Scientology Volunteer Ministers begin year-long tour 
MANCHESTER—The local arm of Church of Scientology-led relief group, the Volunteer Ministers, today announced planned stops along a 12-month tour of the North West, bringing their travelling disaster relief exhibition to cities and towns across the region.
The Volunteer Ministers 'Cavalcade' exhibition will make its way to a different location every week, with stops including central Manchester, Trafford, Rusholme, Middleton, Prestwich and Wythenshawe. The exhibition, housed in a marquee of the volunteer group's trademark yellow colour, includes information about what they have done to help with major disasters, as well as describing solutions to more minor community or individual difficulties faced daily.
The yellow-shirted volunteer corps have provided help at high-profile disasters such as 9/11, the South-East Asian tsunami in 2005, and the recent earthquake near Rome. On a more local basis, the Volunteer Ministers could be seen assisting the emergency services at a rail crash in Cumbria, providing help to displaced residents of flood-stricken South Yorkshire, and catering to the needs of 24-hour police guards in London following the 7th July bombings.
"It's not just major disasters we tend to," says volunteer coordinator Lisa Brinkman from the Church of Scientology in Manchester, however. "Our volunteers are trained to organise and calm people in any situation, and provide help and advice for more everyday disasters like marriage troubles and drug addiction."
The volunteers say their practical organisation and assistance skills can be learned and used by people of any religion or background, including pain and stress relief methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, called 'assists', which the Volunteer Ministers use to help people who are distressed or injured, after medical first aid has been administered.
The Manchester-based team are said to be looking forward to touring their exhibition around their area, which will be joined by a larger national exhibit as it tours the United Kingdom and Ireland. A spokesperson for the volunteers warned however that exhibitions could be postponed in the event of major disasters requiring urgent response—in America the Scientologists' disaster response team are members of 'National Voluntary Organisations Active in Disaster' (NVOAD), while their UK team have worked with the Metropolitan Police's London Resilience Team since rendering assistance in the aftermath of the July 2005 bombings there.
For more information about the Volunteer Ministers, visit their website: www.volunteerministers.org.
Sam_Butler, You are advertising and there for this is SPAM. Please remove all Hyper links leading to adds and Recruitment. I think your story has potential but needs some improvement. I wasn't sure what was newsworthy in this story. Please review our FAQ or check out our J-Tips for more help.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (15)
at 05:54 on May 31st, 2009
You need to use the Highlight tool for all external sources and you may not display any link leading to adds.
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Thank you for the post.
Best, UP.
at 06:18 on May 31st, 2009
Paschen, re your tag, what hyperlinks refer to advertisement and/or "recruitment"? Here is a comprehensive list and what relevance they have to the article. I understand that hyperlinks are an optional addition to the article and included them as I felt was appropriate.
As this is local news with almost zero relevancy to you in Japan, I can completely understand why you would have difficulty seeing its newsworthiness. Since it describes activities in North West England, and specifically in Greater Manchester, it is however relevant to readers in those areas.
Your assertion that my article is spam is somewhat offensive. Your assertion that I am advertising (not even that you suspect it, but that I emphatically am) is perplexing. To be honest, I don't know why you even bothered reading the article!
While writing this comment I saw your subsequent comment and read up on Highlight, but find this to be unnecessary as I researched this story and took the photos myself, including the two I shot in Sheffield over a month ago.
at 06:38 on May 31st, 2009
I see you have not read the Guide line nor the Code of conduct.
Once you did we may start this conversation on a new footing I hope.
Best Regards,
UP.
at 07:34 on May 31st, 2009
Great story mate.
at 07:53 on May 31st, 2009
Thank you, Igs.
Paschen, help me out here. Please be specific on what area of the Guidelines and Code of Conduct you believe have been violated. I am perfectly willing to work with your Needs Improvement flag but obviously I don't yet understand what you are getting at. If you feel this needs to be a conversation by Private Message, feel free to PM me.
And please clarify, you say "you may not display any link leading to adds" - am I correct in interpreting this to mean a website containing avertisements? I would therefore think you were referring to this in the FAQ, i.e. not to "post content with an explicitly commercial purpose (including spam and link spam)"
at 18:09 on June 2nd, 2009
This is a Scientology PR piece intended to recruit more people and steal all their money. Sounds pretty commercial to me. For generally unbiased information I prefer wikipedia, which says that
"Volunteer Ministers have frequently been sent to the scenes of major disasters, where they distribute copies of a pamphlet authored by L. Ron Hubbard entitled The Way to Happiness and offer therapy that is claimed to calm or relieve pain, using techniques known in Scientology as Assists, such as "Locationals," "Nerve assists" and "Touch assists." [6][15]
In other words these vultures show up at disaster zones, prey on vulnerable people and try and convert them. This ridiculous PR piece should be pulled off the site as soon as possible.
at 03:06 on June 3rd, 2009
I have no interest in conflicting with you. Calling these volunteers "vultures" is an interesting (in a bad way) attack upon them, especially considering the help they have rendered and recognition they have received for this. Your accusations of stealing money are quite serious. Say what you will about my piece here, but I implore you to think twice before attacking decent people (and, before you say it, the organisations they form and join). By the way, your account is unverified - whatever that means...
at 15:44 on June 3rd, 2009
L Ron Hubbard, the fine gentleman who set up Scientology stated on numerous times that "if I wanted to make a million dollars I'd start my own religion - that's where the money is."
That's the same L Ron Hubbard who was tried and convicted of fraud in France in 1978 and was named as a unindicted co-conspirator in 1979 for his role in orchestrating the largest infiltration, burglary and wiretapping operation on the US government in history - his so-named "Operation Snow White".
He wrote to his wife in 1967 stating "I’m drinking lots of rum and popping pinks and greys...", wrote in his "Dianetics" book that homosexuals are on the same level as rapists, and according to "Science Of Surivival" they should be "disposed of quietly and without remorse."
This is a recruitment attempt by a desperate fraudulent cult that preys on vulnerable people and attempts to destroy free speech. The "Volunteer" ministers preach the teachings of a man who was a homphobic, racist, sadistic, drug addicted convicted fraudster.
at 02:13 on June 4th, 2009
"On numerous times" - grammatically ambiguous and pure conjecture, Mr Williams. It was in fact never stated by Mr Hubbard, and your uncited misquotation is in fact a paraphrasal of something written by George Orwell. "Epic fail," as your friends might say. When I have nothing important to do, I might come back and discuss the other rumours you have asserted.
"Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream." - L. Ron Hubbard
"...all men of whatever race, color, or creed were created with equal rights" - L. Ron Hubbard, from the Creed of the Church of Scientology.
Thanks for reading though, I guess.
at 04:13 on June 4th, 2009
"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way to do it would be start his own religion." - L Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles Times 27th August 1978
"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." - L Ron Hubbard, "Scientology: Anatomy of a Frightening Cult" by Eugene H. Methvin. Reader's Digest (May 1980)
"Y'know, we're all wasting our time writing this hack science fiction! You wanta make real money, you gotta start a religion!" - L Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society clubhouse in the 1940s
"always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money — he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult." - Sam Merwin, Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987)
"Whenever he was talking about being hard up he often used to say that he thought the easiest way to make money would be to start a religion." - Neison Himmel, Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (1987)
"The South African native is probably the one impossible person to train in the entire world — he is probably impossible by any human standard." - L Ron Hubbard, PAB No. 119, 1 September 1957 (Internal Scientology documents)
"As long as a white foreman is there, they will prevent soil erosion; but the moment that a white foreman turns his back — boo! There goes the whole program.
[..]
And you finally get up to the point of where he's [native] supposed to take care of something, a lesson which has never been taught to the native of South Africa." - L Ron Hubbard, 15th ACC (Power of Simplicity) lecture "Education: Point of Agreement", 30 Oct 1956 (Internal Scientology documentation).
"The insanity rate per capita in South Africa is appalling. …it is easily seen that a primary requisite in any programme of the rehabilitation of the Bantu in South Africa would be mental health…" - L Ron Hubbard, HCOB April 1960, "The Scientific Treatment of the Insane"
"…the African tribesman, with his complete contempt for truth and his emphasis on brutality and savagery for others but not for himself, is a no-civilization." - L Ron Hubbard, The Fundamentals of Thought, Bridge Publications: Los Angeles, 1997.
"Have you ever slept with a member of a race of another color?
Have you ever committed culpable homicide?
Have you ever bombed anything?
Have you ever murdered anyone?
Have you ever kidnapped anyone?" - L Ron Hubbard, Routine Scientology "Security" questions
I also note that Scientology has now been banned from editing Wikipedia articles on a vote of 10-0 as the organisation has a nasty habit of bending the truth, or flat out lying as you are doing above. Mr Sam Butler works for the OSA - a department dedicated to "handling" criticism by destroying the enemy and eradicating all critical thinking. The same OSA that operated under the name "Guardians Office" before being renamed to OSA after Operation Snow White.
at 04:59 on June 4th, 2009
"...flat out lying as you are doing above" - Thanks for the personal attack, Nick. This is not the place for entering into debate with your mis-quotes and out-of-context slant. And I remind you that while I remain calm, your bigoted attacks of my religion and its founder are deeply offensive.
at 06:52 on June 4th, 2009
"Thanks for the personal attack, Nick" - Stating a fact is not a personal attack. You knowingly lied about the million dollars quote. I suspect that everyone can see quite clearly that you're trying to twist things against me to try and put me afoul of the rules.
It's funny how no-one can put quotes into context because your so-called religion will make a copyright claim and remove any information that uses the full picture.
It is not bigoted to criticise a fraudulent organisation nor is it illegal to offend someone. Are those who criticise catholism for paedophile priests bigots? What about those who aren't too keen on radical Islam?
I'm fine with the Freezone existing where people who believe in Hubbards teachings can get access to the original "tech" without fee's or human rights abuses, my beef is with the organisation "The Church Of Scientology". I'm not too keen on them hiding Xenu as well but they don't restrict freedom of speech.
And while you may play the religious card, here is the affidavit by Lawrence Brennan, former high ranking official in Scientology, describing exactly how he was ordered to set up the religious facade in order, amongst other things, to deflect any criticism as bigotry:
http://www.freedomofmind.com/documents/declarationLaurenceHBrennan.pdf
Also your so called "Church" applied for charitable status in 1991. It was denied on the grounds that it is not a non-profit organisation.
at 13:05 on June 8th, 2009
The German government calls them the Vulture Ministry because they batten on disaster to spread their vicious cult. They interfere with valid rescue efforts, contravene qualified medical intervention with fictitious ideas invented by Ron Hubbard, such as Touch Assists. The Vultures have been known to try to sell books to disaster victims. I cannot recommend too strongly that they be banned from any emergency aid schemes.
at 13:11 on June 8th, 2009
Who in the German government? Written where? What rescue efforts? How can Touch Assists be a fictitious idea? An idea is an idea, it is neither fact nor fiction. When you're done with your weasel words and offensive generalities, come back. Or even better, don't.
at 09:29 on July 18th, 2009
Scientology is not a religion. It's a bookselling business that uses religion to avoid paying taxes. The volunteer ministers only want to sell more books and courses to the public. All Scientology cares about is money.