Another Scientologist and I were invited to present Scientology to sixth form students at Parrs Wood school in Didsbury this week. I have to say I am grateful to Parrs Wood for this opportunity to present my religion and to answer the students’ questions. I’d say the day was very successful.
It started out with all the religions’ representatives getting together in the school hall with the 180-or-so sixth formers and introducing themselves. Then we delivered three presentations to different classes. Word in the school was that so many people wanted in on the Scientology ones that they had to refuse some people because the classroom was too small! We had about thirty in the biggest class, which was great.
I used a few videos and we explained some principles, and of course there were interjected questions that threw us off our carefully-planned schedule for the allotted 45-minute sessions, but it’s all part of the game! I took questions on all kinds of things, including our view of other religions, why we have a chapel, what Scientology’s symbols represent, and many more. Every one of our presentations ran over time and the students were very interested. I’d ended them with a video on human rights, explaining that we of course stand for not only religious freedom for ourselves, but freedom for all people to choose and practice their own religions and indeed for everyone’s human rights–the rights we have simply because we are human.
After the presentations and a nice buffet lunch we headed back to the hall for a panel Q+A where the students fired all kinds of questions at us. Scientology got the most specifically-directed questions, though I’d say a majority were offered up for all the religions to answer. I keep saying religions, but I should say ‘religion or belief’, since even the Humanist Society was represented by two of its members. I’m not sure if that’s perhaps pushing the boat out a little far, but it seemed to go okay. I met a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses and a very personable Colorado gentleman who was representing the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).
We answered questions there about all kinds of tricky topics like abortion and sexuality, and the head of RE ended off by asking, “Which one of you is right?” Obviously you have to be clever about how you answer a question like that, but really I was quite truthful as I explained that in Scientology right and wrong are not black and white and that we embrace and respect all religions and beliefs, so asserting our rightness as the only way forward in religion would not be correct. As I said, all in all I really enjoyed the day and found it to have been successful. A big thank you to all at Parrs Wood for arranging the event and inviting us.
Now we need to get some more schools running initiatives like this…