A BIZARRE religious cult which believes humans are trapped alien souls has announced plans to open a centre in Trafford to serve as its north west HQ. The Church of Scientology, which bills itself as the fastest growing religion in the world, announced on its website plans to take over the former Duckworth’s Essence Distillery factory on Chester Road in Old Trafford. The movement’s website has started advertising the building as one of several across the globe it plans to open ...

Don't overlook the good Scientology does I think it is disgusting that you chose to tear apart Scientology and Scientologists. You discriminate against and attack a religion that has much to praise and respect. Have you actually taken a look at what local Scientologists do for their communities? Take Clearwater for instance. There is Criminon, a group of dedicated volunteers who work with criminals in jail to help them change their lives so that they will be worthwhile individuals when they ...

The Church of Scientology has been accused of using British artists as a front for recruiting members. The Stuckist movement, which rails against conceptual art, is in turmoil over claims that sales of its artists' paintings are effectively funding Scientology, a religious sect accused of brainwashing its followers. The row has led to disquiet among artists as far afield as Germany. Charles Thomson, who founded the Stuckist movement in Britain, admitted to the Evening Standard he was wrong to give the ...

Fears have been sparked about the intentions of an anti-drugs talk in Markbeech after it turned out to be led by people with links to a controversial group. Geraldine Ormond, the organiser of the hour-long lecture last week, admitted she would not have got involved if she had known the main speaker was linked to the Church of Scientology. However, she said the talk did not peddle the group's beliefs and only one leaflet which was handed out made reference to ...

footage of hippies; picture of LRH with other Scienos VO: The United States of the early ’60s saw a new generation of Americans, suspicious of traditional authority. The atmosphere was ripe for L. Ron Hubbard, a sci-fi writer gone spiritual leader, to spread his promises of do-it-yourself healing to the people. L. RON HUBBARD (from video): We live in a world where, where, where, where we have governments and we have societies and so forth, who are desperately trying to help ...

Special investigation by chief reporter PAUL BRACCHI [A very small picture of Mr. Bracchi is shown.] [A picture of a man in a long military coat with brass buttons is shown. Below the picture is this title: "A Scientologist out on liberty time in a miliary-style greatcoat."] THEY dress like naval officers. But the uniforms, complete with epaulettes and brass buttons, are not what they seem. These men and women do not belong to the armed services...they are Scientologists. Most of ...

NEWKIRK, OK – A proposed drug treatment and rehabilitation center which could be in operation on Indian land at the former Chilocco Indian School north of Newkirk by June 15th may be part of a notorious religious cult. Narconon was approved for a 75-bed facility by the State Health Planning Commission in January of this year as part of The Chilocco Development Authority. The projected cost is $400,000 for renovation and the five Indian tribes involved are projected to receive $16,000,000 ...

AN ENGLISH country garden. Beautiful lush lawns, flower beds of startling colour. But a young, dark-haired girl presents a bizarre spectacle as she sits cross-legged on the lawn eating her lunch oblivious to the summer storm pouring down on her head. Two other girls lovingly entwined in each other's arms march past in the shadow of the 18th century Manor House. All wear a naval-type uniform, dark blue with lashings of gold braid. The whole scene is surreal, like something from ...

The Church of Scientology in Denmark were granted a court order by a Scottish judge yesterday banning six former members of their church who formed a breakaway group from publishing or divulging to anyone copies of "secret scriptures" alleged to have been stolen from the church in Copenhagen. Lord Cameron, at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, granted interim interdict to the church after hearing that two of the group, Mr Robin Scott and his wife, Adrienne, and others had set ...

In a newish sort of castle in Sussex a suite of rooms, with private bar, an electric organ, and an elegant writing desk complete with pens and an unopened pack of his favorite cigarettes, await one of the world's most prolific and richest authors. Yet the rooms, cleaned regularly, remain unused; the chair behind the desk has not been sat upon for over fifteen years, though the man for whom all this is carefully — even lovingly maintained — has sold ...

THE ANNOUNCEMENT that the Scientologists have kicked out 12 key members of their UK headquarters staff at Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, as part of a policy change, has received a mixed reception in the town. East Grinstead's mayor Cr Ray Boulger said that if the Scientologists were genuinely trying to purge themselves, then it was in everyone's interests to try to promote better relations. But the Rev Roger Brown, vicar of St Swithun's parish church, East Grinstead, said the history ...

The Church of Scientology contends that for more than 20 years it has been the target of a systematic campaign by the United States government, together with "vested-interest pressure groups" such as the medical professions, to "suppress the church's spiritual practice and expansion." The church advances this accusation as the fundamental rationale for its aggressive policies of defense-by-attack against individual critics, private groups and government agencies perceived as "harassing" Scientology. Church spokesmen, moreover, expand upon the allegation of systematic persecution to ...

On May 14, 1951, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard wrote to the U.S. attorney general to plead for help in fending off a Communist conspiracy, dedicated, he averred, to destroying him. "When, when, when," he wrote, "will we have a roundup?" Rambling through seven single-spaced typewritten pages, the letter was, to all appearances, the heartfelt cry of a troubled man. A successful science fiction writer in the 1940s, L. Ron Hubbard, as he signed himself, had gone on to bigger things. ...

RELIGION OR BUSINESS? Practices of Scientology Being Investigated Again By John Dart Times Religion Writer [Picture / Caption: YOUNG INITIATES — The Rev. Robert Bobo talks with two children who are taking Scientology courses. The photo on the wall is of the founder of the worldwide group, L. Ron Hubbard.] The mimeographed notice looked more like a secret police communique than a church message. It informed "those concerned" that a certain 20-year-old girl "is hereby declared a Suppressive Person and assigned ...

The premises in North-East Thistle Street Lane, Edinburgh, occupied by the Scientology administered Publications Organisation World Wide, have been inspected by the Sanitary Department of Edinburgh Corporation public health authority. A spokesman for the department said they found nothing to report, "except a few minor infringements of the Office, Shops, and Railway Premises Act, which will be attended to. There was no evidence of employees sleeping on the premises." The inspection was carried out after the Sanitary Department had been approached ...

The Ministry for Employment and Productivity have stopped sending people for vacancies at the Edinburgh offices of Publications Organisation. The ban was applied after it was found there was a link between Publications Organisation and Scientology. A spokesman for the Ministry said in Edinburgh today that they had referred the whole matter to their headquarters in London. He said : "We have sent several women, and one or two men, to vacancies notified to us by Publications Organisation. We did not ...

We called at the Thistle Street Lane premises of Scientology last night and interviewed Mrs Judy Ziff, deputy director of Scientology's publications organisation in Edinburgh. The accommodation now occupied there by Scientology comprises former warehouse premises which a have been converted in about five weeks into extensive office accommodation, in which Scientology publications are redistributed to countries in many parts of the world. At 11.30 p.m., when we left, many members of the staff were still at work. We put a ...

An Edinburgh Town Councillor has complained to the public health authorities about the offices in Edinburgh of Scientology — the system of religious philosophy of American origin, which claims to increase a person's ability. Mr I. W. Wintour, Chief Sanitary Inspector for Edinburgh Corporation, said today: "We have received this complaint and are investigating." —– Family find it 'disquieting' Today we give the account of a local girl, Kathleen Riley, of her job as an employee of the organisation Scientology. Councillor ...

A SPECIAL "flight-to-freedom" charter jet bringing 186 Americans to Edinburgh to study scientology, the international cult condemned by the Government, was cancelled yesterday by Caledonian Airways. The airline was told by the Home Office that the passengers would be banned from landing at Prestwick. Even if the airline had rejected the Government's advice, under international regulations they would have had to fly the passengers back to New York. An airline spokesman said yesterday: "Because of what has been said in the ...