Keynote Address at the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology New York (cont.)
Moreover, our sense of
community occurs by reason of mutual experience with others and the
first sense of community is religion. Without that, real trust and
integrity can be destroyed. And society itself becomes defenseless to
the onslaught of evil and degradation. And that is why it is so
important that every church own up to the responsibility, and role it
must perform.
All of which brings us
to today, what stands before you, and the greater significance of
this new Church in New York. For while one can complain about the
conditions we live in, and it all can seem completely overwhelming,
we take a different view that the most important commodity on Earth
are people. Address that, bring a real resolution to his ills, and
bring about a new life for all of us.
The Aims of Scientology
are a world without insanity, without criminals, without war, where
the able can prosper, and where Man is free to rise to greater
heights.
Also inherent in
Scientology itself is that one take responsibility, not only for
himself, but the world at large.
So yes, as we look out
across the world, we can speak of international conflict, of economic
instability, and yes, of terrorism. But if we do my friends, let's
not speak in terms of those problems. Let's speak in terms of
solutions. Solutions for that which can solve every one of them.
For the conditions we
face today are but symptoms of the real disease behind cultural
decline.
A
society is comprised of individuals. And if solutions are what we
seek then let’s revitalize the individual himself.
Which returns me to the
events of three years ago, and the atrocities of September 11th. It
was a "wake-up call" for all of us.
The curtain came down,
exposing the fragile state of the world we live in. While
others would respond with war and military action, we recognized
terrorism as but a symptom of what really ails man.
By the same token, the
urgency of our mission had never been clearer. More
bluntly, the demand for our solutions had never been greater.People
were asking for help and it was time for us to answer.
To do just that, we
launched massive new programs on several fronts, and all to overcome
the actual enemies of man. And in that regard, I am speaking of the
real Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that plague this earth: Drugs,
Illiteracy, Crime and Immorality.
