The Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) is a
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy ...
headquartered in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, established and operated by the
Church of Scientology. It states that it is "dedicated to creating a better future for children and communities." It promotes secular uses of
L. Ron Hubbard's works, and has been classified as a "
Scientology-related entity". Founded in 1988, ABLE's main office is located at
7065 Hollywood Boulevard, the former headquarters for the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
.
[
]
Programs
ABLE is an umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
which manages the four entities:[
*]Applied Scholastics
Applied Scholastics (APS) is an organization that promotes and licenses the use of study techniques created by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Applied Scholastics is operated by the Church of Scientology.
Overview
Applied Sch ...
, educational programs based on study technology
* Criminon, a rehabilitation program for prisoners
* Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program
* The Way to Happiness Foundation, dedicated to disseminating Hubbard's "non-religious moral code".
Criticism
Although various Scientology groups are registered as legally separate corporations and entities, critics note this has no bearing on whether or not they are controlled by the Church of Scientology. Studytech.org, a Scientology watchdog site, notes: "Applied Scholastics is indeed a legally separate corporation. However, it has so many ties to the Church of Scientology and its corporate alter ego, the Church of Spiritual Technology, that it cannot be regarded as being anything other than a Scientology subsidiary.
Nanette Asimov, reporter for the ''San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'', in an article critical of ABLE and Narconon, summed it up this way:
A popular anti-drug program provided free to schools in San Francisco and elsewhere teaches concepts straight out of the Church of Scientology, including medical theories that some addiction experts described as "irresponsible" and "pseudoscience." As a result, students are being introduced to some beliefs and methods of Scientology without their knowledge.
ABLE and its groups were included in the 1993 closing agreement between the IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
and the Church of Scientology, and are classified as "Scientology-related entities".
See also
*Applied Scholastics
Applied Scholastics (APS) is an organization that promotes and licenses the use of study techniques created by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Applied Scholastics is operated by the Church of Scientology.
Overview
Applied Sch ...
* Criminon
* Narconon
* The Way to Happiness
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Scientology organizations
Organizations established in 1988
Organizations based in Los Angeles