L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday: Scientologists in service & in the news

THURSDAY, MARCH 13: Scientology remains a controversial organization around the world, but today is one of the group’s annual days of celebration: the birthday of founder Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, profiled more extensively in Wikipedia. Adherents honor Hubbard with public service and gatherings to remember the founder.

IN THE NEWS:
JOHN TRAVOLTA

In recent interviews with the Telegraph and Entertainment Wise, while discussing his West End debut and upcoming 60th birthday, John Travolta described his own perspective of Scientology and Hubbard: “[It] used everything I had always known to be true and provided really workable solutions. He has done the heavy lifting for us and worked to hone down what works into a technology that helps you attain the things that you are looking for in a religion.”

IN THE NEWS:
LONDON WEDDING

As indicated in the 2008 photo of London protests, with today’s story, the Church of Scientology has had a long and stormy journey to achieve equal treatment as an alternative spiritual group in the UK. Another barrier was broken, recently, when a court cleared the way for the group’s London chapel to conduct its first wedding. (London Evening Standard reported.) But, the legal victory for Scientology drew mixed reviews from UK newspapers. The Independent published a harsh commentary on the news, arguing that equating Scientology with Christianity and Islam was, at best, “whacky” and, at worst, “nonsense.” But The Mail called it a victory over inequality and covered the wedding with the kind of photo layout usually found on the Society page.

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