Scientology 'not a once-on-Sunday religion'

The Battle Creek Enquirer had an interesting article on the Church of Scientology of Battle Creek. It's an interview with Michael Delaware, a Scientologist and a Battle Creek resident for the past five years. Delaware is a full-time Scientology minister and he describes what it's like to be a Scientologist.

Q: How long have you been a part of the Church of Scientology? "Since the late '80s. I read some books and took a look for myself. I pursued it further and joined within a few months."

Q: In what ways do you prefer to express your faith? "We try to live by it every day. We're not a once-on-Sunday religion. We work on communication with our spouses and friends and family. We apply principles of how to have good relationships with people that we meet. There's a great deal of study that I do every day; Scientology teaches us how to study properly. I took courses through the church, and then I finally took the ministerial training within the church. This took place over several months."

Q: Have you been inspired by any particular books, movies, music or works of art? "The first book I ever read on the subject of Scientology was a book called 'Dianetics' by L. Ron Hubbard. As for the arts, any appreciation for the arts is encouraged in the church. The principles of Scientology are applied to daily life, so you take it and learn about aesthetics so that what you really want to communicate is understood at the other end. It's therefore not surprising that artists find that very useful. There are a lot of talented artists, actors, producers, directors, painters, illustrators and musicians of all kinds who are in the church. We also have a lot of professional businessmen, doctors, people from all walks of life." more >>