A Fresh Opinion

What IS Scientology?

The Church of Scientology has provided a new web site that does a fabulous job of answering the question: What IS Scientology?

The web address is www.Scientology.org.

This new web site is a collection of short videos explaining not only what Scientology is, but also how Scientology has helped people in various areas of life:

• Greatly improving literacy for millions of people. This includes kids and adults!
• Helping hundreds of thousands of people recover from the horrible effects of drugs
• How a simple moral code has enabled millions to lead more ethical lives
• Rehabilitating criminals better than any other system has in history
• Volunteer efforts around the world
• Promoting human rights
• And of course how Scientology counseling and classes helps people live a better life in their own estimation

I particularly enjoyed the short videos where people from all walks of life explained how Scientology has helped them AND how Scientology has enabled them to effectively help others.

This is a superb collection of videos about the world's fastest growing religion.

Enjoy!

A Very Simple Moral Code

I borrowed some text from The Way to Happiness web site:

The Way to Happiness is the first moral code based wholly on common sense. First published in 1981, its purpose is to arrest the current moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust to Man.

Written by L. Ron Hubbard, the booklet fills the moral vacuum of an increasingly materialistic society. This code of conduct contains 21 basic principles that guide one to a better quality of life. Entirely nonreligious, it can be followed by anyone, of any race, color or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.

But the real power of the booklet is realized when it is distributed to others, hand-to-hand. Since actions of those around you can profoundly affect your life, you are improving your own survival when you present several copies of The Way to Happiness to friends, associates, employees and customers. In this way, you help others better survive and lead happier lives. They, in turn, pass copies of the book to those whose lives they influence, encouraging others to treat their fellows with kindness, compassion and respect.

A short video has been produced demonstrating each of these basic principles. Click here to view these.

Kids, Anti-Depressants, and Violence...Connecting the Dots

My good friend, Tom Solari, just posted a great article on his blog. He has given me permission to reprint it here in full:

Anti-Depressants, Kids and Death
by Tom Solari

In April of 2007, America was horrified by the shootings at Virginia Tech, where over 30 people were slaughtered by a lone gunman with a history of taking psychiatric medications.

More recently, on February 14, 2008, another lone gunman with a history of taking such medications, burst into a geology class at Northern Illinois University, killing 5 students and wounding many others before killing himself.

But these were just the latest in a long string of shootings in past years by individuals taking these drugs: Westside Middle School in 1998, 5 dead; Columbine High School in 1999, 15 dead; Red Lake, Minn. in 2005, 10 dead, to name a few.

MEDIA COVERAGE

It is interesting to note how the news media have treated these incidents through the years. Often it is several days before it comes to light that the killer has been taking some type of psychiatric drug—usually one or more anti-depressants.

With this last incident, however, at Northern Illinois, it was less than 24 hours before the word got out about the shooter’s psychiatric drug history.

The Human Mind

Stephen Wiltshire was given a short helicopter ride over the city of Rome. He was then given 5 and 1/2 yards of blank canvas and three days to reproduce what he saw. The intricacy and detail he portrayed is astonishing.

As this video reminds us all, the human mind is indeed quite powerful.