Time to Proclaim Peace
BY GRAEME WILSON Public Affairs Director Church of Scientology |
Ah, you might contend, but isn‘t religion itself the subject of discussion, critical consideration and conflict today? Just strike up a conversation about religion and you may soon see how a murmur of intolerance can all too easily turn into a roar; you might also find yourself joining the fray.
We live in a world where many solutions advanced to cure the world‘s pressing problems ignore the spiritual nature of humanity. The elevation of the soulless psychiatrist over the cleric has done nothing to solve these problems. On the contrary, the explosion of intolerance, the plague of drug abuse, the increasing ills of illiteracy, crime, and immorality, and the rapid rise in terrorism and international conflict demonstrate the futility of solving these problems through purely scientific solutions.
Religion and belief have a critical role to play in society, not only for the individual, but for society as a whole. Freedom‘s publisher and editors hold that a reaffirmation of the primacy of the human spirit will bring about resurgence in our civilisation. With that foundation in mind, we believe that adherence to the precepts in the pages to follow will form the foundation for the advancement of religious freedom, justice and peace in the world, and the protection of human rights.
Toward this end, the Church of Scientology International, in 1990, established a human rights office in Brussels, the European Union capital city. The office obtained the status of non-governmental organisation from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
From it, the Church launched a new human rights awareness campaign, with the aim of informing governments and citizens about the inalienable rights and the fundamental freedoms of all individuals. The Church‘s human rights representatives have since taken part in numerous international inter-religious conferences on human rights, coordinating the activities of the Church in its relationships with other groups — non-governmental organisations and intergovernmental organisations — which share similar aims of freedom and tolerance for man and society.
On September 17, 2003, the Church opened a new human rights and public affairs headquarters on rue de la loi, 91, in Brussels‘ European Quarter. Located near the European Parliament and European Commission, the new office can be easily reached by visitors, enabling the Church to more centrally develop and coordinate human rights support activities. As well, the new headquarters serves as an international public information centre on the Scientology religion and its activities — an exhibition of magnitude found nowhere else on the European continent.
In this special edition of Freedom, you will learn much more about the scope of the Church‘s new public affairs and human rights office. And you will see how instrumental it is to our European-wide campaign to, as Scientology founder
As always, we welcome your questions, comments and opinions.
