Mike Ferris - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Mon, 02 Dec 2013 09:20:08 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg Mike Ferris - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 Scientologists to spend 16M restoring Auckland headquarters https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/12/03/scientologists-spend-16m-restoring-auckland-headquarters/ Mon, 02 Dec 2013 18:30:37 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=52810

The Church of Scientology of New Zealand will be spending $16 million restoring and converting a heritage-listed Auckland building into its New Zealand headquarters. It is the church's only New Zealand property. The New Zealand arm The church of Scientology purchased the former Whitecliffe Art College campus in 2007 for $10m using an interest free Read more

Scientologists to spend 16M restoring Auckland headquarters... Read more]]> The Church of Scientology of New Zealand will be spending $16 million restoring and converting a heritage-listed Auckland building into its New Zealand headquarters. It is the church's only New Zealand property.

The New Zealand arm The church of Scientology purchased the former Whitecliffe Art College campus in 2007 for $10m using an interest free loan borrowed from the Church of Scientology International.

Church of Scientology New Zealand head Mike Ferriss told the Sunday Star-Times the cost of the restoration was $16m.

More than $3.5m had been raised mostly from the church's 5000 local members, Ferriss said, but scientologists around the globe including expat Kiwis would contribute.

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Scientologists to spend 16M restoring Auckland headquarters]]> 52810 "Ease up on us guys", says Scientology https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/02/12/ease-up-on-us-guys-says-scientology/ Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:30:14 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=38889

The Church of Scientology is says it is copping it because it is a new movement. Spokesperson Mike Ferris says "It's an easy target. People reject new ideas. They really do." Ferris said the Salvation Army had been attacked when it was founded, because it was trying to tell people to quit drinking. He said Read more

"Ease up on us guys", says Scientology... Read more]]> The Church of Scientology is says it is copping it because it is a new movement.

Spokesperson Mike Ferris says "It's an easy target. People reject new ideas. They really do."

Ferris said the Salvation Army had been attacked when it was founded, because it was trying to tell people to quit drinking. He said could understand people's fears of Scientology, considering the common characterisation of it as a cult.

"Scientology is copping it now - but this has happened to other religions, so, ease up on it, guys."

Fewer than 400 people in New Zealand declared their religion as Scientology in the most recent Census.

Ferris said about 5000 were taking courses, and 25,000 people had studied Scientology in Auckland since it arrived here.

The Church of Scientology in New Zealand has released a guide for media, The church of Scientology; A Guide for the Media,which it says is an has attempt to clear up misconceptions about the movement.

Ferris says there is no particular publicity push. However A similar campaign has be undertaken in Australia. Scientology's spokesperson there denies the guide's release is related to a new controversial book that examines the inner working of the church. "It just happened to be when we finished it," he said.

In the USA, the Church of Scientology purchased a million-dollar advert which was run in the half time slot during the Superbowl.

Pulitzer prize-winning writer Lawrence Wright penned a 26-page article on the Church of Scientology, largely based on interviews with ex-Scientologist and Hollywood screenwriter Paul Haggis, for The New Yorker in 2011. The article contained allegations of misconduct within the Church.

This article led to Wright's book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, which was released last month in a blaze of interviews.

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