Scientology: Preparing for the Next Generation

What is described as the Scientology religion's renaissance is now manifest in over 8,000 Scientology Churches, Missions and groups across 165 nations.

In terms of physical scope and global presence, the Church's property holdings have doubled from 5.6 million square feet in 2004 to over 11 million in 2009. More than 70 new Church buildings have been acquired and are now in various stages of design and construction. And Scientology-supported social betterment and humanitarian programs are now touching the lives of billions. But most telling in terms of global demand for Scientology are the more than 80 million L. Ron Hubbard books and lectures distributed in the last five years—more than the cumulative of the prior 50 years of the Church's existence.

Accordingly, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard is now recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the most published and translated author in history, with titles in 71 languages. Spearheading this period of phenomenal growth is Scientology's ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige.

Mr. Miscavige has been the driving force behind the worldwide program to expand all of the Churches of Scientology to better serve their communities—to not only become islands of sanity and succor where all are welcome, but to also serve as central points of emanation for the Church's many social betterment programs aimed at eradicating the crippling plagues of illiteracy, immorality, drug abuse and intolerance. Mr. Miscavige redefines the term "religious leader" to fit the tasks necessary to direct a truly unique contemporary religion—the only major religion to emerge in the 20th century. And now the religion's growth has continued at a phenomenal rate in this century, with the number of individuals completing Scientology counseling and course services doubling in just the last two years, as but one example.

This is being accomplished through his extraordinary vision in every major aspect, including:

• Personally driving the international dissemination of Scientology;
• Ensuring that the Scriptures of the Scientology religion are pure and true to the Founder's original writings;
• Establishing units to see to the translation of millions of pages of the Scientology Scriptures into 71 languages;
• Restoring Mr. Hubbard's written works, recorded lectures and films of his lectures;
• Providing the guidance for the acquisition, construction and creation of ideal Scientology organizations;
• Supplying the direction for the creation of two state-of-the-art digital publishing houses capable of producing 500,000 books and 925,000 CDs per week;
• Providing the vision for crafting, refining and broadening core Scientology social betterment programs in drug education and rehabilitation, education, criminal rehabilitation and human rights;
• Providing support and guidance to the Volunteer Minister Program, the largest independent relief force in the free world, with more than 195,000 Volunteer Ministers who traveled more than 174,000 miles this past year to help an estimated 1.5 million people;
• Personally seeing to the successful outcome of critical external affairs issues, including official recognitions of the religion; and
• Planning, creating, producing and presiding over nine annual globally broadcast events that serve as briefings for Scientologists on strategic programs, campaigns, expansion, dissemination and major breakthroughs.

David Miscavige works for—and answers to—Scientology's millions of parishioners. He is unrelenting in serving their interests and the interests of the religion by implementing Mr. Hubbard's plans and strategies precisely, while devoting every spare moment to the restoration of Mr. Hubbard's technology and its dissemination to the public.

Case in point: Mr. Miscavige's extensive work leading to the publication and release of "The Basics." The term refers to the Scriptural materials that form the very foundation of the religion of Scientology, later writings and lectures building upon the principles contained in The Basics. The release of these materials was the culmination of a research project to locate Mr. Hubbard's original manuscripts and dictation tapes of these books, followed by verification and correction of existing manuscripts to return them to their original unadulterated form.

Then there were Mr. Hubbard's lectures from the same time period that corresponded to and expanded upon the content of the books. These lectures were originally delivered to Scientologists in training at the time and, although recorded, had never been made broadly available due to a lack of adequate reproduction facilities in the Church's formative years (1950-56).

While these lectures had been previously gathered up from around the world and stored in archives, their mass reproduction was hindered due to the poor quality of the original recordings or, worse, the deterioration of the master tapes over the intervening years.

The project to restore these lectures was extensive and only finally became possible with advances in computer and digital technology.

Nevertheless, lecture restoration required the Church to establish the world's most elaborate sound restoration studios.

Mr. Miscavige was intimately involved with every aspect of this massive five-year restoration project. He personally verified all books and lectures, their content and their sequence so Scientologists can now study their religion in pure form and chronologically. This project alone represented thousands of hours of Mr. Miscavige's time in ensuring that every word conformed precisely with Mr. Hubbard's original works by reading and re-reading each manuscript and final book as well as listening to all 2,500 of Mr. Hubbard's lectures.

In total, the replication and publication of The Basics encompassed 18 books and corresponding lecture series for each book, totaling 280 lectures (reproduced on compact disc). All materials—books and lectures—were also made available in translated editions for the 15 major languages of Earth. Additionally, in 2009, the Beginning Books of Dianetics and Scientology (nine books in total) were translated into 50 languages and released to the public.

The significance of this accomplishment to Scientologists cannot be overstated. Indeed, it represents not only the purity of Mr. Hubbard's teachings being available for the first time, but also signals the fact that the religion of Scientology will remain true to its Founder's actual words for all the years to come. The distribution of these books and lectures totals 60 million since July 2007. This alone has caused a renaissance in the religion.

In addition to making these basic Scriptural works available to Scientologists through Churches and Missions, Mr. Miscavige also launched a campaign to make them freely available to anyone who might want them—specifically, by making copies accessible in all public, university and governmental lending libraries in the world.

The overriding point: As Scientology's religious leader, Mr. Miscavige has devoted himself to fulfilling the vision of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard—ensuring its Scriptures remain pure and accessible to all. It is a unique task inasmuch as Scientology is the only religion with all original writings of its Founder intact. It is also a uniquely universal religion inasmuch as all faiths are free to share the works of L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, and above all else, it was Mr. Hubbard's vision that spiritual freedom goes hand-in-hand with a belief in the brotherhood of Man. Hence, Mr. Miscavige's undying work to ensure Scientology is extended to all Mankind.

It is David Miscavige's far-reaching vision and unrelenting dedication that have brought the Church so far and so fast.

Religious Technology Center

Religious Technology Center (RTC) guarantees the continued purity of Dianetics and Scientology by ensuring that the trademarks and technology it protects are kept in proper hands and used properly throughout the world. Concurrently, by monitoring those responsible for Church administration and the ministry of services to parishioners, RTC ensures a strong and incorruptible Church management—one which can never be subject either to internal politics or external attempts to harm the religion. With this guarantee, the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Scientology religion is protected against intrusion, and parishioners are able to attain the spiritual freedom they seek when they enter a Church of Scientology.

Through the exact application of the materials of Dianetics and Scientology, an individual will achieve not only a full understanding of himself as a spiritual being, but true spiritual freedom. Thus, Scientologists across the globe view the maintenance and incorruptibility of their religious technology—in precise accordance with the Founder's source writings—to be essential to their very salvation.

Religious Technology Center works, then, to guarantee that L. Ron Hubbard's legacy of spiritual freedom continues to exist tomorrow, or ten thousand years from now. To millions of Scientologists around the world, there is nothing more important.

Who is David Miscavige?

David Miscavige is the Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), a non-profit organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain and protect the Scientology religion.

Religious Technology Center holds the ultimate ecclesiastical authority regarding the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard’s religious technologies. Religious Technology Center is not part of the management structure of the Church, nor is it involved in the Church’s day-to-day affairs.

The Chairman of the Board is the most senior office in RTC, and one for which David Miscavige is uniquely qualified. An active Scientologist for most of his life, he first became a Church staff member in 1976 and has since been involved with nearly every aspect of the Church’s activities.

As a young man, Mr. David Miscavige studied to become a Scientology minister and for several years he provided spiritual counseling to parishioners. He later worked closely with L. Ron Hubbard, aiding in the production of instructional films and materials for Scientology ministers-in-training. A few years later, he progressed to international management, with responsibility for the worldwide activities of Church missionaries. In 1987, Mr. Miscavige became the Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center.

Throughout his career, David Miscavige has tirelessly worked to expand and protect the religion. In the early 1980's, he authored the reorganization of the Church’s corporate and management structures, heralding a new era for the religion and years of sustained growth and stability. In 1993, he brought to a close the 40-year war between Scientology and the Internal Revenue Service. He has similarly taken a personal and very effective role in bringing peace and ending past disputes before courts and government agencies, both in the United States and overseas.

As the worldwide ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, a role he has held for nearly 20 years, the church has experienced unprecedented expansion of the religion as a worldwide movement — reflected in more than 7,500 churches, missions and centers across 164 nations — is due in no small part to his unflagging dedication to upholding the purity and integrity of L. Ron Hubbard’s legacy.

Although not a spokesperson for Scientology, David Miscavige is frequently mentioned by media in relation to the religion. He was interviewed by Ted Koppel in a 90-minute segment of Nightline in 1992, which earned an Emmy Award. A year later, Mr. Miscavige was one of a select group of leaders invited by the President of the United States to participate in a conference on religious liberty in the White House Rose Garden. Over the course of the past three decades, he has addressed hundreds of thousands of Scientologists and non-Scientologists at international Scientology celebrations and events. His vision and dedication advancing the Aims of Scientology has resulted in more people stepping onto and moving up The Bridge to Total Freedom than ever in the history of the Church.

Mr. David Miscavige has been the driving force behind the worldwide program to expand all of the churches of Scientology to better serve their communities — to not only become islands of sanity and succor where all are welcome, but to also serve as central points of emanation for the Church’s many social betterment programs aimed at eradicating the crippling plagues of illiteracy, immorality, drug abuse and intolerance.

Church of Scientology of Rome About to Open

Announced by Mr. David Miscavige at the 25th Anniversary of the International Association of Scientologists, the grand opening of the new Church of Scientology of Rome is about to occur.

This is a major accomplishment and marks a milestone for Scientology in Italy.

Who is David Miscavige?

David Miscavige is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), a non-profit organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain and protect the Scientology religion.

RTC holds the ultimate ecclesiastical authority regarding the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard’s religious technologies. Religious Technology Center is not part of the management structure of the Church, nor is it involved in the Church’s day-to-day affairs.

The Chairman of the Board is the most senior office in RTC, and one for which David Miscavige is uniquely qualified. An active Scientologist for most of his life, he first became a Church staff member in 1976 and has since been involved with nearly every aspect of the Church’s activities.

As a young man, Mr. David Miscavige studied to become a Scientology minister and for several years he provided spiritual counseling to parishioners. He later worked closely with Mr. Hubbard, aiding in the production of instructional films and materials for Scientology ministers-in-training. A few years later, he progressed to international management, with responsibility for the worldwide activities of Church missionaries. In 1987, Mr. David Miscavige became the Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center.

David Miscavige Inspires Attainment of Ideal Scientology Organizations

Here's a simple explanation of something that is changing the Scientology religion and moving it into an era of its greatest expansion and service to the community and society. The full article is available at the Freedom Magazine web site:

“You are creating an island of friendliness, decency and succor in the sea of a violent world.... Sometime in the future the islands will become the sea.”

—L. Ron Hubbard

To meet the skyrocketing demand for Dianetics and Scientology throughout the world, and utilizing the technological advances of the 21st century, in 2004 Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige, launched the Ideal Org strategy to transform all Scientology Churches into Ideal Churches of Scientology.

It was the goal L. Ron Hubbard had set for Scientologists—to one day create Churches that were a physical embodiment of the policy and technology he had provided to help all beings attain spiritual freedom.

An Ideal Org (for “organization”) is a Church configured to provide the full services of the Scientology religion to its parishioners and to the community.

“Ideal” status encompasses both the physical facilities and the quantity and quality of the service to its parishioners and community. Such Churches house extensive public information multimedia displays describing all aspects of Dianetics and Scientology and its Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, as well as the Church’s social betterment and community outreach programs.

^{"You may have been taught that the mind is a very difficult thing to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life."—L. Ron Hubbard}

Building for the Future of the Scientology Religion

As featured in the online Freedom Magazine:

David Miscavige is the driving force of a movement now apanning this world with ideal Churches of Scientology.

This artist rendering of the new Church of Scientology of Rome is an example of this new breed of Scientology church.