Missionaries attempt to covert Sderot residents to crude, homemade religion

The clumsy attempts to deny the Scientology-connection would be funny if the whole enterprise wasn't an attempt to recruit terrorized Sderot residents into a cult. From Jpost:

In a move seen by some as an attempt to take advantage of Sderot's shell-shocked residents, a nonprofit group is offering them free workshops based on the teachings of the late L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology.

A group calling itself the Association for Prosperity and Security in the Middle East, which denies any connection with the Church of Scientology, has sent e-mails to social workers in Sderot offering to help the residents cope with the Kassam rocket attacks.

It is entitled, "Sick of being bombed?" and asks: "Are you afraid to leave the house in the morning? Don't know if the children will return home safely? Business in danger? Life become a struggle in the shadow of fear? Come make sure right now that the psychological damage will be as limited as possible!" The free workshops are offered to schools and places of work . . .

In an e-mail responding to questions by The Jerusalem Post, the Association for Prosperity said the workshops were based on the teachings of "The Way to Happiness," a pamphlet written by Hubbard - one of 645 works he authored on various subjects, according to the group . . .

Mordi Bucai, who answered the Center for Scientology's toll-free line, told the Post that there was no Scientology activity in Sderot. He said that the teachings found in "The Way to Happiness" were "totally different" from Scientology.

Bucai acknowledged that most of the people in the Association for Prosperity, including its director-general, were Scientologists. But he added that some were not, and one did not have to be a Scientologist to work for the association.

The Association for Prosperity said, "Claiming our organization is connected with Scientology just because our director-general studied Scientology is like saying that other nonprofits are hi-tech because volunteers work in hi-tech."

Sounds like he's had a lot of practice with this particular denial.

Bucai, who heads a Scientology Center on Sderot Rothschild in Tel Aviv, said "The Way to Happiness" was a moral code based on 21 principles relevant for all religions, "based on logic." [...]

I hear that the people of the Gaza Strip love principles relevant for all religions. The Scientologists really should go to Gaza. (h/t: MOT News)

Related.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Tags: Scientology, Gaza, Sderot