Spring Break
Scientologists come to campus
Caleb Fort
Issue date: 4/4/06 Section: News
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Daily Lobo
Ministers from the Church of Scientology set up a bright yellow tent in front of the SUB on Monday to give massages, administer stress tests and answer questions about their religion.
Marcy Sergeant, one of the ministers, said Scientology is different from other religions because it gives practical ways to deal with life's problems.
"It's not stress management. It's not a trick thing," she said. "It's all about understanding. If you understand something, you can control it, and then you're not afraid of it."
Sergeant has been a member of the church for about 30 years, and it has helped her lead a happy life, she said.
"I've been a really happy mom and a really sane person," she said.
The ministers will be on campus until Thursday.
Students had mixed feelings about the event.
Rose Stevenson said she didn't mind the Scientologists being there.
"It's college. This is what it's all about - having all your options presented to you," she said. "It's freedom of expression."
However, she said the massage she received, called a touch assist, was ineffective at easing pain from a pinched nerve.
"I was out of time, so I told him I felt something release," she said. "These people are really nice, but I don't think they know what they're doing."
Student Felicia Apodaca said the touch assist she got did a better job of relieving her back problems than standard methods.
"I've been to the chiropractor, and this was much better," she said. "I'm coming the rest of the week."
The ministers gave stress tests using what they called an electrometer. People taking the stress test held a metal cylinder in each hand while a minister asked them about problems in their life. A needle on the front of the device measured how much a person was troubled by certain topics, Sergeant said.
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