Praxis wrote:

> from
> http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/09/State/Scientology_reaches_o.shtml
>
> Scientology reaches out and touches a nerve
> A Boys & Girls Clubs director wants the club logo removed from an L.
> Ron Hubbard booklet.
> By ROBERT FARLEY, Times Staff Writer
> Published September 9, 2005
>
> CLEARWATER - Look where you might bump into the teachings of the Church
> of Scientology and its creator these days.
>
> If you attended a fashion show that raised money for the Boys & Girls
> Clubs of Clearwater last week, you may have found L. Ron Hubbard's "Way
> to Happiness" booklet in your goodie bag.
>
> And if you're a judge, elected official or community leader in Florida,
> you might find a Scientology DVD in your mailbox. The church sent out
> 4,000 of the DVDs to officials statewide this week.
>
> Both are outreach efforts sponsored by the church or its followers, and
> they've gotten a mixed reception.
>
> It was no secret that the fashion show at the Belleair Country Club was
> sponsored by a nonprofit group established by Scientologists. The
> annual event, which netted the Boys & Girls Club $15,000 last year,
> raises funds for the Boys & Girls Club and the Church of Scientology's
> annual Winter Wonderland.
>
> What bothered Carl Lavender, executive director of the Boys & Girls
> Clubs of the Suncoast, was that the booklets bore the insignia of the
> Boys & Girls Clubs on the cover and directions on the back cover
> indicating that additional copies could be obtained at the Boys & Girls
> Clubs of the Suncoast facilities next to Jack Russell Stadium in
> Clearwater. The booklet is a moral code written by Hubbard, creator of
> the Church of Scientology, and millions of copies have been distributed
> by church adherents worldwide.
>
> The material may have been well-intentioned, Lavender said, "but I'm
> not pleased. You can't produce materials with our logo on it unless I
> give permission. We are going to collect all of them back and have them
> discarded."
>
> Joanie Sigal of Clearwater Community Volunteers, the Scientology
> volunteer group, and a member of the Clearwater Boys & Girls Club's
> board of managers, originally proposed adding the logo and distributing
> the pamphlets. She said Thursday she doesn't know what the fuss is
> about.
>
> "It is a common sense guide to morals," she said.
>
> Among the 21 chapters: Honor and Help Your Parents, Love and Help
> Children, Be Temperate, Don't Be Promiscuous.
>
> Sigal noted that numerous organizations not related to Scientology
> already distribute the pamphlet and put their logos on the front,
> including other religious organizations, several chapters of the NAACP
> and the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department.
>
> Sigal said the board of the local Boys & Girls Club agreed to use some
> of the proceeds from the fashion show to customize the pamphlets, but
> didn't know they needed the permission of the corporate office in St.
> Petersburg.
>
> At a board of managers meeting Thursday evening, Lavender denied
> Sigal's request to have the corporate board consider endorsing the
> pamphlet.
>
> "The booklet ends as of today," Lavender said. "... There needs to be a
> lesson. This cannot happen."
>
> Sigal argued that the booklet does not promote a particular religion,
> but other board members voiced their misgivings.
>
> "It promotes a particular perception in the community," said board
> chair Alvina Moore.
>
> The stir over the pamphlets comes at the same time the church is
> sending out thousands of DVDs to federal, state and locally elected
> officials, judges, mayors, sheriffs, city managers and other community
> leaders to explain church beliefs and programs.
>
> The campaign, paid for by a group of local Scientologists, was in
> response to the enormous media attention focused on Scientology this
> year, related to outspoken statements by actor and Scientologist Tom
> Cruise, said church spokesman Ben Shaw.
>
> On the DVD is a speech titled "This is Scientology. An Overview of the
> World's Fastest Growing Religion," made by church leader David
> Miscavige in California in 2004.
>
> Some elected officials were curious, others ambivalent.
>
> "I didn't find clarity in the video," said Clearwater City Council
> member Bill Jonson. "I am still not ready to articulate what
> Scientology is."
>
> "I'm going to take it home and look at it," said County Commissioner
> Bob Stewart.
^^^^^^^^^^^ "I'm kind of curious. I don't know much about Scientology > except for the controversy."

In an SP Times article about Scientology's outreach to city government following a year of devastating media exposure, you were quoted,

"I'm going to take it home and look at it," said County Commissioner Bob Stewart. "I'm kind of curious. I don't know much about Scientology except for the controversy."

Please keep in mind that the CD sent by Scientology is merely a promotional tool. Probe deeper, please. The controversy is what you should be looking at; phony drug rehab projects, harassment and intimidation of critics, attempts to shut down speech critical to the cult, the list goes on.

Be aware that Scientology policy dictates that it's okay to lie about Scientology if its goals are supported by the outcome. Their drug program does not have a "70% success rate." That has been debunked here: http://narconon-exposed.org

Overall information about Scientology's less happy side can be found on www.xenu.net, which has a standing offer inviting readers to correct any inaccuracies. Scientologists keep whining about "lies" but seem unable to produce anything untruthful on this site.

And finally, to underscore 'What Is Scientology, Really,' I'd like to direct your attention to http://www.religiousfreedomwatch.com

Pay attention to the 'Religious Extremists' list. These are the people Scientology considers enemies. An enemies list is kind of a strange thing for a religion to have...along with internal 'reeducation camps' and a paramilitary toy Naval force.

Please focus on the controversies. To hear them tell it, Scientology is a champion of human rights, free speech, literacy and drug recovery. Yet, their own actions show them to be a money-grubbing, hypocritical, destructive cult.

If you research them well, you will never find yourself in the embarrassing position of being in bed with Scientology. There is no way an honest person could possibly support this group. Connections with this cult should be political suicide, as New York City councilwoman Margarita Lopez is learning.

>

--
--barb
Chaplain,ARSCC
xenubarb@netscape.net

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky Peter Alexander

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