How Scientology helped gentrify Hollywood

A nice article on just one of the ways in which the Church of Scientology has improved Hollywood:

The Red Line and the Kodak deserve a lot of credit for the re-gentrification of Hollywood, but the Hollywood Reporter reports that the Church of Scientology was buying and improving old Hollywood buildings long before the Cinerama Dome rehab was a twinkle in the LA Conservancy’s eye (and like gentrifiers before, they’re moving east, having purchased the KCET campus in Los Feliz). There’s plenty of debate over why Scientologists snatch up and fix up so much prime real estate (some say it’s for pedestrian exposure, some say it’s for the appearance of legitimacy, some say it’s just good PR), but either way they do it a lot. Let’s take a look at what they’ve accomplished in Hollywood over the last four decades, by the numbers:

1970s: When spokesman Tommy Davis says Church founder L. Ron Hubbard “noted the ‘physical blight and social problems’ of Hollywood but ‘believed the area would come into a period of revitalization.’” In the seventies and continuing into the eighties, Hubbard bought bargain buildings throughout blighted Hollywood.

7: Number of historic Hollywood properties that the Church owns—that number makes it possibly the biggest owner of historic buildings in the neighborhood.

…

26: Number of Hollywood properties the Church owns in total—that number makes it one of the biggest property owners in the neighborhood. Notable: the Church says it doesn’t take out mortgages, but buys properties with donations.

1973: Year the Church bought the Chateau Elysee on Franklin Ave., now known as the Celebrity Centre.

$1.5 million: Price it paid for the building, which had been slated for demolition.

$75 million: Minimum amount it’s now estimated to be worth. The Church did an extensive renovation in the nineties.

…

40: Approximate number of staff designing, planning, and overseeing the Church’s worldwide real estate holdings. They work out of a “squat, unremarkable building” on Hollywood Boulevard, next to the Hollywood Guaranty Building, which the Church also owns.

8: SoCal projects that architecture firm Gensler has worked on for the Church.

500,000 square feet: Size of the Church’s West Coast headquarters, nicknamed the Complex, located near Sunset Blvd. and Vermont Ave. The campus used to be the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital.

3: Acres the headquarters sits on.

1: Number of ceremonial offices in the Complex kept “cordoned off and spotless” for Hubbard. [This is actually not true. There are at least four that I know of, in four separate churches on the premises.]

16 feet: Height of the “Church of Scientology” sign on its blue building on Fountain.

…

2,000: Number of seats in an auditorium the Church plans to add to the Complex.

Q:what do you think about the treatment of people in the Sea Org and of progammes such as the RPF and the RPF's RPF?
What do you think about David Miscavige's alleged violence towards staff members,stories which have been corroborated by many people?
Thanks :)

webofdarkness

I personally know lots of Sea Org members very closely, and I can say that they are treated quite well. They are very dedicated people and very hard workers. They are for the most part quite happy to be doing what they’re doing, and those who find they don’t like it are free to leave. I have known several people who have left the Sea Org because they wanted to have children or they simply found it wasn’t for them. They are all doing just fine, and they are all still participating in Scientology. Here is an interesting article on the Sea Org.

The Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) you refer to is actually there solely to help those who are assigned to it. Those assigned to it are generally those who are having a great deal of trouble pulling their weight, and they are given work they can do and feel proud about, while simultaneously spending large portions of the day (five hours a day, I believe) working on personal enhancement and education. Those I have known who have been on the RPF were quite glad to be there and were doing great. I have known a few who have graduated from the RPF and they are all doing great now, leading successful and happy lives in or out of the Sea Org. And as with any other assignment in the Sea Org, RPF members are free to leave any time they wish. The bottom line is that the RPF is there to help its members, not to punish. Discipline is high, but the same is true in any tightly knit group. And as for the RPF’s RPF, it is a rarity that anyone gets assigned there. It is intended only as a wake-up call to those who continue to screw up and don’t take the RPF seriously, and is not a long-term assignment. But as with the RPF, anyone assigned to the RPF’s RPF can go through the process of leaving the Sea Org at any time. Here is a good article on the RPF. Here is what L. Ron Hubbard has to say about the RPF:

Like industry or any organization or ship before that date, when a crew member stole or embezzled or refused to work he was simply fired and offloaded. Scientology crew members objected to this. They demanded that provisions be made to rehabilitate the person. They had the idea that a person should be given a choice of being off-loaded or rehabilitated…. In the RPF the person receives counseling and does work on a team basis. The largest percent of persons assigned to an RPF graduate successfully and rejoin the crew. The majority of these give rave success stories. No other management organization undertakes such a function. They just fire people.

As for your other question, about David Miscavige’s “alleged violence,” I suggest you check your facts. The claims have not be “corroborated by many people,” but only by a small clique of those who have been expelled from the Church for their criminal misdeeds and who are now in collusion to produce a PR campaign to enrich themselves and smear their former employer. Here is some information on one of the sources of those allegations.

How is the Church of Scientology structured?

This is a pretty good description of how the Church operates:

The Church of Scientology is formed into an ecclesiastical structure which unifies and aligns a multitude of diverse religious activities, including not only ministering Scientology religious services and practices, but proselytization, ecclesiastical management, relay of communication, production of dissemination materials and many other functions. Thus the Scientology religious community is united both by common beliefs and practices and an organizational form uniquely suited to its religious mission.

At the lower levels of this hierarchy are individual field ministers, Scientology religious groups and Church missions involved in ministering beginning auditing and training. At the upper level are larger Church organizations that minister the advanced levels of auditing and training religious services.

Spanning all Churches is a system of international ecclesiastical management. From Church of Scientology International through a series of Continental Liaison Offices responsible for geographic zones, this management structure supports, coordinates and works to ensure that the spiritual philosophy and technologies of Dianetics and Scientology are available to anyone who wishes to receive them and that Scientology services are applied precisely as L. Ron Hubbard set forth.

Because Scientology scripture requires that its religious practices be ministered in an orthodox manner, the hierarchical structure helps ensure individual Churches receive the ecclesiastical support and guidance needed to do this. All Scientologists are thus assured of an orthodox religious observance in every Church around the world.

Each individual Church of Scientology is separately incorporated and is governed by its own board of directors. The officers and directors also form the ecclesiastical management of the Church and are fully responsible for providing services to their parishioners and their surrounding communities.
At the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Moscow (Саентологии Москвы)
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At the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Moscow (Саентологии Москвы)

Source: orgsaroundtheworld.wordpress.com

Inside the breathtaking new Church of Scientology of Moscow (Саентологии Москвы)
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Inside the breathtaking new Church of Scientology of Moscow (Саентологии Москвы)

Source: orgsaroundtheworld.wordpress.com

New Church of Scientology opens in the heart of Moscow

This looks like a fantastic new church (click the link for photos):

The Scientology religion has opened its first major Church in the Russian Federation—the new Church of Scientology of Moscow. The building stands in the city’s central Garden Ring, just a mile from Red Square.

Commemorating this new Scientology Church, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the religion, declared: “It has been said that Russia cannot be understood with the intellect, that it cannot be measured by any common standard and that it can only be believed in. Well, let Russia now believe this: The Church that now stands in Moscow possesses a technology that is all but synonymous with the human spirit. It is a technology to bring forth the goodness in people and the greatness they are destined to achieve. It is a technology that is both kind and strong. It is a technology for freedom and wisdom.”

Scientology established its first Church in the Russian Federation in 1993 after the fall of communism and has seen phenomenal growth in the years since. It has been recognized as a leading voice in the fight for universal human rights.

The new Moscow Church not only meets the needs of its growing congregation of Scientologists, but also serves as the center for all faiths to unite for community betterment and social improvement in the name of religious freedom.

The Church of Scientology of Moscow further coordinates the Church’s many humanitarian initiatives. The 65,000-square-foot building houses a Public Information Display presenting an introduction to all Church-sponsored programs, including those dedicated to drug education, literacy and human rights. The new Church also provides public conference rooms and an auditorium for religious community functions.

The Moscow Church already stands at the forefront of Russia’s greater human rights movement. It works in coordination with the internationally renowned Moscow Helsinki Group, founded by Ms. Lyudmila Alexeyeva. Ms. Alexeyeva is one of the original Soviet era dissidents to decry communist oppression. She is also the recipient of the European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. On the occasion of the Moscow Church opening, Ms. Alexeyeva stated: “For me, as a human rights advocate, all religions are equal in their rights. Your Church is particularly devoted to defending the freedom of belief not only for its own parishioners but for all religious people of any denomination.”

The Church’s religious freedom victories are now legend. Scientology’s landmark decisions before the European Court of Human Rights set the standard for religious rights in all 47 member states. In recognition of what this new Church of Scientology represents to religious freedom, Mr. Boris Nikolayevich Panteleyev from the Russian Federation’s Public Chamber stated: “The precedents you have set in the European Court of Human Rights regarding your Church are very important for all those who stand for religious freedom. Today all lawyers, religious scholars, human rights advocates and representatives of other faiths carefully study these texts, seeing in them hope for justice and protection from discrimination in our own land.”

Mr. Panteleyev, who presented the Church with a recognition commemorating its grand opening, continued, saying: “Scientologists work to see that all have the right to thought, to practice religion and to rejoice. You work to see that all people have the right to assemble, the right to establish and support their own churches and organizations; that they have the freedom to think for themselves and to the expression of their thoughts and ideas. These freedoms are the very manifestation of the individual spirit. So it is important that we rejoice today, for this is a glorious day in the name of freedom for all of Russia.”

Scientology’s Drug Free World initiative is but one of the Church programs now adopted by citizens of the Russian Federation. Among its foremost advocates is Dr. Victor Ivanovich Cherepkov, two-term State Duma Deputy, who said: “The drug industry has taken its toll on Russians for years. Until recently we had no solution that could prevent the problem. Your drug education is well recognized in Russia. We are already using your literature and your methods in the fight against drugs. In fact, these are widely disseminated throughout Russia. And it’s spreading for one reason only: it simply is working everywhere and anywhere.”

Dr. Cherepkov went on to say, “In the effectiveness of your anti-drug campaign, I see the wisdom of L. Ron Hubbard—the great teacher and philosopher. For he unlocked the human mind and human problems with knowledge, to free us from the wickedness of existence in the name of creation, perfection and kindness.”

With the new Church of Scientology of Moscow, so begins the next historic chapter for Scientology. It is a chapter that not only signifies a renaissance for the religion itself, but a new era for religious and human rights in Russia.

Source: scientologynews.org

Regarding allegations of a federal investigation into Scientology

Turns out (surprise) the allegations of a federal investigation into Scientology made by The New Yorker are false. And by extension, the work of the “fact checkers” on their farce of an article is deeply suspect. From an official statement by the Church:

The New Yorker press release and Lawrence Wright’s profile on Paul Haggis, “Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology,” released Monday, reported on an alleged federal investigation. The New Yorker was well aware the Church knew nothing of the investigation but had refuted the same claims based on a case already thrown out by a Federal Court Judge. Nonetheless, The New Yorker irresponsibly used the same sources who were discredited in the dismissed case to claim an “investigation” so as to garner headlines for an otherwise stale article containing nothing but rehashed unfounded allegations.

Allan Lengel, a former Washington Post reporter who writes for AOL News on federal law enforcement matters, filed this late today in a breaking story on Wright’s allegations: “The author cites two sources in the FBI who ‘assured me that the case remains open.’ However, a federal law enforcement source told AOL News the investigation has fallen short and no criminal charges are expected to be filed.” Click here for the article: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/07/church-of-scientology-faces-controversy-over-latest-abuse-allega/.

Obviously, this contradicts what Wright wrote in The New Yorker. If you published Wright’s account, this contradiction should be made known to your viewers and/or readers.

The Church of Scientology responds to The New Yorker's allegations

If you haven’t read The New Yorker’s recent piece on Scientology, don’t bother. It’s a poorly researched tabloid smear piece that twists the truth and is loaded with so many unanswered questions and conflicting data that the only thing one could conclude is that the author dislikes and is trying to smear Scientology.

On the other hand, if you did read it, here is the official response of the Church to the article:

It is unfortunate that The New Yorker chose to introduce its readers to Scientology through the eyes of an apostate, someone religious scholars unanimously denounce as unreliable, rather than take advantage of the Churchʹs invitation to experience its practices and humanitarian works firsthand. The New Yorker doesn’t mention Scientology’s global human rights initiative, which has educated millions on human rights. Or its “Truth About Drugs” crusade, teaching millions how to live drug‐free. Or its global Volunteer Ministers program, whose work in Haiti alone has been hailed by the international community. Or its dozens of new Churches bringing Scientology’s life saving technology to communities around the world. Indeed the newest Church opened just this last week in Melbourne, Australia.

The one grain of truth in the article is its acknowledgement of the positive effect Scientology has had on the lives of its adherents and the world at large—that is the message of Scientology.

The article is little more than a regurgitation of old allegations that have long been disproved. It is disappointing that a magazine with the reputation of The New Yorker chose to reprint these sensationalist claims from disaffected former members hardly worthy of a tabloid. As for the claim that the Church is the subject of a federal investigation, the Church has never been advised of any government investigation, a fact The New Yorker knew before it went to print. Moreover, the subject of the alleged investigation was recently raised in a lawsuit by the same individuals who are the sources for the article and the complaint was resoundingly dismissed by a Federal District Court Judge. The New Yorker was aware of this fact but irresponsibly sought to use the claim of an “investigation” to garner headlines for an otherwise stale article containing nothing but rehashed unfounded allegations.

Anyone who wants to know the true story of Scientology should find out for themselves by coming to a Church of Scientology, whose doors are always open, or going to the Churchʹs website, www.Scientology.org.

Planetary social betterment—taking responsibility for societal ills and effecting change through Church-sponsored programs

This is a good description of the key social betterment programs the Church of Scientology sponsors:

The global devastation and human misery wrought by drug abuse, illiteracy and moral decay—to say nothing of natural and man-made disasters—is unmistakable. They threaten to rip the social fabric to shreds and in many parts of the world these societal ills have caused irreparable damage.

What is conspicuously lacking in combating these virtually apocalyptic scenarios are effective solutions. To that end, in the course of his decades of research into the mind and spirit, L. Ron Hubbard developed methods by which to address the crises that threaten our world.

To bring those solutions to bear, Scientologists have sponsored permanent international headquarters to act as “generation plants,” thereby setting in motion broad-scale movements in the name of morality, literacy, drug prevention and rehabilitation.

Further, and to realize the greater humanitarian objective of Scientology, Mr. Miscavige set a strategy that has led the Church into the multimedia age to provide readily available, easily assimilated and rapidly distributable tools to raise awareness, educate and activate millions.

The result: the Church of Scientology revolutionary social betterment and humanitarian programs.  They are utterly unique, indisputably cutting-edge and most importantly—effective.

What follows here are brief overviews and accomplishments of the global campaigns of the Scientology religion.  They are, each one, a tangible demonstration of what can be done when one man, dedicated to achieving the vision the Founder entrusted to him, with the full support of the religious movement he leads, extends the hand of help to others.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers provide aid the world over in 2010

The members of the largest independent relief organization in the world were all over the world in 2010, providing physical relief, mental aid and spiritual succor to those in need:

In the tradition of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, who worked tirelessly at Ground Zero in the months following 9/11, Scientologists took temporary leave of their homes, families and jobs in 2010 to help rescue the lives and livelihoods of victims of natural and manmade disasters.

Bringing the disaster relief techniques that have made the Volunteer Ministers’ bright yellow tents and T-shirts a symbol of effective help at more than 200 disaster sites worldwide, in 2010 they provided physical and spiritual aid to victims and rescue workers at more than a dozen major disaster sites.

  • January 2010 – Haiti

The defining moment of 2010 Volunteer Minister service began just before 5 p.m. on January 12 when a 7.0 earthquake sent shockwaves through the nation of Haiti. In reply, on January 16, the Church of Scientology sponsored a chartered transport from JFK, carrying hundreds of doctors, nurses and EMTs—as well as Volunteer Ministers, to provide support services for medical teams. In the weeks following, the Church sponsored four additional chartered flights for volunteer medical teams. Owing to logistical bottlenecks to the island, the Church further sponsored the chartering of a former Coast Guard vessel to transport hundreds of tons of medical supplies, equipment, food, water and clothing. Additional Scientology Volunteer Ministers accompanied each charter, to provide support in makeshift hospitals, camps for the homeless and orphanages. Volunteer Ministers also provided care to the injured and displaced, delivering “assists” to relieve spiritual and emotional trauma.

In total, working in liaison with international relief organizations, Volunteer Ministers from 22 nations stepped forward to answer the call for help in Haiti. As Vincent Gennaro, Assistant Chief of Surgery for Project Medishare’s Haiti Relief Effort put it, “No matter what we asked Volunteer Ministers to do—it didn’t make any difference. They didn’t ask any questions. They just did it.”

  • February 2010 – Chile

On February 27, an 8.8 earthquake devastated Chile, triggering three successive tsunami waves that struck coastal cities. Within hours, Chilean Volunteer Ministers were on the ground distributing supplies to the affected, in tandem with the Red Cross. Later joined by Volunteer Ministers from Mexico and the United States, they established their base outside Conception, the city hardest hit by the disaster. Their operation focused on providing logistical aid to disaster sites, from Donihue to Coltauco. Volunteer Ministers additionally teamed with naval personnel from the base in Vina del Mar. In providing emotional succor, more than 4,800 Chileans received help from Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

  • March 2010 – Uganda

In March, torrential rains in eastern Uganda touched off a series of mudslides, devastating villages. In response, Volunteer Ministers travelled from across the border in Kenya, assisting with search and rescue operations for unaccounted villagers. The Volunteer Ministers further assisted the displaced and injured living in “tent camps” housing nearly 30 thousand in the aftermath.

  • May 2010 – Nashville

On May 1, in the wake of Tennessee thunderstorms, the Cumberland River crested at 52 feet in Nashville—a level not seen since 1937. Volunteer Ministers mobilized from Nashville’s Church of Scientology, joining forces with local Red Cross. Volunteer Ministers also teamed with Hands-On Nashville, a local volunteer disaster unit, to provide on-the-ground coordination for relief efforts. Volunteer Ministers further established and operated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) food banks and vaccine stations in community centers across the city, in addition to assisting the National Guard with emergency ration distribution.

  • May 2010 – Guatemala

The Pacaya volcano erupted in Guatemala on May 28, with rising plumes 6 miles into the air. Guatemalan Volunteer Ministers immediately provided assistance in the shelters at Amatitlan. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha’s floods and landslides, Volunteer Ministers attended evacuees in shelters at Villa Canales and San Miguel Escobar. For their efforts, Volunteer Ministers earned the respect and recognition from CONRED (National Coordination for the Reduction of Disasters) and were placed on their rolls of disaster relief forces.

  • July 2010 – Pakistan

When floods struck the Indus River Basin, it stood as Pakistan’s worst natural disaster in memory. Volunteer Minister teams from Karachi escorted and cared for displaced children, provided much-needed rations and supplies, and airlifted emergency medical teams to bring antibiotics and fresh water to those afflicted.

  • September 2010 – New Zealand

When New Zealand was hit with a 7.1 earthquake, Volunteer Ministers from Auckland ran relief logistics in partnership with the local Red Cross.

  • September 2010 – Northern California

In San Bruno, California, San Francisco-based Volunteer Ministers were among the first responders to a gasline explosion. They worked shoulder-to-shoulder with civil defense personnel to help clean up debris and man emergency ration lines.

_______________________

Through the course of providing disaster relief in the past 10 years, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have trained and partnered with more than 800 organizations, including the Red Cross, FEMA, National Guard, Salvation Army, Mexico’s International Rescue Brigade, Boy Scouts and hundreds of local, regional and national groups and organizations, giving freely of their skills, their care and compassion.