Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology is a new religious movement that was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard as an organization dedicated to the practice of Scientology, an "applied religious philosophy" formulated by Hubbard.

Volunteer Ministers

The Church of Scientology began its "Volunteer Ministers" program as a way to participate in community outreach projects. Over the past several years, it has become a common practice for the organization to send teams of Volunteer Ministers to the scenes of major, headline-grabbing disasters in order to provide assistance with relief efforts. According to critics, these relief efforts consist of passing out copies of a pamphlet authored by L. Ron Hubbard entitled The Way To Happiness, and engaging in a method of calming panicked or injured individuals known in Scientology as a "touch assist."

Related Topics:
Volunteer Ministers - Touch assist

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The Volunteer Minister program most heavily promoted by Scientology took place in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when approximately one thousand Scientologists were sent to New York City to participate in the relief efforts there. Scientologists wearing bright yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the logo "Scientology Volunteer Minister" became a common sight at the World Trade Center site during the cleanup efforts. Critics of Scientology accused the organization of attempting to take advantage of the disaster in order to promote Scientology to the grief-stricken populace in the area. An E-mail confirmed to be from a Sea Org "Lieutenant" brags of a deliberate plan to prevent the grief-stricken from receiving counseling from non-Scientology sources. "Due to some brilliant maneuvering by some simply genius Sea Org Members we tied up the majority of the psychs who were attempting to get to families yesterday in Q&A, bullbait and wrangling. don't know it but they need the Scientologists with LRH's tech to be here right now." http://www.xenu.net/archive/events/20010911-tragedy/

Related Topics:
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks - New York City - World Trade Center

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On the other hand, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers were commended by the New York Fire Department for the assistance given at Ground Zero. http://www.scientology-newyork.org/en_US/community/vm/index.html

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The Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been actively helping with disaster efforts in Southeast Asia following the tsunami there. In the immediate aftermath of the 7 July 2005 London bombings their Volunteer Ministers were sighted at one London hospital, offering their services to those affected by the events.http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/42761-print.shtml

Related Topics:
Southeast Asia - Tsunami - 7 July 2005 London bombings

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A team of 39 Volunteer Ministers from Clearwater is currently onsite in New Orleans, helping with the disaster that followed Hurricane Katrina. They expect to be in Louisiana for a minimum of thirty days.

Related Topics:
New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina

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The Volunteer Ministers trained for and belong to the State of Florida's Certified Emergency Response Team (CERT).

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