Paul,
I agree the Shrine is the perfect venue with the Expo Hall. That is a good point, I can't think of another with the same set up. I remember reading about Crowley having his seminar's at the Shrine. This would have been around the same time period when LRH belonged to his cult. That's what got me paying more attention. I dont think its a coincidence. It's the perfect venue, but I have a feeling the Church has never had to pay much for using it. I think LRH had a free pass. The only other locations that I had been to was the auditorium in Pasadena that has a new name now, and the Paladium when LRH dropped his body.
Off topic I just had a flashback of being ordered to work at the Shrine for LRH's birthday as a greeter. It was tag your it, the ED picked you, get there early. They gave me a sash to wear, like Miss America. The greeters were all young ladies. It made me angry and I was embarrased being reduced to a body. Degrading.
Michaelangelo, good point. I do not know which symbols in Scientology are the same or similar to those in Freemasonry, but LRH appears to have brought forward the tradition. I have heard that LRH used the triangle/pyramid and the S/snake to communicate and indentify who we were or where we stand to anyone who may invade from outside our planet. I don't know if this was written, I'm assuming.
It's because of Scientology that I became so aware of the use of symbolism that I no longer felt comfortable pledging allegiance to the flag, of freemasonry because I do not know what the symbols on the flag mean. The stars, are they five pointed? blue background, red and white stripes. I have seen earlier flags in Scotland and England that had bits and pieces of our flag. I wondered if they are bits and pieces and colors of crests, because I have also seen shields with sections similar to our flag.
Jen