced spiritual retreat. This marks a significant step for Scientologists who until now had to travel all the way to the U.S, Australia, Denmark or England for their higher spiritual progress.

26 Mar 2008 — Czech Republic

Human Rights education has taken an upturn in Czech Republic, with public service announcements produced by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) now airing daily on TV stations and busses throughout the Czech Republic.

25 Mar 2008 — France

Ninety-five TV stations in France now air human rights public service announcements produced by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI).

24 Mar 2008 — Italy

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights opened its Traveling Exhibit in Trento, Italy last week. The exhibition, called Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, details the history of abuses in the field and exposes psychiatric fraud and lethal practices.

23 Mar 2008 — Italy

The director of the largest mall in Brescia, Italy, is supporting the Church-sponsored drug prevention initiative by making free space available for monthly information booths, and promoting the program on the mall's website.

20 Mar 2008 — Russia

Leading legal experts of the Moscow Helsinki Federation and the Committee for Civil Rights, the Eurasian branch of the International Association of Religious Freedom and representatives of many faiths attended a conference in Moscow on religious freedom, organized by the Church of Scientology of Moscow. All attendees agreed to sign a letter to the President of Russia, demanding the elimination of intolerance and discrimination and to work together to strengthen freedom of worship in Russia and expose abuses against religious freedom.

19 Mar 2008 — Indonesia

In Yogyakarta, twenty teachers, selected by the Yogyakarta City Education Department, completed their drug education training as part of the Department's partnership with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and the Drug Free Ambassadors of Australia. Since their training began last year, the teachers have delivered lectures to more than 2,000 students in their city.

18 Mar 2008 — Ireland

The UK chapter of Citizens Commission on Human Rights brought two info-stands to the Mind, Body, Spirit Exhibition in Cork City Hall in Cork, Ireland. CCHR volunteers spoke one-on-one to hundreds of visitors, enlightening them on the abuses in the field of psychiatry. Because of the popularity of the booth, CCHR has decided to bring its full traveling exhibit, Psychiatry: Industry of Death to the city later this year.

18 Mar 2008 — American Samoa

Rave testimonials marked the completion of a month-long program in which the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour trained officers of the Department of Public Safety on the Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response Specialist Course.

17 Mar 2008 — USA

The Church of Scientology International launched the Scientology Video Channel, which can be seen online at www.scientology.org. Featuring nearly 3 hours of video clips, the channel provides information on Scientology beliefs and practices and its many humanitarian and social betterment programs.

17 Mar 2008 — Denmark

A front-page article in Metroxpress, a national Danish newspaper, covered a report by scholar Peter Anderson on the increasing number of Danes looking into Scientology and the consequent expansion of the Church in that country.

17 Mar 2008 — Russia

Representatives of the Federal Service of Narcotic Drug Control, human rights attorneys, a former Moscow regional ombudsman, an MP of the City Council in Sergiev Posad, a criminologist and religious leaders attended a weekend-long round table conference held by Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) at the CCHR Traveling Exhibit in Moscow. Those attending joined forces to defeat legislation that recommends legalization of coerced treatment of drug addicts.

16 Mar 2008 — Spain

The Church of Scientology of Spain in Madrid hosted a conference on the impact the Church's recent religious recognition will have on religious pluralism in the country. Speakers included a professor of Ecclesiastical Law at the University Complutense of Madrid, the former Director General of Religious Affairs of the Spanish Ministry of Justice, Deputy Director General for Coordination and Promotion of Religious Freedom from the Spanish Ministry of Justice and the Director of the Foundation for Pluralism who is also a member of the Ministry of Justice Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom.

15 Mar 2008 — USA

A representative of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) addressed a group of resident hall advisors at the Illinois Wesleyan University on the impact of human rights education, not only in building social consciousness and activism but on helping college students deal with human rights issues in their daily lives.

14 Mar 2008 — Russia

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Traveling Exhibit opened in Moscow at the Culture Center of the National Economics University. Speakers included the director of the center and the ombudsman on patients' rights, who focused on the urgency of educating college students on the dangers of psychiatric drugs and other abusive industry practices.

14 Mar 2008 — USA

Today, thousands of Scientologists from around the world attended the 2008 anniversary of the birthday of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, in Clearwater, Florida. Emceed by Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, the event featured a multi-media biographical presentation by the LRH Biographer, and awards to the fastest expanding Scientology Missions and Churches in the world.

13 Mar 2008 — World

In cities in countries around the world, Scientologists paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard on the anniversary of his birthday.

12 Mar 2008 — Russia

In St. Petersburg, nightclub goers learned of the risk of taking drugs. Volunteers from the Church-sponsored "Say NO to Drugs" group passed out fliers and brochures and answered questions.

11 Mar 2008 — Mexico

The Institute of Superior Technology in the city of Nuevo Casas Grande in Chihuahua, Mexico, invited the Foundation for a Drug-Free World to participate in the grand finale of their week-long anti-drug festival. Some 600 students, teachers and representatives of government and non-governmental organizations attended. The Institute has adopted the drug-education materials produced by the Foundation.

2 Mar 2008 — USA

2 March 2008: USA—Tampa Scientologists are proud to participate in the Second Annual Human Rights Marathon, to promote education in, and full implementation of, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights internationally.

1 Mar 2008 — USA

1 March 2008: USA—Citizens Commission on Human Rights celebrates 29 years of protecting the rights of those abused by psychiatry and psychology. The Beverly Hills event featured the release of a new 11-minute documentary that reveals how psychiatric medications are responsible for skyrocketing suicide and violent homicides among young people.

29 Feb 2008 — Lithuania

Scientology-sponsored drug education program expands into Lithuania with concerned anti-drug activists in those two nations adopting the program to educate youth on the dangers of the most commonly used drugs.

28 Feb 2008 — Kenya

28 February 2008: Kenya—Spurred by recent post-election violence a group of young people from Kenya have formed a partnership with Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI). The group aims at protecting youth from violent acts by educating them in their rights using booklets and DVDs produced by YHRI.

28 Feb 2008 — Sweden

28 February 2008: Sweden—Swedish spokesperson of Citizens Commission on Human Rights is quoted in an article titled "Chemically-Induced Suicide: 90 Percent of Suicide Victims Took Antidepressant Drugs." The report details the results of a study by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare that analyzed the 367 suicides recorded in the year 2006.

27 Feb 2008 — Denmark

27 February 2008: Denmark—Church sponsored drug-prevention group awards the manager of the two largest Copenhagen nightclubs for his work in educating youth on the dangers of drugs.

26 Feb 2008 — USA

26 February 2008: USA—The Founding Church of Scientology of Washington DC hosts the Swiss Ambassador to the United States on a tour of their facilities, including a briefing on the human rights activities of the Church.

23 Sep 2007 — Peru

Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Peru since a magnitude 8 earthquake rocked Peru, a team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers continues its work to help the survivors.

24 Aug 2007 — Peru

Scientology Volunteer Ministers team is continuing their work, helping emergency relief workers provide needed supplies and services to survivors of last week's earthquake. Volunteers and those willing to donate funds to support the relief effort are asked to contact the Volunteer Ministers Consultant at vm@volunteerministers.org.

9 Aug 2007 — Philippines

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Asian Goodwill Tour continues its activities in the Philippines. They have set up their tent at the Graduate School of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where they are providing courses and seminars on the Scientology Handbook to students and faculty.

7 Aug 2007 — USA

The Church of Scientology International and the Foundation for a Drug-Free World today called for parents, educators, and community groups to strike back at widespread drug abuse and crime by initiating strategies for drug demand reduction. The appeal was made at National Night Out meetings across the nation, held to heighten awareness and prevention of crime, drugs and violence.

6 Aug 2007 — UK

Youth For Human Rights International is providing human rights workshops at the International Scouting Jamboree commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of scouting. These workshops center around 30 video clips Youth for Human Rights International has created to educate youth on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

4 Aug 2007 — USA

Its 38th anniversary celebration was the kind of spectacular gala for which the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International has become famous, and while guests enjoyed the best in food and entertainment they also learned of the impact the Church is having on society, with presentations and displays describing the scope of the Church-sponsored social betterment programs.

1 Aug 2007 — Russia

In response to a request from the Mayor of Kashira, a town in the Federal District of Moscow, Russian Scientologists held a drug education event in the center of the town where they distributed over a thousand booklets presenting the truth about drugs to people of the area.

31 Jul 2007 — Belgium

The Church of Scientology International European Office of Public Affairs and Human Rights in Brussels hosted an event to open dialogue and improve relations among the many different religious and ethnic groups in Europe. Representatives of Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist religions and various ethnic groups participated in the planning session to work out how to foster better communication and understanding among their communities.

30 Jul 2007 — Philippines

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour wrapped up a series of workshops on Scientology assist technology, (which address the spiritual and emotional effects of illness, injury and trauma) and the basics of organization. The Quezon City Public Order and Safety Office commended the team, stating: "The Quezon City Government would like to express its heartfelt thanks and gratitude," and acknowledging Scientology founder

L. Ron Hubbard for his service to Mankind. 29 Jul 2007 — Taiwan The Yun-Lin County Mayor formally thanked the Church of Scientology of Taiwan for five years of dedicated work in helping the community. The Church is well known throughout Taiwan for its drug education and human rights education programs, all of which are run by volunteers.