Scientology is certainly a valid religion - by definition and by law. Most people don’t even understand what Scientology is. Its religion is described at www.scientology.org.

Some people, whose religious beliefs differ, find it necessary to ridicule those who don’t believe as they do. Why the need to ridicule at all? I have friends, colleagues, family from all walks of life – agnostics included. We are respectful of our differences.

To answer this poll – yes, of course it is a valid religion. But Scientology is so much more! Most people also don’t know the scope of the efforts of Scientologists to build a better world. Throughout the last decade, the Church has taken actions to promote the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is an independent non-profit group headquartered in Los Angeles. A delegation of American human rights activists from Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) were recently in West Africa to establish a leadership program to promote human rights reform in Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leon. The Church’s Human Rights Office has upheld this basic right all over the world. Where repressive laws or officials create discrimination, oppression and intolerance, the Church forms alliances with human rights groups, publicizes the intolerance, contacts members of parliament known to have strong pro-democracy views and to be defenders of religious freedom and human rights, and conducts campaigns to popularize democracy and human rights.

The Foster Parents Association of Los Angeles presented an award for outstanding community service to the Community Outreach Director for the Church of Scientology for contributing over 50,000 man hours of volunteer work in the Los Angeles area. Professional artists from the church created 57 murals in county facilities throughout Los Angeles.

In Seattle, a group of Scientologists have organized a Scientology Environmental Task Force. For the past 10 years, this group has cleaned up parks, turned city walls full of graffiti into beautiful giant murals, five parks in the city are adopted by the group and regularly taken care of to ensure it remains beautiful clean and useable for all children in the city. The Mayor of Seattle recently issued a commendation to the Scientologists in Seattle for the past 10 years of dedication to improving the environment in Seattle.

Ecologically minded South African Scientologists celebrate Earth Day each year with educational campaigns to stress the importance of safeguarding and improving their environment.
In support of their international grass-roots fight against drugs, the Churches of Scientology unite concerned community groups, stage public awareness forums, anti-drug rallies and educational conferences in a worldwide effort to bring an end to drug abuse.
Churches of Scientology support and contribute to a variety of other established community programs such as the Red Cross, the March of Dimes, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and local community groups in cities the world over. This support ranges from broad participation in drug-free blood drives, to city-wide collection of holiday toys for needy children, to donations of food and clothing for under-privileged families.

In Germany, Church volunteers provide musical entertainment for the elderly at old-age homes, and during the winter they give warm clothing, food and hot drinks to the homeless in Hanover, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf.

Volunteers in France also regularly distribute food and clothing to those in need, while in nearby Belgium, local Scientologists supported an annual 24-hour bicycle race, raising funds for cancer research. During the Christmas season, churches throughout Europe distribute food and gifts to the less fortunate.

In Amsterdam, a local Scientologist runs a shelter for former drug-addicts and homeless people. In addition to providing them a temporary place to live.

And there are so many more examples.

This is a long-winded response to the poll question. So –in summary: Yes, Scientology is a valid religion. But it is also a world-wide movement whose purpose is to improve conditions throughout the planet via activities and organizations such as those listed above.

75 million years ago,an ALIEN ruler named XENU,solved the overpopulation in this part of the galaxy by sending 13.5 trillion beings to earth.Earth was called TEEGEEACK at the time.they were vaporized by nuclear bombs,AFTER being dumped into volcanoes.these trillions of lost souls,known as THETANS,were implanted with numerous false ideas about god,christ,and organized religion.they later attached themselves to human beings and,were the cause of individual's problems and all divisive issues of the world.

that is the core of the scientology belief system.this story is called the creationist myth or the wall of fire story,and is a closely gaurded secret of the scientology cult.a member must pay a great deal of money,and be at a certain level before they are permitted to read it.(ot III) it is so wacky,and such a leap of faith,that those who read it are monitored to ensure they are not 'backsliding' or becoming disenchanted by the faith.those that are not permitted to read the story,have no knowledge of it,so can truthfully denounce it as lies.
http://xenu.net/

"hubbard spoke...i don't recall his exact words;but,in effect,he told us that writing science fiction for about a penny a word was no way to make a living.if you really want to make a million,he said,the quickest way is to start your own religion."-science fiction editor and author sam moscowitz telling of when l.ron hubbard spoke to the eastern science fiction association in newark,nj 1947 ...the image of this book was deliberately minimized so the co-author,l ron hubbard jr's name would be obscured.find the book,go to the web,read the truth for yourself.