Chad Lane has been the Executive Director for the Church of Scientology of St. Louis for over 20 years.
“Scientology has helped me and my family to achieve our goals, and being a minister has given me the opportunity to help hundreds of people live better lives.
“I believe that society has become very materialistic and that materialism threatens to destroy all of us. Being a minister allows me to help others discover their spiritual nature.
“Acknowledging that there is a spiritual component to life in no way denies the ability of humankind to use science to discover more about our world, remedy disease or reach for the stars. Just as science has solved universal riddles and given our species tremendous prosperity, I believe that the correct use of religion has lifted humanity beyond a concern for oneself and one’s own immediate tribe. It has allowed us to work together in peace… except when it hasn’t.
“As a minister, I also believe that it is my responsibility to understand the religions of others and to promote dialog between all faiths. As I see it, we are all threatened by the growing materialistic mindset and there is no space for infighting among those of us who would point mankind to higher goals. Further, I believe that this infighting is based not on core religious truths or beliefs, but on misunderstanding. I love studying the sacred texts of every faith – which is why my readers will see references to the Bhagavad Gita in my fundraising blog, and discussions inspired by Ecclesiastes in my marketing blog.”