The Flint, Michigan, City Council is contemplating embracing a new way to save the town: Scientology.
"The Way to Happiness" program was written by Scientology creator L. Ron Hubbard. A nonreligious moral code, it describes 21 different principles, including "Don't Be Promiscuous," "Be Temperate," and the always-hard-to-remember "Do Not Murder." Scientologist Monika Biddle introduced the council to the book during an Aug. 22 meeting, saying it could really curb the high rates of crime and poverty.
"The moral fiber of our community is so decayed it will take years" to change, Councilwoman Monica Galloway told MLive.com."We need to sow [values] into these children [because these] are things they are not getting."
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The Way to Happiness Foundation says it has distributed 100 million copies of the book all over the world. The organization tries to get the book out into communities, and suggests that police officers hand them out to children and neighborhood watch groups. Police Chief James Tolbert thinks it's worth a shot to at least try using the program. "From the information I've seen, apparently it works," he said. "I'm for anything that works."
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