Scientology Christmas Message

I thought this article on the Scientology Press Office web site was great advice not only for Christmas but for any day:



The holiday season should be a time of joy. But for too many it is marred by antagonism, anxiety, even despair.

So, is there a way to guarantee that the next few weeks will really be the "happy holidays" they sing about? And to help anyone get into the Christmas spirit?
"The Scientology religion contains practical tools you can use throughout the year," said Rev. Bob Adams, Vice President of the Church of Scientology International, in his holiday message this week. "And what makes these tools special is how easy they are to learn and how effective they are."
According to Adams, a cheerful or enthusiastic attitude toward life is something anyone can accomplish, not only for himself or herself but for friends and family as well.
"If I were to tell you that all you have to do, to feel better, is to communicate, you might not believe me," said Adams, "but it's true."

He was referring to a concept discovered by Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard — the A-R-C triangle.

The Scientology Handbook describes this triangle in these terms:

"Affinity, reality and communication form the ARC triangle, with each point dependent upon the other two. These are the component parts of understanding."

"A principal application of ARC is to increase affinity, reality and communication, and thus understanding, between oneself and another. How does one talk to somebody else? "The way to do this is to establish reality by finding something with which you and the other person agree.

"Then you attempt to maintain as high an affinity level as possible by knowing there is something you can like about him.

"All three corners of the ARC triangle will have been established and you are then able to talk to him."

Adams went on to say, "Now it can sometimes be a real challenge to find something you agree about, and it can be rough maintaining a high level of affinity for someone who is having a go at you. But the more skill one has in communication, the better he or she can raise the other two corners of the triangle. And when you try it out a few times and see how effective it is, you will know it's absolutely worth the effort."

Adams also pointed out that fortunately, communication skill is something anyone can learn. And with it being a surefire route to a happier life, it's certainly worth learning more about.

For more information about how you can improve your communication ability and become more skilled at applying the A-R-C triangle, visit your local Scientology church or mission or get a copy of The Scientology Handbook.

Good and Evil -- Right and Wrong

I never realized before learning some basic Scientology principles that the subject of Ethics could be understood and used as a tool.

What I studies about Ethics in college was just a confused jumble.

I can remember sitting around discussing the complexity of ethics, and how impossible it was to come up with a real standard of ethical behavior.

But that's not true.

Here's an excerpt from the The Scientology Handbook on the subject.

"Man has long found ethics to be a confusing subject. In recent decades it has become more so. How does a person know if what he is doing is right or wrong? When he sees dishonest men hold power, criminals go free and traditional values cast aside, maybe he feels he should take the easy way out. “Others cheat on their taxes, why shouldn’t I? Other kids shoplift, what’s the harm?” But, regardless of anything else, a person has to live with himself. With many pressures pushing and pulling at a person, how can he be sure his choices will be best for himself, his family and every aspect of his life and his future?

"L. Ron Hubbard achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the field of ethics which included not only simplification and codification of the subject, but development of a workable technology with applicability to our daily lives, one which brings about increased happiness, prosperity and survival."

Human Rights

As a Scientologist I support making human rights a reality. For more data go to youthforhumanrights.org.

Scientology Disaster Relief Training

I'm very happy to see that anyone wishing to learn the Scientology Handbook techniques offered in the Volunteer Ministers Course can take the disaster relief training at one of the VM tents or a Scientology church.

The Technologies of Being an Effective Volunteer

There are two major disasters going on right now in the ANZO area (Australia, New Zealand and Oceania) -- with the fires going on in Victoria, and the Typhoon which just hit in the Philippines. Now, Volunteer Minister teams are being dispatched to both locations -- but what are the technologies they use which makes them so effective? Governments praise them, the people on the ground wonder at why they can just get in and get things done -- but they're just people.

What's the difference between what they've got and what other groups might lack? The difference is that Scientology Volunteer Ministers are studied and drilled heaviliy in L. Ron Hubbard's organization technology -- for handling situations which seemingly are a confusing mass. >> continued

A Great Story!

Twin Cities Man "Reads People their Rights"

A Minneapolis man has been spending the weeks leading up to Christmas, stopping people in the streets of his city to "read them their rights." Scientologist, Vladimir Reznikov, took to the streets to "read people their rights." The phrase was popularized by a US Supreme Court decision in 1966 to protect those suspected of crimes, ensuring their rights to due process of law as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution — specifically the individual's right not to "be a witness against himself." But Vladimir Reznikov is not a police officer. And he is not making citizens arrests. In fact, he does not suspect the people he is approaching of being guilty of anything...except ignorance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). But Reznikov is not a police officer. And he not making citizens arrests. In fact, he does not suspect the people he is approaching of being guilty of anything...except ignorance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR, adopted by the United Nations 58 years ago on December 10th, specified 30 separate rights to which every member of the human family is entitled — such as the right to life, freedom of expression and privacy, and freedom from slavery and torture. But a survey conducted on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration found that 90% of Americans did not even know such a document existed. Shocked by this lack of awareness, Scientologists began a campaign to make knowledge of human rights universal. And so Youth for Human Rights International was conceived — to see to the full implementation of human rights everywhere on Earth and create an entire generation of human rights advocates by ensuring youth know the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is a principle, discovered by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, called the "K-R-C Triangle" standing for the interrelationship between Knowledge, Responsibility and Control. Mr. Hubbard described this in the following terms: "It is difficult to be responsible for something or control something unless you have KNOWLEDGE of it. "It is folly to try to control something or even know something without RESPONSIBILITY. "It is hard to fully know something or be responsible for something over which you have no CONTROL, otherwise the result can be an overwhelm." Mr. Hubbard also discovered that by raising one corner of this triangle one raises the other two factors as well. Using booklets, published by Youth for Human Rights International with the help of a grant from the International Association of Scientologists, Vladimir is letting his fellow Minnesotans know the rights to which they are entitled, and which they too are responsible to insist be applied to others. And it is just to that end, on the eve of the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that Scientologist Vladimir Reznikov took to the streets with booklets, published by Youth for Human Rights International with the help of a grant from the International Association of Scientologists, to let his fellow Minnesotans know the rights to which they are entitled, and which they too are responsible to insist be applied to others. For more information on how you can take responsibility for letting others know their rights, visit Youth for Human Rights International at www.youthforhumanrights.org..

Scientoloyg in South Africa

As with most people and institutions, Scientology was badly suppressed during appartheid.

It's really great to see how well the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg is doing now.

Scientology and Volunteering

L. Ron Hubbard once said "a being is only as valuable as he can serve others."

It's pretty much a truism. But how many of us apply this to the way we live our lives?

I would like to extend my thanks to the Scientology Volunteer Ministers who are out there on the streets, in the disaster zones, in their communities, helping people.

How many lives have they helped, how many people are better for having known them?

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Being Mobilized for the Philippines

Help is needed by Scientology Volunteer Minsiters to help with the disaster relief following Typhoon Durian.

To find out how you can help, visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site or email vm@volunteerministers.org