by Caleb Fort
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."
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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.
She said students were most commonly troubled by schoolwork and relationships. After identifying which aspect of their life was causing them stress, a person could use tools outlined in Scientology to remedy those problems, she said.
Student Greg Brown, however, questioned the validity of the stress test.
"I don't really know what it does," he said. "I noticed the needle would move when I relaxed my hands or tightened them, so I was just kind of messing around with it."
Becket Wells, a minister in charge of the traveling exhibit for the western United States, said he is not trying to convert anybody.
"A lot of people have problems in life, and we're just trying to give them tools to cope with that," he said. "If you find something here that works for you, then use it. It doesn't mean you have to call yourself a Scientologist."
Cleve Carlson, one of the ministers, agreed.
"We're just trying to help people out," he said. "They don't have to join the Church of Scientology or anything. At worst, they have to buy a book."
The ministers sold copies of Dianetics, the guiding book of Scientology. They also sold booklets and DVDs on how to study better, how to improve relationships and how to have integrity and honesty.
The exhibit's next stop is Phoenix, Ariz.
