Thousands celebrate 4 years of IAS’s monumental global humanitarian work using L. Ron Hubbard’s vision.
BRUSSELS, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, November 29, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Thousands of Scientologists recently gathered at the historic Saint Hill estate in West Sussex, England to commemorate four years of monumental humanitarian accomplishment by the International Association of Scientologists (IAS). Saint Hill is the home of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion. Over a weekend of festivities, attendees celebrated recent IAS-sponsored initiatives and their unprecedented worldwide impact.
The event opened on Friday evening with an extensive presentation by Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of Scientologists. He recalled the 1984 founding of the IAS and its solemn pledge “to unite, advance, support and protect the Scientology religion and Scientologists in all parts of the world.” This inaugurated an era of global humanitarian work guided by L. Ron Hubbard’s vision for “a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war.”
Mr. Miscavige described the IAS’s herculean efforts over the past four years to provide hope and help around the world, especially throughout the trials of the global pandemic. When countries everywhere shut down, a Volunteer Minister force mobilized online and in the streets, delivering an astonishing 9 million hours of one-on-one assistance between 2020 and 2023. Meeting skyrocketing demand, “the Church distributed 45 million informational booklets containing solutions for life’s difficulties. New partnerships were formed with 29,000 governmental, private and non-profit organizations worldwide. Viewership of the Scientology Network grew by over 20 million, as people everywhere sought answers”, said Scientology’s EU and UN representative Ivan Arjona.
Against all odds, the religion also attained landmark recognitions even amidst global lockdowns and restrictions. These included full tax-exempt status from Panama in 2022, public benefit status from the Netherlands in 2022, and official recognition as a formal religion from Greece in 2023.
In addition, decades of relentless campaigning by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) culminated when the United Nations hosted its first-ever Consultation on Human Rights in Mental Health. At this summit in Geneva, Switzerland, CCHR presented expert testimony against systemic psychiatric abuse. The resulting UN guidelines incorporated CCHR’s input, definitively banning involuntary treatment and forced institutionalization in mental health care.
Mr. Miscavige also showcased the expanding reach of IAS-sponsored humanitarian initiatives like Youth for Human Rights, The Way to Happiness, and the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. The Truth About Drugs campaign appointed NFL legend Marshall Faulk as its national spokesperson. By taking his message of prevention directly to youth across America, Mr. Faulk spread drug education to millions. Altogether, “over 300 million individuals have now been uplifted through such IAS programs,” said Arjona.
When catastrophic disasters struck everywhere from Kashmir to Florida over the last four years, Scientology Volunteer Ministers mobilized to provide hands-on relief at 45 crisis sites across 20 different countries. Their efforts will be immortalized in an original documentary called “Operation: Do Something About It.” The film chronicles the global pandemic response and will premiere this December on the Scientology Network.
During the event, Mr. Miscavige also presented IAS Freedom Medals to exemplary humanitarians. These included mental health reformer Yuzuru Ogura of Tokyo, “whose exposés of psychiatric malpractice helped reduce Japan’s suicide rate by 34%” says the official press release from Scientology.org; educators Salomon and Lucy Dabbah of Mexico City, whose work “has provided drug education to 2.1 million young students across Mexico” said Arjona; and religious freedom advocate Giselle Lima of Panama City, whose efforts secured tax exemptions and legal status for Scientology in Panama while working with law enforcement to spread good morals in Panama.
“IAS members reconvened Saturday 4th of November in the morning to strategize an ambitious slate of new awareness campaigns on human rights, drug prevention, moral education, and disaster response for the upcoming year” explained Arjona to different European leaders. That evening, long-standing supporters of the IAS were honoured at the annual Patrons Ball. “Since the last gathering in 2019, nearly 5,000 new patrons joined the IAS to back its humanitarian mission” continues Arjona. Finally, Sunday evening’s Saint Hill Charity Concert raised funds for local charities across East Grinstead and the surrounding communities.
Above all, the weekend “commemorated an era of unprecedented humanitarian accomplishment made possible by the stalwart supporters of the IAS. It also capped off four historic years of establishing new Ideal Churches of Scientology around the world. Demonstrating undiminished momentum, Mr. Miscavige announced 10 new facilities set to open over the next year in Europe, Africa, and across North America” highlights Ivan Arjona while in closing said that “behind such boundless growth lies L. Ron Hubbard’s vision for Scientology to create “a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war” – a vision now crossing new frontiers worldwide thanks to the IAS”.
