Yesterday I fell foul of dodgy smallprint. It didn’t cost me much, but I learned from the mistake. More importantly however, I’ve written a letter to the company concerned, in the hope that they will correct their dishonest ways. Now, here at the Church of Scientology we have a lot of administrative policies and principles written by L. Ron Hubbard, which are not just applicable to a Church of Scientology but to most any organisation you could think of. Continue reading
Youth for Human Rights, on an International Stage
I’ve just returned from assisting international human rights organisation, Youth for Human Rights International, with their 6th annual human rights summit in Geneva, Switzerland. Supported by the Church of Scientology as our chosen non-religious human rights programme, Youth for Human Rights International aims to make the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights known and understood, primarily among young people, throughout all nations of the world. More to follow…
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Preparing for the Human Rights Summit
The Church of Scientology supports the largest non-governmental human rights education programme on the planet, that of Youth for Human Rights International, the secular (non-religious) human rights organisation founded by South African Scientologist Mary Shuttleworth. But why does the Church support this programme? And what does it have to do with me?
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Safeguard and Improve Your Environment
As Scientologists, we aim to apply the ‘common sense’ moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard, called The Way To Happiness. Here’s a story I wrote for NowPublic about how my church is applying one of the precepts of that moral code, “Safeguard and Improve Your Environment”:
MANCHESTER—Representatives of the Church of Scientology in Manchester announced this week the beginning of a new environmental strategy which aims to reduce waste of energy and resources and increase recycling, in line with the council’s current environmental campaigns.
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Dianetics easier than ever
Hands up who’s heard of Dianetics… well for those of you who don’t know, it’s the forerunner to Scientology applied religious philosophy. It’s used in Scientology, but Dianetics itself is a whole separate subject about the mind and is not religious. Interesting though it may be, a lot of people these days rely on visual communications media to give them the messages they want to receive. We used to sell a DVD at the Church on how to run the Dianetics therapy procedure, which aims to help a person eradicate the negative effects of past traumatic experiences. That DVD was 40 mins long and by no means complete, given the 500-or-so pages of L. Ron Hubbard’s book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. This week, we released a brand new 4-and-a-half hour double DVD. More?
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Scientology presented at Parrs Wood Sixth Form
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.
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Ethics and Finances
Thought I would share this little nugget of what I was studying from the administrative works of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard…
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Three Cheers for Piers
Piers Springthorpe, 24th June 1967 – 5th June 2009—Piers will be remembered as a unique individual known for his broad smile, easy sense of humour and his dedication to helping others pick themselves up. He was tireless in these endeavours and set an example for others to follow. He was particularly active in seeing that proper drug rehabilitation and education were made available to everyone as well as literacy skills. He was an individual with a very big heart and he was always seeing the best in people. As a parishioner and committee member of our Manchester church over the past 26 years, Piers accomplished so very much. His departure leaves a hole that will be difficult to fill with any one person’s contribution. Our Founder, L. Ron Hubbard wrote: “a truly great person loves his fellows because he understands them.” Our thoughts are with his family and close friends. —Sam Butler, Church of Scientology of Manchester
He had a good run. The funeral was really nice, his dad had some great stories that made us all smile. Looking to the future now…
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Government advises “reporting adverse drug reactions”
The Prime Minister’s Office announced yesterday the MHRA‘s intention to advise prescription drug users to report adverse reactions to pharmaceutical products, in response to a petition started by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) in London, which called for ‘Black Box Warnings’ on psychotropic drugs.
According to CCHR, whose mission is ‘to expose and eradicate psychiatric violations of human rights,’ there have been 119 international warnings against psycho-pharmaceuticals since the year 2000. Continue reading
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Psychiatric drugging of children “deadly”, says watchdog
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) was founded by members of the Church of Scientology, which is how I became aware of it and its mission. The following is a news article about a demonstration staged by CCHR in Liverpool…
Attendees arrived at the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Liverpool yesteday, amid fierce protest from human rights watchdog the ‘Citizens Commission on Human Rights’ (CCHR), whose supporters donned black t-shirts and waved placards with photos of children who have died as a result of psychiatrist-prescribed medications or psychiatric abuse.
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