AUTHOR
Melissa Butz
Scientologist, bookkeeper, lover of family, friends and the outdoors
TOLERANCE
How many of us take care to verify the rumors we hear by making our own observations? Whether the source is trusted, questionable or entirely unreliable, are we keeping a watchful eye on how we are influenced by that source’s “information” or are we letting our opinions, actions and lives get knocked around by others like a ball in a pinball machine?
MEDIA & ETHICS
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to people of many religions. Among them are many thousands of Scientologists, who frequent churches in San Jose, San Francisco, Mountain View and Los Gatos.
TOLERANCE
I have a friend on social media who is a practicing Baptist minister. He’s an old friend from high school. He has the usual family/nature/”funny stuff” posts, but his favorite subject matter seems to be politics.
RELIGIOUS LITERACY
Guests of many religions were in attendance. We had Jewish relatives from my side, Catholics from my husband's side, Christians from the groom’s side, and of course, Scientologist friends in abundance.
TOLERANCE
There’s a beautiful word that represents a concept, a viewpoint, a way of looking at things. I’ve been growing grey waiting for the world to pick up a Scientology book and learn this word and, I recently decided, I shall wait no longer.
MEDIA & ETHICS
Through this book, one comes to realize that mainstream news is simply what someone has paid to get placed in front of you.
MEDIA & ETHICS
If Sofia Kercher had decided to be honest with Scientology Celebrity Center International about her intentions during her recent trip there, this is what I imagine she would have said to the guard's offer to give her a tour: “Yes, we would like a tour.
TOLERANCE
When my brother and I were kids, we were driving in the car with my dad one day and “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin came on the radio. My very unserious dad got a little serious and said, “Listen to these words.” We listened. He waited. Then he said, “Right…here…did you hear that? She said harpoon and red bandana.”
MEDIA & ETHICS
Mainstream media is paid quite handsomely to manipulate public opinion. I’d like to tell you about a dirty little trick that they use in getting this job done. It’s one of those things that seems to be hiding in plain sight. When you know what it is, you'll find it popping up all over the place.
SCIENTOLOGY RELIGION
I’m no student of world religions, but the ministry seems to be a male-dominated field. In centuries past, women have, for whatever reason, taken a back seat in the religious arena while the men were more involved.
