The Origins Of The Church Of Scientology Essay -- Religion Scientology

During the dawn of the mid 20th century a new idea began to formulate within the mind of L. Ron Hubbard that would later give birth to what is known today as one of the fastest growing religions of the 21st century; this controversial religion is called Scientology. Scientology has acquired many individuals from all walks of life, ethnicities, and International regions of the world into its membership. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary the definition of Scientology is â€Å"a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training.† In addition, Scientology claims to comprise the remedies used to deliver people from drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as, therapeutic solutions to help others recover from serious injuries at an astonishing progressive rate. In essence, this movement’s main agenda is to bring order to a world of chaos through spreading its teachings, improving environmental conditions on planet earth, and developing the holistic being through using different methodologies and technologies. Moreover, by obtaining a basic understanding of Scientology and its purpose we can now explore and uncover the answer to a question that sparks the curiosity of outsiders in western civilization; such a question is How did it Begin? The origins of this culture began in the year of 1923 when L. Ron Hubbard started his studies of the mind and spirit. Likewise, such studies resulted in the creation of a manuscript entitled Excalibur; this book was completed in 1938 but was never published. Furthermore, it was in this unpublished work that the word â€Å"Scientology† first appeared. The literal interpretation of the phrase means â€Å"the study of knowing how t... ...sion, my answer to the â€Å"church† of Scientology pertaining to the existence of God will be in the form of a philosophical question that states, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound? Works Cited 1) Cooper, Paulette â€Å"The High Cost Of Scientology.† The Scandal Of Scientology. Web. 28th Nov. 1997 2) Communication Office Bulletin (HCOB). Hubbard, L. Ron. 18 July 1959. 3) â€Å"Dianetics.† New Oxford American Dictionary. Version 2.0.3 2005-2007. 4) lronhubbard.org/biography. N.P., 1995-2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2010 5) patheos.com. N.p., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2010 6) â€Å"Scientology.† New Oxford American Dictionary. Version 2.0.3 2005-2007. 7) The New King James Version (NKJV) Bible. Ed. Thomas Nelson Nashville: 1982. 8) Watchman Fellowship. â€Å"What Christians Should Know about the Church of Scientology.† Web. 1 Jan. 2009.

Background Screening and the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Recent incidents with domestic and international significance have compelled employers to give more weight and attention to the practice of conducting background checks not only on job applicants but on their current employees as well. Some of these events prodded employers to resort to background screening on their own initiatives while others had been the subject of state and federal requirements. One of the most noteworthy events were the 9/11 terrorist attacks which have made employers more security conscious, leading them to subject the backgrounds of both their prospective and present workers to more rigorous examination.A recorded increase in lawsuits filed against employers involving all sorts of negligence in the hiring of employees, on the other hand, caused employers to stop hiring applicants based solely on their instincts about human nature. Corporate frauds and scandals similar to the Enron case of 2002 had also impelled employers to scrutinize both the private and prof essional lives of the members of their upper management teams such as â€Å"corporate executives, officers, and directors† in efforts aimed at preventing financial losses.Newspaper reports claiming that as high as 40% of job applicants in the country have been submitting fabricated resumes and false information have similarly alerted employers into ascertaining the backgrounds of people approaching them for employment (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). A heightened interest on background checking also resulted from the observed rise in cases involving abductions and abuse of children, older people, and persons with disabilities.This resulted to majority of the states requiring employers to conduct â€Å"criminal background checks for anyone who works with children, the elderly, or disabled. † In fact the database of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now accessible to state officials under the authority of the National C hild Protection Act primarily for this purpose (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Employers conduct background checks under the authority of the â€Å"Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA),† a federal law.Although background checks are not a requirement under the FCRA, employers nevertheless do so in order to comply with the standards set by the national government concerning screening of employees. These national standards are established by the FCRA. Under the FCRA, external organizations should undertake the investigation into the backgrounds of applicants or employees and include the same in a â€Å"consumer report. † Employers are not allowed to apply the provisions of the FCRA to checks which they themselves have done (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse).Examples of information and/or records that could be obtained or accessed through a background check are: â€Å"criminal convictions, driving records, social security number, property ownership, past employees, vehicle regist ration, character references, personal references, credit records, court records, neighbor interviews, state licensing records, incarceration records, workers’ compensation, drug test records, sex offender lists, educational records, military service records, dental records, and bankruptcies within the preceding ten years.† The following information could likewise be available to a check conducted under the FCRA as long as the investigation should cover only the preceding seven years: â€Å"civil suits, civil judgments, paid tax liens, and accounts placed for collection† (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Under the provisions of the FCRA, before an employer could have a background check conducted, the written consent of the applicant should first be obtained.If after reading the report the employer decides to take an â€Å"adverse action† i. e. he/she decides not to hire the applicant, terminate an employee, rescind an offer of a job, or refuse to promote an employee, he/she is required to provide the applicant or employee with a notice or a â€Å"pre-adverse action disclosure† together with a copy of the result of the background check.After undertaking the â€Å"adverse action,† the name and address of the screening entity should be provided to the applicant or employee in an â€Å"adverse action notice† together with an advice that he/she â€Å"has the right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any of the information in the report† (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). Reference Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Employment Background Checks: A Jobseeker’s Guide. July 2007. 23 September 2007

Thoreau Civil Disobedience Analysis - 963 Words

Overall, Antigone’s choices fit into Thoreau’s philosophy regarding civil disobedience. In Thoreaus work, â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau makes points that clearly justify Antigone’s actions. One such case is when Antigone goes to give her brother a proper burial. Another one of these cases occurs when Antigone is put into jail for being honorable. Finally, an example of Thoreau’s idea of civil disobedience is epitomized when Antigone refuses allegiance to a government that she views as unjust. According to Thoreau, Antigone’s actions were just when she went to bury her brother despite Creon decreeing that no can do so. By burying her brother, she refuses to obey an unjust law. Antigone’s entrapment in the tomb fits into Thoreau’s†¦show more content†¦Antigone does just this by giving her brother a burial because she refuses to follow a law that violates her religion and moral code. As said in â€Å"Antigone: Rebel With a Conscience† by Taki Theodoracopulos, â€Å"Antigone was a rebel, someone willing to take a stand against laws they cannot accept.† This supports the fact that Antigone was standing up to a law, that her brother cannot be buried because it violated her moral code, and she was unable to accept breaking her moral code even if she was legally obliged to do so. Antigone’s actions were also supported by Thoreau when she was jailed and put to death for burying her brother. After learning of Antigone’s transgression and being asked by Choragos if he is willing to take Antigone from his son, Creon responds, â€Å"No; Death will do that for me† (Sophocles 214). In doing so, Creon sentences Antigone for imprisonment and eventual death for the crime of giving her brother a proper burial. In â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau says, â€Å"Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.† When Thore au says this, he means that because of unjust laws, all those people who are just belong in prison because their just actions are transgressions in the eyes of an unjust government. In â€Å"Antigone: Rebel With a Conscience,† Theodoracopulos claims, â€Å"[Antigone] defies the state and gives [Creon] a token burial† (Theodoracopulos 1). This claim supports that Antigone’sShow MoreRelatedThoreau Civil Disobedience Analysis812 Words   |  4 PagesHenry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† both present similar ideas, as the latter was inspired by the first. This set of principles and ideas is still in being carried out in our nation today, however it is necessary for more people to adopt this way of thinking. 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Though some might be led to believe his essays and writings, including â€Å"Where I Lived, and What I lived For†, make him a down to earth and even rugged author, as he spent some of his life in the forest. However, his life in the woods was not one of heavy duty work and he often was supported with objects and material possessions, contrary to what many of hisR ead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau1219 Words   |  5 Pagesignorant to the problems others faced. In the essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his taxes. After his night in jail, the author has a perspective change about the people around him (his â€Å"neighbors†) and the state. Before he went to jail he thought of his neighbors as friends who were civil when it did not cost them anything and he believed they shared common beliefs. But after Thoreau was imprisoned he says â€Å"that they did not greatlyRead MoreHenry David Thoreau Resistance To Civil Disobedience Analysis1508 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the era of the civil disobedience, individuals took stand and fight for their rights. the government took actions that violated the rights of others or took restrictions that angered residence. Resistance to civil government by Henry David Thoreau is an essay w ritten about his opinion on opposing the government that was taking control of people’s rights, motivating his disagreement of slavery and the Mexican-American war. Mahatma Gandhi, a leader who fought for the Indians independent movementRead MoreLessons in Civil Disobedience828 Words   |  4 Pagesto its effectiveness, individualism, and past history of the world that has made immense progress. It is important to notice that if civil disobedience was not effective, then it would not be continually used to disobey the law. In The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy† by Kayla Starr, she explains why we have the right to participate in civil disobedience. â€Å"The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and whenever any formRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1013 Words   |  5 PagesIn Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Thoreau makes the claim that the best form of government is a government that doesn’t govern at all. Thoreau’s paper pushes for the people to begin following the will of their conscience rather than blindly and foolishly follow the unjust idea of â€Å"majority rule†. Throughout the paper Thoreau makes a point of stating that â€Å"majority rule† is simply the will of the upper-class being forced into action o ver the rights and wills of the poorer minority. ThisRead MoreThe Effect Of Transcendentalism : Henry David Thoreau1654 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effect of Transcendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalism is the American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was rooted in the pure Romanticism of the English and the German (Goodman). Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of Transcendentalism because his literature is the first to praise the notable spirituality of nature. The basic belief of the movement is to live authentically; being true to oneself (Day). The movement itselfRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience984 Words   |  4 PagesHenry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was an introspective who desired only a simple life and wandered the woods of Concord, Massachusetts journaling. How, then, did he influence such political icons as Mohandas Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, and Martin Luther King Jr.? The answer lies in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† (1849). â€Å"Civil Disobedience† is an analysis of the individual’s relationship to the state and focuses mainly on why men obey laws even when they violate their own conscience. It is not an essay of abstract