Tag: Religion and Churches

CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 6, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Australia's 26th annual Canberra National Multicultural Festival brought together more than 170 diverse communities to share their customs, history, and heritage through food, art, song and dance. But while Australians today pride themselves on diversity and inclusion, this was not always the case. And ingrained bias and prejudice can die hard. This is why volunteers from the Church of Scientology brought their human rights education initiative to the festival.

AUSTIN, Texas and LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 5, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- The dedication of the new Ideal Scientology Church in Austin, Texas, was the first in a series of stunning new Scientology Churches to open in 2024, and it embodies the spirit of unabated growth that has become the hallmark of Scientology today. Mr. David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, welcomed Lone Star State Scientologists and the purpose and pride they embodied in accomplishing this milestone.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Firefighters are in the business of saving lives. These are the men and women who provide fire prevention and rescue. They battle the blazes throughout the city and the notorious Los Angeles brushfires and wildfires. They are also the ambulance drivers, EMTs and paramedics who provide emergency medical response. And they do so day and night every day of the year. Hollywood Village is a partnership between the Church of Scientology, The Way to Happiness Foundation, the Los Angeles Police Department, local businesses, and numerous faith-based and neighborhood groups.

NEW ORLEANS, La., and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 28, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Protesters demonstrated outside the American College of Psychiatrists Convention at the Marriott New Orleans last week, demanding psychiatrists immediately cease using ECT (electroconvulsive treatment). Some 100,000 Americans are subjected to ECT every year, making its use a multibillion-dollar industry. Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) organized the demonstration. CCHR, a mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry Dr. Thomas Szasz, says ECT sends 460 volts of electricity through the brain causing a grand mal seizure.

SEATTLE, Wash., and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 27, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Whether responding to disasters or caring for the needs of underserved communities, Seattle nonprofits, churches and volunteer groups provide vital services to the city. The Church of Scientology of Seattle hosted an open house in support of Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WAVOAD) and local nonprofits that respond to these needs.

MIDRAND, South Africa, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 24, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Through a series of seminars at Castle Kyalami in Midrand, South Africa, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers are empowering employees of the Gauteng Department of Health. These healthcare workers, in their bright green uniforms, have become known as the province's "Green Angels," because they, along with staff of affiliated chaplaincy and faith-based organizations who also attended the training, put their lives on the line to help others.

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 23, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- "I really liked the aura and environment of today's event," said one woman who attended the Interfaith Harmony Week event at the Church of Scientology Cambridge. "I learned new skills of effective communication and I will use what I learned for my personal development."

CUIABA, Brazil, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 22, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Growing up surrounded by gangs, crime, and violence that plagued his neighborhood in Cuiabá, Brazil, in the '80s and '90s, Diogenes Luiz de Oliveira tried to escape from that life by using and trafficking drugs. Now, he uses his own story and the drug education materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World to help keep kids out of the trap that consumed and nearly destroyed his life.

BUDAPEST, Hungary, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 20, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- When it became clear that the children of the town of Gyulaj were going hungry, Roma community leader István Szatmári took action. While he continues working to handle the underlying cause of the problem-improving education and job training opportunities - Szatmári knew who to turn to for immediate help. He called on the Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology of Budapest.

QUITO, Ecuador, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 20, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Built on the foundations of an ancient Incan city on the equator - the "center of the world" - named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its art, cultural treasures and architectural marvels, Quito is a thriving metropolis of breathtaking beauty and year-round sunshine. And on February 17, the city added another distinction to its profile with the opening of the first Ideal Church of Scientology Mission in Ecuador.

LONDON, England and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 17, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- "Psychiatrists have been editing childhood and adolescence out of existence," said Brian Daniels, Executive Director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) for the UK, in an open letter written for Children's Mental Health Week. CCHR is a mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz to protect individuals from abusive or coercive practices in the field of mental health.

CATANIA, Italy, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 14, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- What could be more appropriate for Valentine's Day than true love and chocolate? The Scientology Network shares the story of Armando Siracusano and Gabriella Comis - from their falling in love at a bakery to the many barriers they had to overcome on their way to creating the future of their dreams.

LAS VEGAS, Nev., and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 14, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Volunteers from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Scientology Churches and Missions across the Southwest gathered at the Church of Scientology Las Vegas February 10 on the eve of Super Bowl LVIII to take on the drug epidemic affecting the city and the nation. According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 2023 saw a record 237 deaths in the region from fentanyl overdose.

NEW YORK, N.Y. and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 13, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- February 9-14 is Fashion Week in New York. The event takes place twice a year, in February and September. It begins in New York and moves on to London, Milan and Paris. This is a week where careers can be made or broken. The world's top designers present their new collections in a series of runway shows. But who takes care of the last-minute crises to ensure a brand's success? In an episode of Meet a Scientologist on the Scientology Network, master pleater George Kalajian gives us a look behind the scenes.

WASHINGTON, D.C., and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 13, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- "The challenges to religious freedom across the globe are structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched," said U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken in a statement January 4. "But with thoughtful, sustained commitment from those who are unwilling to accept hatred, intolerance, and persecution as the status quo we will one day see a world where all people live with dignity and equality." It is just such a sustained commitment that informed the annual IRF Summit January 30 and 31, 2024. The Church of Scientology supports and participates in the annual summit and programs that protect and advance this vital freedom for all.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 10, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Friends of many faiths from across the city gathered downtown at the Church of Scientology Kansas City last week for a special celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week, set aside by the UN each year to promote harmony between all people regardless of faith. The event included a screening of the new documentary Operation: Do Something About It, which features a segment on the Kansas City Church at a time when cooperation and help were vital to the people of the city.

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 8, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- The Church of Scientology of Kaohsiung extends wishes to all for a Happy New Year in the Year of the Dragon. The holiday is celebrated for 15 days, beginning February 10. Church staff invite everyone to join them as Destination: Scientology, Kaohsiung takes viewers through the colorful pageantry of the final day of the New Year's holiday - the city's Festival of Lights: a 3,000-year-old tradition.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 8, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Scientology Network announces an original feature-length documentary, "Operation: Do Something About It," now airing on DIRECTV Channel 320 and available to stream. The documentary tells the story of how the Church of Scientology harnessed its state-of-the-art facilities, rallied its worldwide network of volunteers and mobilized the largest humanitarian effort in its history to bring hope, help and compassion in the wake of the unimaginable.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 7, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- According to a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, pizza is America's favorite food. So, in honor of National Pizza Day, celebrated each year on February 9th, you are invited to enjoy a slice with your favorite topping while the Scientology Network serves up an episode of Meet a Scientologist, featuring Jim Johnson, who turned pizza into a way of life.

SOSHANGUVE, South Africa and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 7, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- "I couldn't just stand by idly while the many children in my community lost hope in education," says Juliette Mfomadi, principal of Kamogelo Daycare in Soshanguve, South Africa. Deeply concerned about the dropout rate and struggling pupils in her community, she searched for solutions and found the learner support program offered by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers.