IAS Celebrates 40 Years of Triumph as a Global Force for Freedom

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Nov 18, 2024, 05:00 ET

Members of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) gathered from six continents to commemorate a monumental anniversary and reignite an enduring commitment to humanity.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A night of epic significance. Forty years of accomplishment. Forty years of winning in the name of humanity, commemorated in one glorious weekend.

All begins on this crisp autumn evening, as the joyful notes of Great Highland Bagpipes cut the air, while the clatter of horseshoes blend with the click of high heels and the resounding beat of a drum corps reverberates off castle turrets.

Thousands of International Association of Scientologists (IAS) members gather at Saint Hill Manor, the home of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in the United Kingdom. The evening celebrates 40 historic years of IAS triumph and dedication to humanity.

The sounds, the atmosphere, the very air is filled with anticipation of a momentous experience—even bigger, even grander, even more electric than ever before.

The 40th Anniversary Weekend of the IAS commenced on Friday, October 25, at Saint Hill, the historic home of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in West Sussex, with the stage set for a weekend packed with unity and purpose.

"Tonight we celebrate our Ruby Anniversary. And, in so doing, we have arrived at a place that was unimaginable 40 years ago," said Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion. "But here we are and what a view it is—our Churches and Missions encircling this planet, our Technologies at work in almost every land on Earth, our horizons boundless, our future infinite and we, ourselves, universal."

The IAS was born in 1984, when a courageous few gathered at Saint Hill and made their solemn pledge to "unite, advance, support and protect the Scientology religion and Scientologists in all parts of the world."

As the global congregation traversed the vibrant ruby-red carpet, they reveled in the enormous Grand Marquee and nearly blew the roof off as Mr. Miscavige arrived onstage to a ground-rumbling ovation lasting minutes. It was an expression not only of admiration, but of an acknowledgment of the enormity of the celebration at hand.

FOUR DECADES OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

"It's only appropriate that we spend these first few moments to consider what it meant to be the IAS through the last four decades," said Mr. Miscavige. In a powerful reflection of the IAS's 40-year fight for freedom of religion worldwide, he next detailed victory upon victory as a forever reminder of just how much the religion has accomplished. "Even more than that, to remind us of the ultimate Price of Freedom that is the hallmark of the IAS: Constant alertness, constant willingness to fight back."

Across decades, the Church attained victory time and time again, not just for Scientology, but for all religions. Among those landmark victories spanning the world of Scientology:

In Portland, Oregon, where a prejudiced verdict from a heresy trial in 1985 was met with peaceful protests by tens of thousands of Scientologists, marking the first Scientology Religious Freedom Crusade and culminating in a historic judicial precedent. As a final statement on the win, just steps from the site of victory stands an Ideal Church of Scientology Portland;
In England, where, after years of discrimination, the UK Supreme Court made a unanimous decision recognizing Scientology's religiosity, redefining what constitutes a religion for the 21st century and beyond. And where also now stands an Ideal Church of Scientology on London's Queen Victoria Street;
In Italy, where a Supreme Court decision in 1997 upholding the religiosity of Scientology provided the defining statement on religion—a victory now symbolized by new Ideal Churches arising in Italy's cultural center of Milan, amidst landscapes of heritage in Padova and on a hill atop the Eternal City of Rome;
In Spain, where Scientology prevailed after years of oppression, winning total vindication and religious recognition—victories now defined by an Ideal Church at the seat of Spanish government in Madrid;
In Germany, where attempts to quash Scientology were decisively overcome with multiple victories for religious freedom throughout the past 40 years—victories now realized with Ideal Churches of Scientology in hubs of power at Berlin, centers of commerce in Hamburg and titans of industry in Stuttgart;
In Belgium, where a protracted battle against bigotry resulted in total triumph in 2016, which is now embodied in an Ideal Church of Scientology in the seat of global influence in Brussels;
And in the United States, where the Church emerged victorious from a 40-year war with the IRS, gaining full recognition for 150 Churches of Scientology and related organizations.

These groundbreaking triumphs not only exemplify the very heart of the IAS, but they set the stage for yet another epic win: this year, in the Cultural Capital of Earth—Paris, France.

As Mr. Miscavige next told the exuberant multinational crowd, many of them waving the tricolored flag of France, "If ever there was an example of flourishing and prospering in the face of suppression, this is it. Moreover, it emphasizes the fact that, to one degree or another, every IAS Anniversary is a victory celebration."

The Paris Ideal Org and Celebrity Centre, a new 95,000-square-foot megamasterpiece, opened in April 2024, just weeks before the Summer Olympics. "Not only were we perfectly timed, we were perfectly placed along the main pedestrian pathway to the Stade de France," Mr. Miscavige said. The Paris Church's new home was seen by 60,000 curious Olympic fans daily, filling the information center throughout the two weeks of the Games and all concluding with the Closing Ceremony just steps away at the Stade de France, marking a perfect celebration for the Church's new tower of victory in the City of Light.

UNRELENTING IAS EXPANSION

And with that epic timeline revealed, Mr. Miscavige reminded the thousands of joyous Scientologists on hand what all those victories have made possible, in terms of the religion's exponential growth.

"Tonight we mark 40 years of IAS history," Mr. Miscavige said, "which is tantamount to 4,000 years in any other history book." To that very point, at the birth of the IAS in 1984, Scientology's presence encompassed 39 nations. While today, Mr. Miscavige presented the fact that there are IAS members in 184 lands.

He continued with a whirlwind and worldwide overview of religious recognitions, which now stretch from Australia to Zimbabwe and virtually every major country on Earth.

"Although, in the end," said Mr. Miscavige, "nothing so says our relentless advance like Ideal Orgs, which now radiate out like a Milky Way across this world—in power capitals to cities of legend." Today dozens of Ideal Churches of Scientology stand in major cities across six continents.

Altogether, since the IAS began, the size, sweep and scope of Scientology has multiplied 50 times over.

REFORMING MENTAL HEALTH

Mr. Miscavige then turned the spotlight on the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and its persistence in alerting the public to the damage caused by psychiatric abuse, recounting several heroic tales with worldwide impact.

The first is a historic story that began in 1976 in New Zealand, when CCHR unearthed torture of children with drugs and electroshock in a state-run psychiatric institution known as Lake Alice. Across decades of pursuit, CCHR submitted evidence of abuse in more than 40 institutions to the New Zealand government. When no prosecutions or accountability ensued, CCHR escalated the matter to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, who issued an official directive to New Zealand to investigate. The government subsequently called a Royal Commission into the entire care system in the country, while CCHR was appointed as a "core participant," delivering 28,000 pages of evidence and testifying before the commission.

The commission's final report contained uncompromising mandates to investigate and prosecute those responsible for abuse, ban all painful behavioral techniques and close all institutions that led to abuse and neglect. All of which captured headlines worldwide and resulted in New Zealand's first official admission of psychiatric abuse as torture, an apology directly from the country's Prime Minister himself.

Yet another grand account detailed a battle against the Spanish Society of Psychiatry. When CCHR Spain followed an unrelenting crusade to publicly expose psychiatric abuse, including disclosure of a sixfold increase in child drugging, the psychiatric society was outraged and filed suit. Their claim? That CCHR had seriously injured the "honor" of psychiatrists. For their evidence of such dishonor, they submitted CCHR documentaries exposing the kinds of human rights abuses corroborated by United Nations reports on torture.

But when CCHR provided evidence showing that every statement in their documentaries was factual and accurate, the Spanish Supreme Court not only dismissed the case with a landmark precedent-setting decision, they confirmed the need to scrutinize psychiatry for multiple human rights violations. After which, the United Nations invited CCHR to attend their inaugural session at the UN European headquarters in Geneva to announce CCHR's victory as an example for the world to follow.

GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN MISSION

The celebration powered on as Mr. Miscavige highlighted the impact of IAS-sponsored global humanitarian campaigns, working to uplift populations across every social strata. Namely, The Way to Happiness, to restore dignity and honor to Mankind through common sense morals; United for Human Rights, to make the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights a fact in every land; and Drug-Free World, to turn the tide of drug abuse through broad-scale distribution of the Truth About Drugs. The ever-increasing pace of the Church's expansion and of its humanitarian mission is reflected in countless stories from around the world, each a supreme reminder of the symphony of humanitarian help, including:

Drug-Free World held 1,700 events, reaching more than 100 nations and saturating nearly 250 cities and towns, chief among them Las Vegas, site of Super Bowl 2024, where hundreds of volunteers ran a rapid ground game, distributing over 300,000 booklets. Volunteers also hit the European Football Cup in Germany, giving out more than 350,000 booklets across 11 cities. And finally, the Paris Olympic Games, where hundreds more volunteers covered 40 square miles, handing out over 1 million Truth About Drugs booklets, thereby turning 11,000 cafés and shops into booklet distribution centers, while athletes from more than 30 countries signed pledges in the name of a drug-free world.
On the island nation of Mauritius, in answer to videos of police violence, a civic activist leads his newly formed Youth for Human Rights Chapter in raising awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across the island. Whereupon he meets with a Police Commissioner who welcomes the alliance and instructs his officers to be trained in fundamental human rights, plummeting abuse to all-time lows. As a result, 84 percent of island residents learned of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that burgeoning chapter was added to the United Nations Association of Mauritius.

Altogether, the IAS-sponsored humanitarian initiatives continue to deliver broad-scale education and empowerment, and at the level of help needed to make a planetary impact:

Educating more than 70 million on their universal human rights as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Fostering common decency and brotherhood, with The Way to Happiness now placed into the hands of 143 million;
Driving a Drug-Free World movement with the circulation of a massive 160 million booklets worldwide;
And, all told, across the array of IAS-sponsored programs, empowering over 420 million people around the world.

UNWAVERING VOLUNTEER MINISTER HELP

Mr. Miscavige next brought to the fore the Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs), delivering one-on-one help and succor in times of greatest need. In the past year, VMs delivered vital aid and assistance from hemisphere to hemisphere—in the wake of a catastrophic hurricane in Mexico, an earthquake in Japan, floods in Kenya and Brazil, cyclones in Bangladesh, monsoons in Nepal and storms in the Czech Republic.

Then, when two high-powered hurricanes hit the same areas of Florida in just 13 days, creating destruction of twice-battered homes and life-threatening floods, the VM army based at Flag, Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, turned out in force. More than 1,200 VMs delivered rescue operations to some 200 homes, while clearing more than 100 tons of storm debris all over Pinellas County. The VMs' recovery mission spanned several weeks, drawing accolades from the grateful Federal Emergency Authority.

Altogether and around the world, Scientology Volunteer Ministers delivered succor and desperately needed manpower at 26 catastrophic sites this year, bringing the total delivery of help and hope when it was most needed to more than 400 worldwide disaster sites since 9/11.

RECOGNIZING EXEMPLARY ACCOMPLISHMENT

A traditional highlight of the annual Anniversary Event is the awarding of the IAS Freedom Medal, underscoring the evening's theme of relentless devotion toward the achievement of social justice, decency, morality, and a drug-free existence across the planet. Mr. Miscavige introduced each of the recipients, unveiling personal stories of their unflinching commitment to humanity:

Giovanni Citterio, Milan, Italy: A young Giovanni found Narconon, the drug rehabilitation program based on the discoveries and writings of L. Ron Hubbard, to overcome his own addiction. Giovanni then dedicated his life to saving people from drugs. After convincing the owners of an Italian luxury hotel to let him convert it into a rehabilitation center, it became the largest Narconon in the country. He went on to combat Italy's addiction crisis, opening centers all over the country, until Italy now has more Narconon centers per capita than any other nation on Earth. Giovanni's single-minded dedication led to more than 150 acknowledgments of gratitude from every pillar of society, whereupon he stands as a 40-year Narconon legend.
Vincenza Palmieri, Rome, Italy: As a university student, Vincenza volunteered to help asylum patients and was horrified at what she witnessed. Using her master's degrees as a weapon to save families from psychiatric abuse, she faced down psychiatry, taking a case all the way to Italy's Supreme Court in the name of protecting children and families from harm. Vincenza further exposed a "Psychiatric Supply Chain" in a bestselling book, uncovering an obscene "kickback scheme" orchestrated by psychiatrists. To close the door on the profit-driven psychiatric sham, she ultimately created an entirely new profession, the Family Specialist, now recognized by the Italian government and today empowering families without medication or psychiatry.
Antónia and Ferenc Novák, Budapest, Hungary: This couple embraced L. Ron Hubbard's The Way to Happiness to combat rampant school bullying, launching a nationwide contest, inviting children of all ages to create art projects featuring the book's 21 moral precepts. While to extend their reach further still, Antónia and Ferenc created an online teachers' platform called Cool School. All combined, they have introduced The Way to Happiness to students in nearly a third of all Hungarian schools, with incidents of youth violence plummeting by 60 percent where the precepts are in play.

WELCOMING THE WORLD TO SCIENTOLOGY

In a night of celebration and awe, Mr. Miscavige next previewed new messages that will be broadcast and streamed out to the world, inviting people to fulfill their curiosity and answer the question, "What is Scientology?" The campaign's trio of messages presents a Global Welcome to Scientology with three core dimensions of the religion: "Our Voice," "Our Church" and "Our Movement." The campaign illustrates the religion's unflinching, unrelenting, unapologetic attitude as an unstoppable force for good in this world.

A FINAL WORD

Before the end of the night that launched the Ruby Anniversary Weekend, Mr. Miscavige urged all to remember the very core of the IAS, which made the achievements of the past 40 years possible:

"Forty years of magnificent accomplishment. And, more than that, a future more glorious than we could have ever imagined. And all because we never abandoned each other, because we have not betrayed one another, because we have kept faith with one another, because we have been true to one another, because we know we're in this together. And because, shoulder to shoulder, now and forever, we are the IAS."

LAUNCHING A NEW YEAR OF IAS GOODWILL

The weekend's events rolled right into the following day, with the IAS Global Salvage Seminar laying down all the details of an expansive year to come. The thousands of Scientologists present learned how the Church's new Global Welcome to Scientology messages will be coming to their home cities, as well as the tactical information on each of the Church's humanitarian campaigns and much more.

AN EVENING OF RESPLENDENT RECOGNITION

On Saturday evening, the Grand Marquee transformed into a majestic black-tie venue, hosting the annual IAS Patrons Ball, a magnificent and elegant affair acknowledging IAS members for their continued dedication to advancing its humanitarian movement. Crowning the night with song, the celebratory concert featured world-renowned jazz artist Stanley Clarke and Academy Award-nominated composer and performer Mark Isham.

SAINT HILL CHARITY CONCERT

The weekend of celebration concluded with the 24th Saint Hill Charity Concert. This year's event continues a time-honored tradition begun by L. Ron Hubbard to support local charities in accomplishing their purpose to enhance their communities. Headlining the evening were representatives from the Bluebell Railway, the East Grinstead Sports Club, the East Grinstead Rugby Club, the Crowborough Athletic Football Club and the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex.

The Charity Concert was hosted by Emmy Award-winning voice-over actress and icon Nancy Cartwright and showcased an impressive array of internationally renowned music legends.

Formed in 1984, the IAS is the official membership organization of Scientology. It is open to all Scientologists from every nation and now counts members from no less than 184 lands. The purpose of the IAS is to unite, advance, support and protect the Scientology religion and Scientologists in all parts of the world so as to achieve the Aims of Scientology as originated by L. Ron Hubbard: "A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights."

SOURCE Church of Scientology International