28th May 2004
For further information please contact
Mr. Fabio Amicarelli
or Mr. Martin Weightman
Phone: 02 231 1596
Email: csiofficedir@scientology-europe.org or humanrightsdir@scientology-europe.org
World Famous Jazz Musician Chick Corea in Brussels to present non-religious moral code, The Way to Happiness
Jose Luis Abellan, Spanish human rights advocate receives The 2004 The Way to Happiness Award
World famous jazz musician Chick Corea appeared at the Church of Scientology
International’s office in Brussels, presenting his own personalized version of
a booklet called the Way To Happiness — a non religious moral code by
philosopher and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. Multi Grammy awards winner, Chick
Corea played to a packed enthusiastic audience at the Flagey theatre in Brussels
last night, where they were also treated to an impromptu performance with
Belgian harmonica great, Toots Thielemans.
Mr. Corea has always promoted human rights and other social improvement
causes and his current support for The Way to Happiness campaign is
another step in this direction. “I support The Way to Happiness because
it provides a common sense assistance and direction for people who are looking
for an honest and fair approach to life, Mr. Corea said. “Because it promotes
no particular religion or philosophy and conflicts with the extreme, it can be
used by anyone.”
A presentation was also made to Jose Luis Abellan, President of the Ateneo in
Madrid Spain and scholar and professor at the University of Madrid, receiving
the 2004 The Way To Happiness Award. Professor Abellan kept the flame of
basic freedoms burning during Franco times (when the Ateneo was the ‘home’
of freedom of speech) and continues this today, as the Ateneo has become a major
centre of Spanish culture and intellectual thought, and one of the largest
library of the country.
During the presentation, the booklet “Teaching Trust, Honesty and Self-Respect ” was released, the fifth in a series of 12 publications
to make the Scientology religion it social betterment activities better known in
Europe. The booklet, which has been sent to some 56,000 decision makers in
Europe, describes the European and worldwide use of The Way To Happiness: what
started as a grassroots movement to restore tolerance and decency in individual
communities has, within the last decade, moved forward to encompass entire
European nations.
The Way to Happiness is a non-religious common-sense guide to happier
living. What is different about it is that it not only presents the precepts by
which one may live a better life, but it also explains why. Each precept
is accompanied with an essay detailing concrete reasons why such behaviour
translates into better survival and greater happiness. It demonstrates the real
correlation between virtue and joy.
The central theme of the book is a common sense appeal to one and all to
respect one another and to help each other find happiness.
To preserve and ensure unbiased political administration, nations must
maintain the separation of church and state. Whilst there are a number of areas
in which the boundaries of such separation have a tendency to overlap, perhaps
none is more prominent than the debate on religious teachings in our schools.
No religion should be enforced upon a school’s students, but the removal of
religious influence in schools can nullify the moral guidance that religious
teachings often provide. Mr. Hubbard wrote The Way to Happiness not as a
religious work, but as a means to fill the void left by the lack of moral
guidance in the schools. It promotes no religion or faith, rather it helps one
decide the manner in which one lives, especially during times of moral dilemma.
Many of the points are fundamental in promoting and preserving democracy and
ensuring unbiased political administration.
This presentation of The Way to Happiness will show how it has already
contributed to resolving social conflict and personal problems around the world.
back
