http://www.scientology.org/videos.html#/videos/category/what-we-do/scientology-commercial-one-day

Screenshots from the video:

Well, sadly, he’s been at it again. But this time it’s with a twist, so, here’s a little light viewing to illustrate how John Sweeney and his puppetmasters have wasted some of that £4bn budget this year:

• BBC Panorama
• John Sweeney
• Panorama Scientology

One such new ad is entitled, “An Invitation to Freedom,” and sources its dialogue directly from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s written work, An Invitation to Freedom—Man Can Save His Soul:

“It has not come with blares of trumpets or the flare and flash of flame. It has come quietly, and you aren’t at all sure you should believe it.”

“You are a spirit. You are your own soul. You are not mortal. You can be free.”

The new ads can be seen on the Church of Scientology’s newly-refreshed international website at www.scientology.org (direct link to the ads), as well as on television channels including MTV, VH1 and Sky News in the UK.

In terms of the Church of Scientology, I have to be clear in reiterating Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard‘s policy on politics, which is entitled “Politics, Freedom From,” and wherein he states:

I hereby declare Scientology to be nonpolitical and nonideological.”

…

Scientology is for a free people and is itself on this date declared free of any political connection or allegiance of any kind whatever.”

L. Ron Hubbard was however no stranger to the subject of politics. Since politics itself as a word is derived from the Greek polī́tēs, meaning “citizen”, and Ron was a philosopher concerned with the improvement of people’s lives, he also had something to say on the subject of politics and government.

In working toward true freedom for others, Ron became involved in human rights causes. In his article Goverment and Revolt, he wrote:

Governments by, for and of special privilege are doomed the moment they set up the first barrier to the many. It becomes a barricade.

Ron’s support for human rights and his acknowledgment of civil rights campaigners in the 1960s, as well as his published disgust at Naziism and totalitarian government regimes, would tend to point toward a left-wing political leaning, but then again his disagreement with the hugely unworkable communist model would tend to indicate otherwise. Additionally, in 1966, he wrote about the composition of a successful organisation—including an entire nation.

In speaking of “why organisations stay small,” Ron lays it out like this:

A LARGE ORGANIZATION IS COMPOSED OF GROUPS. A SMALL ORGANIZATION IS COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS.

He goes on to mention how this applies to a planet or nation and how in terms of socialism, “The government seeks to run the individual”. Speaking of the countries where he spent most of his time, Ron stated in no uncertain terms:

To the degree that England and the US tax the individual and seek to govern him they will dwindle in size.

Essentially, the groups that make up the larger organisation of a nation would be businesses that produce and contribute to the economy of that nation, a concept most readily embraced by the centre-right political parties and most staunchly, and perhaps memorably, by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

So where does that leave the Scientologist? There is much philosophical and practical information in Scientology that ought to be applied in the case of choosing a representative one would like to elect. But the only thing that sums up the view taken on government specifically, comes from Ron’s non-religious moral code, The Way To Happiness, which is very much taken to heart by Scientologists. In Precept 10 (see the video), it advises this:

SUPPORT A GOVERNMENT DESIGNED AND RUN FOR ALL THE PEOPLE

…

The way to happiness is hard to travel when shadowed with the oppression of tyranny. A benign government, designed and run for ALL the people, has been known to smooth the way: when such occurs, it deserves support.

For more information about Scientology, visit the official Church of Scientology website at http://www.scientology.org/, buy one of the beginning books, or contact your local church or mission.

(The L. Ron Hubbard quotes in this article are from copyrighted material owned by L. Ron Hubbard Library.)

The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) is funding Scientology Volunteer Ministers to help in Haiti, in the spirit of their motto, “Something CAN be done about it”.

To Scientologists: if you want to volunteer, contact

vm@volunteerministers.org

To all: To make a donation to the IAS, contact your local Church of Scientology. To train as a Volunteer Minister, do the same. To find your nearest Church, visit http://www.scientology.org/links/locator.html

Significant dates in the Scientology calendar are often commemorated early at a central location for many Scientologists to attend. Briefings will be given by well-known ecclesiastical figures, detailing expansion of the religion into new areas, significant partnerships, and the progress of the social and community programmes which the Church supports. This can sometimes be a chance for the Church to release new materials, such as additional translations of the Scientology scriptures or restored audio and videos, as well as new services such as life improvement courses and special Scientology religious counselling services. In most cases, the central celebration and briefings are professionally recorded and replayed in Churches around the world as part of their local events.

So these are the most significant dates in the calendar:

March 13th – L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday
L. Ron Hubbard was born on 13th March 1911. His birthday is celebrated by an international Scientology event, often incorporating an address by Mr Hubbard’s official biographer, Dan Sherman, giving Scientologists an insight into the life of their religion’s founder.

May 9th – Dianetics Anniversary
Following his discoveries in the field of the mind, Mr Hubbard was prompted to write a comprehensive guide to his subject of Dianetics that would be accessible to the man on the street. This came to fruition on 9th May 1950 with the publication of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Dianetics is a forerunner and substudy of Scientology religious philosophy and is regarded with great importance by the Scientology community.

June 6th – Maiden Voyage Anniversary
In 1967 Mr Hubbard, a former naval officer and licensed Master Mariner, founded a special Scientology organisation called the Sea Organisation (or Sea Org for short), which was based aboard a ship. This became the Church’s fraternal religious order and from 1975 was land based. On 6th June 1988 the Sea Org made a return to the seas with the maiden voyage of the 440-foot motor vessel Freewinds, a Scientology spiritual retreat that sails in the Caribbean, away from the distractions of an inner-city environment. This important development for Scientologists is commemorated with a several-days-long summit aboard the ship, where briefings are given as noted above, and which is often celebrated over three or four weeks of consecutive gatherings at Churches of Scientology around the world. It often marks a mid-way point in the year and is an opportunity for Scientologists to find out how the year is progressing so far.

Second Sunday in September – Auditor’s Day
Auditors are the practitioners of the Scientology religion, trained to minister the spiritual counselling known as ‘auditing.’ So important is their role in the practice of the Scientology religion that this day is set aside to honour and acknowledge them and to present awards for outstanding achievement. While international in scope, this celebration is often more of a local affair, with a live awards presentation at each Church of Scientology.

October 7th – IAS Anniversary
The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) was formed in England on 7th October 1984 with the purpose “To unite, advance, support and protect the Scientology religion and Scientologists in all parts of the world, so as to achieve the aims of Scientology as originated by L. Ron Hubbard.” It is the Church’s membership organisation, and uses membership fees and donations from Scientologists around the world to fund programmes that forward the Scientology religion, such as the establishment of new Churches, as well as nonreligious social and community betterment programmes that align with the aims of Scientology. The anniversary is one of the largest celebrations in the Scientology calendar and for the past decade has been held in the United Kingdom, with video recordings sent to Churches across the planet for their local celebrations.

December 31st – New Year’s Eve
While certainly a significant cultural date for many, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with a major Scientology event looking back on the accomplishments of the past year and forward to the roll-out of new campaigns and activities for Churches of Scientology in the year to come. The central event is often held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, significant in the Scientology community for being the venue of a sell-out lecture by L. Ron Hubbard in August 1950 on Dianetics, and because Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of Scientologists anywhere in the world.

That covers the main dates in our calendar, but many Churches will also celebrate locally-significant dates such as the anniversary of their establishment, which in Manchester is 12th March, just one day before L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday. This year, the Church of Scientology of Manchester celebrated its 35th year in the city.

Additionally, has has already been mentioned, Scientologists will often celebrate cultural dates in their respective areas, very much including Christmas, which brings me to my next point: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all who took the time to read this!

There’s also the snowfall-on-the-MET-Office-roof fiasco, which always makes me chuckle, but overall, I enjoy Christmas in England. I’ve mentioned a little about getting in touch with people at Christmastime; we all try to send cards to as many friends, family members, acquaintances and contacts as possible, and sometimes it’s a reminder of how little we communicate with some of them. Still, with the rising popularity of Internet-based social networking (naming no names COUGH Facebook COUGH), it is becoming rather easier in some ways. Communication is important in Scientology and the philosophy teaches much on the subject.

Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once wrote that “Communication is the universal solvent.” Relating that to Christmas always reminds me of the tale of Christmas 1914, when opposing troops fighting in the First World War gathered in song and, some say, games of football. I always recall this story as one which shows true human nature and the fact that people are basically good, despite their disagreements with one another or the ill direction of ruling tyrants.

I’ll stop short of wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas” as the month of December has only just begun, but here’s hoping for a sprinkling of snow so I can send my antipodean relatives a photo of what they’re missing…

Recently the truly excellent (IMHO) short film director and Scientologist Taron Lexton completed work on a visualisation of the 1981 nonreligious moral code by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, The Way To Happiness. It’s basically a feature film but the characters don’t have any dialogue as such; rather the narrative is provided by a word-for-word reading of the book, with the video imagery supporting and helping visually explain the content. Never seen anything quite like it, loved it, end of story. So here’s a quote from my favourite part of the book, the penultimate (second-to-last) chapter:

“Sometimes others seek to crush one down, to make nothing out of one’s hopes and dreams, one’s future and oneself.

“By ridicule and other means, another who is evil-intentioned toward one can try to bring about one’s decline.

“For whatever reason, efforts to improve oneself, to become happier in life, can become the subject of attacks.

“It is sometimes necessary to handle such directly. But there is a long-range handling that seldom fails.

“…The real handling of such a situation and such people, the real way to defeat them is to flourish and prosper.

“Oh, yes, it is true that such people, seeing one improve his lot, can become frantic and attack all the harder. The thing to do is handle them if one must but don’t give up flourishing and prospering, for that is what such people want you to do.

“If you flourish and prosper more and more, such people go into apathy about it: they can give it up completely.

“If one’s aims in life are worthwhile, if one carries them out with some attention to the precepts in this book, if one flourishes and prospers, one certainly will wind up the victor. And, hopefully, without harming a single hair on their heads.

“And that is my wish for you: flourish and prosper!“—L. Ron Hubbard

For more information about use of The Way To Happiness in upholding and restoring morality across the world, visit the website of The Way To Happiness Foundation. The Way To Happiness is © L. Ron Hubbard Library.

Neeeext… Kabooom—some guy I’ve never heard of decides he’s not going to be a Scientologist anymore. He’s a film director and quite possibly known by some, but I’d certainly never heard of him either as a director or as a Scientologist. Apparently he’d been involved with Scientology for quite some time, but clearly he missed the boat somewhere. He was upset that a Church spokesperson refused to denounce, in private correspondence, the apparent public support of a proposed law in California proscribing (banning) same-sex marriage, which support was said to have come from a Californian Church of Scientology.

Alright, so there are two things to take up here. First is the Church’s actual position regarding homosexuality. The foremost thing to know is that Scientology is open to anyone, and even those who are excommunicated from the Church have recourse to rejoin the Church. Some people cannot take certain counselling services within a Church because of legal or medical ramifications that could harm the group, but they are free to be assisted by trained Scientology ministers who are not members of Church staff; this may be a little-known fact. There is nothing barring people of whatever sexuality, race, religion or political leaning, from involving themselves in the Scientology religion. There are writings within the Scientology scripture concerning sex and sexuality, but they do not preclude the participation of homosexual persons from joining the Church or partaking of services therein. There is however a traditional pro-family viewpoint shared by many Scientologists, and marriage is encouraged between partners in a serious relationship, though more important is application of the moral precept, “Don’t be promiscuous.”

Now that’s out of the way, second is the policy of Churches of Scientology regarding politics, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter of 14th June 1965, Issue III, POLITICS, FREEDOM FROM, wherein Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard states:

“I hereby declare Scientology to be nonpolitical and nonideological.”
…
“Scientologists may be members of any political group on this planet without restraint only so long as these individuals or that group do not attempt to seize Scientology for their own warlike ends and so make it unworkable or distasteful by invidious connection.”

So whatever happened in California, either the newspapers were wrong or the Church was. Newspapers don’t have such a good fact-checking reputation when it comes to Scientology. Churches of Scientology do not engage in political debate, support or attack. The only time a Church may become involved with politics would be where proposed laws may inhibit religious freedom or restrict human rights in a way that is harmful to its community or nation.

Moving on… Just as a brief interlude before speaking of that lovely place south of the English Channel, I would like to pose the question, ‘What makes it acceptable for a journalist to be obnoxious and offensive toward a religious official and pass it off as an interview or journalistic inquiry?’ It happened recently to a Church spokesperson who was faced with a highly offensive line of questioning relating to the Scientology religion. I feel there should be more compassion and respect among journalists covering stories on Scientology. After all, it is my religion.

Okay so France. What the hell happened there?! Their record of religious tolerance continues to look like a multi-car pile-up on the M25 at rush hour. This time the papers clung on to the ‘story’ of some court case involving a Paris Church. What actually happened was this: The Paris Correctional Court rejected the recommendations of prosecutors in a case against a Paris Church of Scientology, a Scientology bookstore and six Church members. The court cited the absence of any complaints against the Church in more than a decade, as reason for refusing to impose restrictions on the Church’s activities in France, which had been sought by the prosecution. And what of the plaintiff? A woman with 5 months’ participation in Scientology religious practices, leeched onto by anti-religionists and pushed to litigate. The US State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report issued this week said that “discriminatory treatment” of Scientologists in France “remained a concern.”

Paradoxically, the European Court of Human Rights, serving the member nations of the Council of Europe, is located in Strasbourg, part of France. They recently handed down a judgement in favour of two Scientology groups in Russia, affirming the basic human rights of their members to freedom of religious association and practice, which itself follows the European Court of Human Rights’ earlier landmark decision concerning the Church of Scientology of Moscow.

Add to the above myth-busting the fact that the Church of Scientology has more than 8,000 Churches, Missions and groups in 165 countries, sponsors the world’s largest non-governmental drug education programme, and sponsors the largest international human rights education intiative, all while opening four major new Churches in 2009 alone: Rome, Malmö, Dallas and Nashville, as well as new Churches set to open in Washington, D.C. and Brussels before the year is out.