Add ‘The Last Samurai’ to Tom Cruise movies Scientology uses for themed fundraising

How do you get Scientologists to come to fundraising parties when they know they’re going to be hounded for donations for new building projects? Themed costume parties continue to be a popular strategy, and we’ve seen them use everything from gangster and vampire films to Star Wars and yes, the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun for inspiration.

And now, add The Last Samurai to the list as this remarkable photo from Down Under shows.

Earlier this year, Brisbane Scientologists came together for an Ideal Org fundraising event themed on the Cruise movie set in 19th century Japan. This week they announced the purchase of their new building. It’s in the Spring Hill district of the city, quite close to the downtown area.

The old building is at 452 George St. in the Central Business District, or CBD. It has terrific foot traffic but occupies none of the ground floor space. They’ve made do with a large Dianetics banner to attract attention.

The new Ideal Org building is at 185 Warry St. It’s the former offices of Energex, an electric power company. At 36,000 square feet it may be too small for an Ideal Org, which is supposed to be at least 50,000 square feet. Scientology may be planning to add stories to reach the ideal size, a strategy currently being used to expand the Austin org.

 
It’s a move outside the more desirable CBD, but the Ideal Org building is in a well maintained residential neighborhood. It’s close to the Inner City Bypass and the Brisbane Showgrounds, home to the annual agricultural exhibition, the Royal Queensland Show also known as the Ekka. The showgrounds hosts over 300 events per year and should provide a convenient place to distribute Scientology literature and personality tests.

With perhaps as few as 25 staff and publics combined this purchase was only possible with help from the Sydney Ideal Org and perhaps international money from the IAS. Sydney is also home to the Advanced Org in Chatswood West, which has hosted several fundraisers for Brisbane…

Purchasing the building is another step towards an all-ideal Australia. Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth have opened Ideal Orgs. Adelaide has purchased a building, and Canberra appears close to announcing the same. If Brisbane needs to add stories this Ideal Org is years away from completion. Scientologists are being told Brisbane is next, but we’re betting on Adelaide to open first.

— Rod Keller

 
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Bonus items from our tipsters

Meanwhile, in Canada…

 
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Source Code

“People look all the way through books of philosophers, the Bible, life, to find something that will agree with them. At first glance, they’re trying to look for something to agree with. Nah, they’re not looking for something to agree with, they’re looking for something on which they have sufficient experience to establish a certainty. And you go down and you get a book — old Will Durant’s book The Story of Philosophy — whenever you get it out of the library you’ll find page after page, underscore, underscore and an underscore here and an underscore there and exclamation points over in the borders and it’s all marked up, old copies of it. Libraries have to replace it every time they turn around. Because people in their great enthusiasm will underscore ‘God is good.’ Here these rather clever statements one way or the other which are quite profound and quite interesting of which somebody could be certain and then they pick all the way through. The thing they find ‘God is good.’ Fine.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 3, 1953

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“The Christian principal of forgiveness is fine as it goes, but some of us, maybe most of us, have committed overts of such considerable magnitude that it would be impossible for another to atone for us; this is one we have to face up to on our own, Jesus can’t do it for us, the anonymous priest in the confessional with his five Hail Mary’s and two Our Father’s can’t do it. You could walk away from the therapist’s couch, or the church, and be more spun in than you were before — you’ve still got your motivators, the undeserved low opinion of the person you’ve actually harmed…The degree to which we are monitored by opinions is so fantastic, as to be utterly incredible. It is even more incredible that LRH found a way through.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Opus Dei wields more political influence around the world than the Church of Scientology could ever dream of.”

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Never public: L. Ron Hubbard Jr.’s devastating 1972 takedown of his father and Scientology
[TWO years ago] EXCLUSIVE: DA’s office asked Leah Remini not to air episode about Danny Masterson
[THREE years ago] Scientology strikes back at Leah Remini as publicity for her upcoming series explodes
[FOUR years ago] Ten years ago, ‘South Park’ rocked Scientology in a way it’s never recovered from
[FIVE years ago] Dani Lemberger, who led a breakaway Israel mission, sues Scientology for libel and fraud
[SIX years ago] Sunday Funnies: Roslyn Cohn’s One-Woman Show Set to Skewer Scientology
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Policy of “Disconnection”: A Mother’s Open Letter to Her Children
[EIGHT years ago] Tom Cruise and Baby Suri Embarrassed? This is Scientology, So Someone Has To Pay

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 3, 2019 at 07:00

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