Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Washington, DC, providing help to Haiti disaster victims
January 16, 2010 at 9:29 pm (Church of Scientology, haiti, L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology Religion, Scientologytoday.org, Volunteer Ministers) (haiti, Scientology, Volunteer Ministers)
WUSA9 TV reports that more than a dozens volunteers from the Church of Scientology provided help at the Haitian embassy in D.C. today. Many Haitians lost family members in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on Tuesday. “We can see these people are in big trouble,” one Scientology Volunteer Minister says. “We are here to help.”
See the full TV clip on WUSA9.com
Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Top Religion Stories on Patheos.com
January 14, 2010 at 10:26 pm (Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology) (Church of Scientology, Religion, Scientology)
This – patheos.com – seems to be a new religion website and a great one at that! Check out their article (and the link to a new Scientology site:
It’s hard to turn on the TV or open a newspaper this time of year without encountering a summary of major events or news stories from the past year-or the past decade (even though, strictly speaking, the current decade doesn’t end for another year). It’s no different when it comes to religion: across the media landscape, stories look at back at major religious events and ideas, and look ahead toward what may lie in store for 2010 and beyond. Click on the links below to read:
At Time.com, Amy Sullivan notes the top ten religion stories for 2009.
The Religion Newswriters Association conducted a poll among 100 religion journalists. The top story? President Obama’s Cairo speech.
At the left-leaning religion-news-and-commentary site ReligionDispatches, Lauri Lebo looks back at the top religion and science stories of 2009, while Louis Ruprecht considers the “place of religion in the twenty-first century so far.”
PBS’ Religion & Ethics Newsweekly summarizes the past year in a brief video, while editor Kim Lawton and other panelists discuss stories they expect to cover in 2010 in an extended roundtable discussion. Interviews with faith leaders and scholars look ahead at emerging trends in various religious communities.
A BeliefNet slideshow remembers spiritual leaders who died in 2009, while another slideshow features the “Ten Religious Pop Culture Trends of the Decade.”
The Alban Institute’s Congregational Resource Guide lists the Top Ten News Stories Affecting Congregations in 2009.
Numerous religious and secular groups have compiled lists highlighting major events from the past year.
Aish features top ten Jewish articles and videos of the decade.
The Wild Hunt blog discusses top Pagan stories of 2009, in two parts.
Scientology’s Year in Review focuses on new church openings in the U.S. and around the world.
The biggest Vatican stories of the decade are detailed at the blog of the National Catholic Reporter.
The Newsroom of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) lists top news stories.
The Secular Coalition for America reviews its past activities and previews future efforts in its 2009 report.
Source: Article Link
Scientology sees historic growth
January 3, 2010 at 4:06 am (Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology) (Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology)
In a tumultuous year in which most religious groups scraped by or tried to hold their own, the Church of Scientology reported its biggest expansion in history in 2009. The church that was founded in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard said it has expanded to more than 8,000 churches, missions, and affiliated groups in 165 nations. Its in-house publication arm, Bridge Publications, Inc., opened a 274,000-square-foot digital printing and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles that has the capacity to print half a million books and 925,000 CDs every week. It also opened a publishing facility in Copenhagen. David Miscavige, Scientology’s ecclesiastical leader and chairman of the board of its Religious Technology Center, announced the completion of a four-year project to produce 32 films of Mr. Hubbard’s lectures. The Church of Scientology also completed a $40 million renovation and restoration of the Fort Harrison Hotel, its spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Fla.
New churches opened last year in Dallas, Nashville, Washington, Rome, and Malmo, Sweden.
The church’s total assets and property holdings internationally have doubled since 2004. Tommy Davis, a Scientology spokesman in Los Angeles, told The Blade (More on toledoblade.com)
Luana's Haven 