"You are a spiritual being, distinct and separate from a body. You have lived lifetime after lifetime and will live again. You are seeking to survive for yourself, your family, group, mankind, the physical universe, and to survive as a spirit. And only when you have fully achieved that level of enlightenment can you truly understand the Creator.

    "And while that may sound familiar to many of you in the tradition of the ancient Eastern religions — you are certainly correct. What is different, and what is new about Scientology, are the means and ways of achieving it. For Scientologyis a modern religion, born in the technical age of the 20th century. And if you were to ask any Scientologist, they would tell you it is a practical religion, with practical answers — tools that can be applied to achieve that greater awareness and purpose in the here and now. Or, as we say it, when you have the answers to life's questions — there is virtually no part of existence it cannot be applied to for the betterment of life itself.

    "As for what it means in the greater scope of things — well, I return to that "greater drama" I referenced at the outset. It is summed up in the cycle of religion and science, and the question of which one held the answer to man himself. That has been the battle, and it's been a continuous cycle. And while, through the ages, each has pointed to the "failures" of the other to support their position, we believe neither was correct. Instead, they both awaited a mutual meeting ground. That, to us, is Scientology.

    "And with that in mind, I won't try to tell you that as a religion we are "just like everybody else." Certainly we share those same goals of peace, compassion, the belief in a higher purpose — that life transcends this mere existence of the "clay" that is our bodies. Beyond that, we seek evolution to a better state for man in the here and now.

    "So yes, we may be new — we may be different. We know that despite the efforts and money of a great many people, those old solutions are not working. You can throw billions at those same solutions and they still won't work. Of that, there is no doubt. That's a certainty.

    "Let's not, then, judge our answers by the "authorities" that have failed. For that is the path of hopelessness. And if we can't yet imagine the possibility of a better tomorrow, then have we not even forfeited our dreams? Let's instead, all of us, work to help one another.

    "We believe there is hope. We believe we can help. We believe in you. And with that, let me appropriately leave you with a final word from L. Ron Hubbard. It comes from the final pages of Dianetics, and is reflective of all we stand for and what Mr. Hubbard spent a life to help us achieve...."