Scientology Church Supports Anti-Drug March

Sunland/Tujunga - Members of the Church of Scientology of Pasadena were among hundreds of youths who participated in an Anti-Drug March from Bolton Hall in Tujunga to Sunland Park. With the help of the Sunland Tujunga Rotary Club, and supported by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, students from the Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga and the Delphi Academy in Lake View Terrace organized this walk and a festival to educate teenagers about the dangers of drugs.

“We knew we wanted to do something to tell people about drugs, and at first we thought of just doing talks in different classes at school. That would be good, but we wanted to do something bigger, to help the whole community. That’s how we decided on the walk,” said Krista Baysdorpher from Delphi Academy.

According to Eden Stein, President of the Church of Scientology of Pasadena, “L. Ron Hubbard wrote ‘Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs.’ Drugs are a serious problem here in Southern California, and we are committed to helping young people stay out of this trap.”

The statistics on drug use among youth is particularly alarming. From a survey done by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 50 percent of public school students in the United States have tried an illicit drug by the time they are 17 years old. To do something effective about this, the Foundation published booklets that provide information about the harmful and sometimes deadly consequences of the most popular drugs. During the recent anti-drug march, hundreds of these booklets were distributed, arming youth with the information they need to say “No” to drugs.

Scientology "Ideal Organizations"

Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige presented three new Churches of Scientology this year: in Malmo (Sweden), Nashville and Dallas. What are these "Ideal Organizations"?

Nashville

Each church is dedicated to achieving the Aims of Scientology: “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.”

Nashville Scientologists carry out their social mission through volunteer work to combat drug abuse and addiction. “We’ve been getting the word out about the dangers of drugs,” said Brian Fesler, the Church’s Director of Public Affairs. “In the past few weeks we’ve passed out thousands of booklets which cover the truth about drugs and the harm they cause.”

The Church also has an active Scientology Volunteer Ministers group, which carries out community service projects and provides emergency response and disaster relief.

The Fall School Building, the Church of Scientology’s new home in Nashville, is an historical landmark. Built in 1898 in a similar style to the legendary Ryman Auditorium, a prominent Nashville landmark erected six years earlier, the 36,000 square foot facility served the area as a public school until 1970. The Church purchased the building in 2007. Many of its original features were preserved, including the hardwood floors, doors and stairwells and eight solid wood pillars capped with iron that support a central three-story atrium.

Dallas

“We are very happy about our move to Irving,” said Dallas Church President Mr. Arlo Ihrig. “This central location makes it possible for us to reach out to more communities and to extend our help across a broader range of demographics in Dallas county and beyond.” The Church of Scientology of Dallas supervises Scientology activities for northern Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The new Church of Scientology of Dallas represents more than four decades of growth of Scientology in Texas since the first Church of Scientology was founded there in 1967.

Malmo, Sweden

The new church not only provides greatly expanded facilities for religious training, services and counseling, it also enables the Church to bring Scientology’s international social reform and betterment programs to the city on a much larger scale.

“Our doors are open to everyone,” said the Malmo Church’s president, Stig Andersson. “We want everyone to come in, tour our exhibition or attend an open house and find out for themselves who we are and what we do.”

The new Church of Scientology of Malmö represents four decades of growth in Sweden. A group of students from Lund University founded the first Church of Scientology in Sweden in 1969.

Resources: Scientology.org and ScientologyToday.org