SCIENTOLOGY IN SOCIETY

 These activities would fill a book in themselves, but here are just a few examples that are typical of the things that Scientologists are doing around the world.(See the book What is Scientology?)

 Scientologists regularly hold blood drives to get donations of blood for hospitals, the Red Cross and other similar organizations. As Scientologists do not use harmful drugs, these donations of drug-free blood are welcomed by those in charge of health care.

 Scientologists regularly hold drives to get donations of toys, food and clothing to make life happier for those in need.

 During the annual holiday season, Scientologists are particularly active in this sphere. In downtown Hollywood, California, for example, Scientologists build a "Winter Wonderland" scene each Christmas, complete with a large Christmas tree, Santa Claus and even "snow," creating a traditional Christmas setting for children who otherwise might never see one.

 In Canada, a group of Scientologists spends many weeks each year raising funds to sponsor visits to summer camps by underprivileged children.

 Church members utilize their artistic talents to bring new experiences and joy to children by performing puppet shows in orphanages, schools and shopping malls, and magic shows for children in foster homes.

 Scientologists can also be found in many communities contributing to the care of the elderly. They visit old-age homes and provide entertainment, draw sketches or just drop by and talk with senior citizens.

 You will find Scientologists helping with "community cleanup" campaigns and assistance to the injured at Veteran's Administration hospitals.

 Scientologists have taken a leading role fighting drug abuse, actively educating community officials and groups on the dangers of drugs and solutions to the problems. There are many groups utilizing L. Ron Hubbard's technology and freeing people from the detrimental effects of drugs.

 L. Ron Hubbard's technology on how to study has been used by Scientologists around the world to help students and teachers alike. One place where this technology has made major inroads combating illiteracy is in South Africa, where well over a million native Africans have improved their ability to study.

 Another important area of activity for Scientologists is raising moral standards in society. Scientologists all around the world have distributed tens of millions of copies of the nonreligious moral code called "The Way to Happiness," now available in more than twenty different languages. Its use has led to a revitalization of purpose for people of all ages who apply its simple truths to their lives and to the environment around them.

 The Church and many of its members are also engaged in interfaith activities, the main thrust of which has been to work with leaders of other faiths in the areas of inter-religious dialogue, religious freedom, constitutional law and "religion in society" issues-all aimed toward protecting and forwarding the freedom of religion for everyone.

 Another prevalent activity for Scientologists is to expose and eradicate the violations of human rights perpetrated by psychiatry. Many Scientologists do this as members of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a reform group which was established by the Church in 1969.

 They actively investigate psychiatric abuses and bring these to the attention of the media, legislators and other groups concerned with protecting people from brutal psychiatric techniques. Such practices as psychosurgery electroshock treatment and the administration of dangerous psychiatric drugs have destroyed the minds and lives of millions of individuals. Through the efforts of Scientologists working for CCHR, public awareness of the disastrous results of psychiatric methods has been raised and major steps taken to outlaw such practices.

 Definitely. By the Creed of the Church, "All men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights." Thus, there are no limitations placed on who can receive and benefit from Scientology services.

 There are Scientologists of all races, colors and religious backgrounds.

 For example, there are Dianetics and/or Scientology organizations in Ghana, Zaire, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, among other countries, and Black Scientologists are applying Scientology technology in their communities wherever possible. The Church maintains a Department of Ethnic Affairs specifically to interact and work with minorities.

 Yes, they do. There are members of all of these professions who use Scientology technology to improve the results being obtained in their fields of endeavor.

 Schools and universities in many countries apply L. Ron Hubbard's study methods to improve literacy and teaching success, drug rehabilitation groups use his drug rehabilitation technology to successfully get people off drugs, doctors observe basic Dianetics principles to speed up the recovery of their patients, businessmen apply L. Ron Hubbard's administrative procedures to create thriving businesses.

 Scientology applies to all spheres of life and uniformly gets results when standardly used. Therefore, there is hardly an area of social or community concern where you will not find people using some aspect of L. Ron Hubbard's technology.

 Like all new ideas, Scientology has come under attack by the uninformed and those who feel their vested interests are threatened.

 As Scientologists have openly and effectively advocated social reform causes, they have become the target of attacks.

 For those vested interests who cling to a status quo that is decimating society, Scientology's technology of making the able more able poses a serious threat. Attacks follow as an attempt to stop application of Scientology technology.

 When the Church steps in to handle the attack, the conflict grabs the attention of the press, which lives on controversy. Regardless of the unfounded nature of the attackers' claims, reporters freely promote the controversy. Those seeking to stop Scientology then join the media in regurgitating and regenerating the created controversy.

 Scientology has always flourished and prospered in the face of attacks. In every case where public disputes have been manufactured, intentional and blatant false reports about Scientology and its founder have been discovered to be the common denominator. As the falsehoods are proven lies, the controversy quickly fades, and the truth about Scientology, what the Church really is and what its members do replaces it. The source of these attacks and the controversy they have generated is detailed here.

 The Church has gone to court in many countries to uphold the right to freedom of religion. In Australia, as one example, legal actions by the Church brought about a landmark victory which greatly expanded religious freedom throughout that country

 In the United States, the Church's use of the Freedom of Information Act, taking government agencies to court and holding them accountable to release vital documents to the public on a variety of subjects, has been heralded as a vital action to ensure honesty in government.

 In certain cases, the Church has used the courts to protect its copyrighted materials, or to ensure its rights and the rights of its members are safeguarded.

 During the history of the Church, a few unscrupulous individuals, lusting for money, have observed how Scientology is prospering and rapidly expanding, and have abused the legal system to try to line their own pockets. In the handful of cases where such attempts have occurred, they have uniformly failed.

 Of course not.

 In fact, the Church has received numerous recognitions, citations and validations from various governments for contributions to society in the fields of education, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, crime reduction, human rights, raising moral values and a host of other fields.

 These so-called "deprogramers," better described as psychiatric depersonalizers, are money- motivated individuals who kidnap others for profit. Their methods include brainwashing, imprisonment, food and sleep deprivation and various forms of torture.

 Such activities are clearly against the principles held by Scientologists-and have been proven to be against the law as well. Psychiatric depersonalizers in many countries have gone to jail for their violent and illegal practices.

 Situations in which families have expressed concern over family members' involvement in various religions can generally be handled with communication. No one need resort to violence and mercenaries to resolve the upset.

 The Church does not condone the use of violence and advocates that each person has an inalienable right to their own beliefs.

 As the stepchildren of the German dictator Bismarck and later Hitler and the Nazis, psychiatry and psychology formed the philosophical basis for the wholesale slaughter of human beings in World Wars I and II. Psychiatry uses electric shock, brain-mutilating psychosurgery, and mind damaging drugs to destroy a person and make him "docile and quiet" in the name of "treatment."

 Psychiatric methods involving the butchering of human beings and their sanity are condemned by the Church. Scientologists are trying to create a world without war, insanity and criminality. Psychiatry is seeking to create a world where man is reduced to a robotized or drugged, vegetable-like state so that he can be controlled.

 A primary difference between Scientology and psychiatry is that psychiatrists routinely tell their patients what they think is wrong with them. This interjects lies or ideas which are not true for the individual himself, and thus psychiatric "therapy" violates the basic integrity of the individual.

 On the other hand, Scientology technology enables a person to find out for himself the source of his troubles and gives him the ability to improve conditions in his own life and environment.

 The underlying difference is the fact that Scientology recognizes that man is a spiritual being, while psychiatrists view man as an animal. Scientology is a religion. Psychiatry is strongly opposed to all religions as it does not even recognize that man is a spiritual being.

 Scientologists strongly disagree with the enforced and harmful psychiatric methods of involuntary commitment, forced and heavy drugging, electroconvulsive shock treatment, lobotomy and other psychosurgical operations.

 By the Creed of the Church of Scientology, the healing of mentally caused ills should not be condoned in nonreligious fields. The reason for this is that violent psychiatric therapies cause spiritual traumas. At best, psychiatry suppresses life's problems; at worst, it causes severe damage, irreversible setbacks in a person's life and even death.

 There are certain characteristics and mental attitudes that cause a percentage of the population to oppose violently any betterment activity or group. This small percentage of society (roughly 2 1/2 percent) cannot stand the fact that Scientology is successful at improving conditions around the world. This same 2 1/2 percent is opposed to any self-betterment activity. The reason they so rapidly oppose Scientology is because it is doing more to help society than any other group.

 Those who are upset by seeing man get better are small in number compared to the millions who have embraced Scientology and its efforts to create a sane civilization and more freedom for the individual.

 No. Scientology's aim, as expressed by L. Ron Hubbard, is that of creating "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights. . . ."

 "We seek no revolution. We seek only evolution to higher states of being for the individual and for society"

 Scientology does want to improve and reform societal ills, and Scientologists believe there can be a better world by doing so.

 It is not Scientology's mission to save the world. It is Scientology's mission to free you.

Yes, and it does so every single day.

 By making the able individual in society more able and more certain of his abilities, and by continuing the Church's expansion social reform programs throughout the world, the world can become a better place.

It is possible to bring people to higher levels of communication with the environment and those around them. And as one raises the level of communication, one raises also the ability to observe and change conditions and thereby create a better world and a better civilization.