Tag: Religion and Churches

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Network's DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE, the weekly series providing a platform for independent filmmakers to air films on important social, cultural and environmental issues, presents the documentary "Soul On Ice: Past, Present and Future" on May 17, 2024.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientologists, neighbors and guests gathered at an outdoor auditorium at the Church of Scientology Los Angeles Saturday, May 11. They filled Scientology Churches up and down L. Ron Hubbard Way in East Hollywood for a dinner and awards ceremony to honor top-producing Dianetics auditors and disseminators, celebrate the 74th anniversary of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, and launch the book's diamond anniversary year.

COFFS HARBOUR, New South Wales /ScoopCloud/ -- Every April, Sikh communities around the world celebrate the Sikh faith festival of Vaisakhi with a procession known as Nagar Kirtan. The religion holds that everyone is equal in the eyes of God and must be treated with respect and equality. This is why the Singhs Social Motorcycle Club of Australia (Singhs SMC) joined forces with United for Human Rights New South Wales, a human rights campaign supported by the Church of Scientology, to raise awareness of an important human rights issue affecting Australians.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Network's VOICES FOR HUMANITY, the weekly series presenting heroic change makers from a variety of faiths, cultures and nations, working to uplift their communities, announces a new episode featuring anti-drug activists Lucy and Salomon Dabbah on May 15, 2024.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Network's MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST, the weekly series spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists from around the world and all walks of life, announces an episode on classical Egyptian dance performer Serena Ramzy, premiering May 14, 2024. MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Scientology Network.

HARLEM, N.Y. /ScoopCloud/ -- In the Bronx, where the violent crime rate is the highest of the five boroughs of New York City, TBS New Direction, a Bronx-based mentoring and youth interventionist nonprofit, is addressing the root of the problem. Joined by religious leaders and community activists from the Bronx and Harlem, TBS New Direction leaders and members gathered at the Church of Scientology Harlem Community Center to honor L. Ron Hubbard for his common-sense guide to better living, The Way to Happiness.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Network's DESTINATION: SCIENTOLOGY, the weekly travelogue series that takes viewers inside Scientology Churches all around the world and discovers what makes each one unique, presents an episode featuring Salt Lake City, Utah on May 13, 2024.

NEW YORK, N.Y. /ScoopCloud/ -- Those seeking help, beware, warns Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog. For Mental Health Awareness Month, the group marched through the streets of New York to raise awareness about coercive mental health practices including forced institutionalization and the use of electroshock (ECT) - even on children. Strategically timed to coincide with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual convention in the city, CCHR also brought its Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit to New York.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Untold millions have benefited from L. Ron Hubbard's perennially best-selling "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health" since it was first published on May 9, 1950. As the book's diamond jubilee year begins, "Dianetics" is still startling and new to anyone reading and using it for the first time. And the reason is simple. As Mr. Hubbard stated at the beginning of the book, "Dianetics is an adventure. It is an exploration into Terra Incognita, the human mind, that vast hitherto unknown realm half an inch back of our foreheads." And with the Dianetics Seminar available at Scientology Churches and Missions the world over, it is easier than ever before to experience that adventure.

NEW YORK, N.Y. /ScoopCloud/ -- "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit," open now through May 9 at 37 Union Square West in Manhattan, is not for the faint of heart. But it provides vital information to avoid or survive coercive psychiatric practices that infringe against human rights. The exhibit, produced by Citizens Commission on Human Rights, shows how these practices put health, safety - even life - at risk.

VALENCIA, Spain /ScoopCloud/ -- No stranger to drug abuse and its toll, Alfredo Riaño, who heads the chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World in Valencia, Spain, shares his own story to help kids avoid the ordeal of addiction that he eventually escaped from. And he trains educators, law enforcement and other community partners who share his passion to reach youth with the truth about drugs before they fall prey to the dwindling spiral of drug abuse and addiction.

NEW YORK, N.Y. /ScoopCloud/ -- Midtown Manhattan reverberated with angry voices chanting "Stop the Torture-Ban ECT" as a phalanx of protesters from Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) made their way from Times Square to the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) at Jacob Javits Convention Center. Their demands: The American Psychiatric Association must end coercive practices.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- An ensemble of 22 kids proved "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay" with their high-energy rendition of Grease [PG] at the Church of Scientology Los Angeles last week, produced and directed by Inner City Shakespeare Ensemble Founder and Executive Director Dr. Melanie Andrews.

BUDAPEST, Hungary /ScoopCloud/ -- In the aftermath of the UN and World Health Organization guidance directing that psychiatry cease its coercive practices in the field of mental health, the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) Congress in Budapest in April 2024 attempted damage control. Their arrival sparked protest: a march and the launch of an exhibition to expose psychiatric violations, organized by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology.

COMPTON, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On average, 22 adolescents ages 14 to 18 died of overdose in the U.S. every week in 2022. Each was a tragedy. Reaching youth with effective drug prevention can save young lives. Looking for a program that would get through to kids on this vital subject, Compton Unified School District (CUSD) decided to partner with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. They began using its Truth About Drugs curriculum last summer. And the results proved they were right.

DIEPSLOOT, South Africa /ScoopCloud/ -- Citizens Commission on Human Rights South Africa brought the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit to Diepsloot, a densely populated township in Gauteng, South Africa. The exhibit, held April 19 to 26, educated officials, business owners, members of African royalty and residents on human rights abuse, racism and harmful practices that pervade psychiatry, including its role in promoting racism.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Millions from across the country and around the world visit Hollywood each year, and among the district's unique attractions is the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition which celebrated its 33rd anniversary this month. The museum presents the panorama of Mr. Hubbard's extraordinary life. With expertise in so many varied disciplines, he has been described as a man who lived 20 lifetimes in the span of one.

BARLETTA, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- A group known as Say No to Drugs (Dico No Alla Droga) has been active in drug prevention for more than 15 years throughout Puglia, the region that forms the heel of the boot of Italy. Joined by a corps of volunteers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Barletta, they contacted businesses and briefed individuals on the Truth About Drugs campaign to help kids decide to live an active, drug-free life.

ODISHA, India /ScoopCloud/ -- In the 1880s, to call attention to the plight of the "untouchables" the famous Indian social activist Jyotirao Govindrao Phule coined a term to represent these people: "Dalit." United for Human Rights Odisha has taken on the challenge of restoring fair and equitable treatment to these and all people of India.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Even before Barbie and Ken entered the "real world," rollerblading in their dayglo outfits along its three-mile coastline, Venice Beach was a world-famous, iconic, great place to have some fun. But that wasn't the only reason the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre and its Hollywood Village Team selected Venice Beach for their April cleanup and their annual Earth Day activity.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. /ScoopCloud/ -- Help is a central concept of the Scientology religion. In a lecture delivered by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1958, he said, "the biggest right there is, is not the right to vote, is not the right to freedom of speech or press or religion or anything else. The biggest right there is in human rights is the right to help."

SYDNEY, Australia /ScoopCloud/ -- The Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit, produced by Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, was held at Embassy Conference Centre on George Street in Sydney as one of the first phases of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights Psychiatry: An Industry of Death 2024 World Tour. Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is an international mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology.

SEATTLE, Wash., and LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Public Health Seattle King County reports 1,060 overdose deaths involving fentanyl in 2023 - up nearly 50 percent from 2022. For World Health Day 2024, Seattle's Church of Scientology invited a representative of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to shed light on the crisis.

FLORENCE, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Forced treatment, threats, restraints, crippling sedation: Despite past reforms, the horrors of the past are still stark facts of life for those caught in Italy's mental health system. This was the theme of a demonstration at the 2024 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society in Florence. Both events were organized by Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Some 1,500 guests from the Los Angeles Bangladeshi community gathered on L. Ron Hubbard Way for their annual Chaand Raat celebration. On the eve of Eid ul Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh celebrate Chaand Raat. The term means "The Night of the Moon" in Urdu and it signals the sighting of the crescent moon that ends a month of prayer, fasting and spiritual reflection.

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- This year's Rx and Illicit Drug Summit highlighted a grim fact of life: "Overdoses and deaths involving synthetic opioids have reached record rates, and every community across our nation is feeling the impact." According to the CDC, more than half of opioid overdose deaths in 10 states studied tested positive for fentanyl. It's time to slam the pedal down on prevention, says Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

MUNICH, Germany /ScoopCloud/ -- In July 2016, an armed shooter killed nine and injured 16, leaving Munich reeling. A team of volunteers from The Way to Happiness Association sponsored by the Church of Scientology of Munich literally took matters into their own hands. They began giving copies of The Way to Happiness to people one-on-one, beginning with those living or working in the district where the shootings took place.

NEW ORLEANS, La. /ScoopCloud/ -- United for Human Rights brought its youth-friendly human rights program to NSBA24 - National School Boards Association (NSBA) Conference for 2024 in New Orleans April 6 to 8. The purpose of NSBA is "to ensure each student everywhere has access to excellent and equitable public education governed by high-performing school board leaders and supported by the community." So how does human rights education relate to this endeavor?

WASHINGTON, D.C. /ScoopCloud/ -- L. Ron Hubbard joined the Boy Scouts in Tacoma, Washington, in 1923, in the early years of Scouting, a movement founded by Robert Baden-Powell in 1910. By the spring of 1924, Ron had not only earned an impressive 21 badges, he also led Washington, D.C., Troop 10 to victory in the Washington Post-sponsored Scout Advancement Competition and was one of four youths to represent Scouting at President Calvin Coolidge's Presidential Celebration of National Boys' Week. Five days later, two weeks after celebrating his 13th birthday, L. Ron Hubbard became the nation's youngest Eagle Scout.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition in Hollywood, California, proudly announces a new permanent display featuring the royal bestowal of Datu and a Kris sword, presented by HRH Sultan Tomas Cabili Jr. and HRH Sultana Remedios Pastor of Mindanao, Philippines, on the anniversary of Mr. Hubbard's birthday.

AUSTIN, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- SXSW EDU is an educator conference in Austin, Texas, "designed for the brightest minds in education to change the future of teaching and learning." United for Human Rights set up a booth at the conference, where human rights was a recurring topic in presentations, conferences and workshops. Educators, entrepreneurs, and members of civil society from across the U.S. around the globe visited the booth to learn about the program.

MIDRAND, South Africa /ScoopCloud/ -- In South Africa, a country where effective education is key to reversing centuries of neglect and oppression, Scientology Volunteer Ministers Educator Empowerment Seminars aim to create significant change.

SAINT HILL, U.K. /ScoopCloud/ -- Some 3,000 children, parents, and grandparents gathered at Saint Hill, the Church of Scientology estate in East Grinstead, for an enormously "egg-citing" Easter Egg Hunt. Families traveled from throughout Sussex, Surrey, and Kent for the fun-filled afternoon. Greeting the children, the Easter Bunny was joined by popular children's book, cartoon, and film characters.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Despite predictions of rain over Easter weekend, Sunday's annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 31 proceeded undeterred. Staff and volunteers from the Church of Scientology Los Angeles were prepared no matter the weather, with tents erected in case of a storm. But the afternoon was blessed with blue skies when nearly 7,000 neighbors joined the fun on L. Ron Hubbard Way for the annual Church of Scientology Easter celebration.

VIENNA, Austria /ScoopCloud/ -- This Easter, the Say No to Drugs volunteers of Vienna extend their wish for a bright, healthy future for local children. They've packed their Easter baskets with copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets to give youngsters the information they need to decide for themselves to live drug-free.