Some time ago I remember having read an article saying that Hubbard founded Scientology based on a bet. He bid that it was possible to make a living (and a good one) by creating a religion. Does anyone know more about this?
This is from memory so it may be not fully correct. For the full details you need to check the biographies of science fiction writers from the Golden Age. Also maybe check with Locus magazine.
Within the community of science fiction writers from the 1940’s and 1950’s there are many anecdotes from people (such as Isaac Asimov and Robert Campbell and Clark Ashton Smith) who knew L Ron Hubbard when he was a struggling hack writer. Since all the writers were buddies who drank together and commiserated, some of them say they remember L Ron Hubbard complaining about how hard it was to make a living writing short stories for a penny a word. Some respected people claimed to remember hearing him say enviously “the real money is in religion” and “just look at how wealthy all the churches and evangelists become”. He stopped writing and disappeared for a few years and then reappeared with Scientology and Dianetics. It’s no surprise that a science fiction writer dreams up a religion named for science which combines pop psychotherapy with religious revelations and (most importantly) a tax-exempt status. At first the science fiction writers thought this was terribly funny and that the bubble would soon burst. But seeing the cult survive and prosper for decades they realized what that there is a sucker born every minute.
Some of the writers would occasionally poke fun at L. Ron Hubbard by giving names similar to L. Ron to characters in their own stories. I believe Clark Ashton Smith used the name Elron for an evil priest in his stories. Also in the TV cartoon series “The Jetsons” notice the son is named Elroy. I suppose if hispanics can name their sons Jesus then a science fiction cartoon can name its son for Elron.
The version of the above story that I heard matched the particulars except that the time frame was ~six months from L. Ron’s “epiphany” to the appearance of the Church.
I have to question the “Jetson’s Elroy connection,” however. Seems pretty coincidental to me. Elroy is a given name listed by the Census Bureau, as McElroy is a listed surname, so it wasn’t a created name for purposes of making fun of L. Ron. Plus, that’s a pretty harmless “criticism.”
>>Some of the writers would occasionally poke fun at L. Ron Hubbard by giving names similar to L. Ron to characters in their own stories.<<
A robot from the Justice League of America comic books was named L-Ron. I always wondered where that came from…
How about we start a pool to bet on how long it’ll be before Cecil’s column ( http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_134.html ) gets “sporged.”
Hey Nickrz, TubaDiva, CK: Anybody try yet? Any lawsuit threats or e-mail floods?
“I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms.” -The Secret of Monkey Island
Come on people, Scientologists are fun to play with!
Every so often I go to take their test, and answer every question as if I were a totally sel-centered and perfect asshole. I score so high that they invariably ask which courses I’ve already taken. 
Scientologists are not just fun to play with, they’re also scary.
For more information, you can read this article.
Read the section where the journalist describes what happens to him after he started work on the article.
La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l’on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l’on dit.
H. de Livry
Go to www.newtimesla.com/issues/199-09-09/feature.html to read a story from a local weekly on how Scientology defeated CAN (Cult Awareness Network), which was an organization devoted to freeing people from destructive cults.
Scientology defeated CAN by taking it over. CAN is now part of Scientology. Defeat your enemies by making them join you. You may despise the fuckers, but you gotta admire their strategy.
Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to relive it. Georges Santayana
Leave out ONE FUCKING CHARACTER and the link doesn’t work.
Try this one: www.newtimesla.com/issues/1999-09-09/feature.html
Maybe Hubbard’s fucking with me from beyond the grave!!! (insert spooky organ music)
If Hubbard’s fucking you from beyond the grave, it must be with a spooky organ. ;->
–Da Cap’n
“Playin’ solitaire 'til dawn
With a deck of fifty-one.”
Bart Simpson is a Scientologist? I’m SO pissed! They’ve gone too far. That’s it! I’m starting a new religion. It’s called Fuckyouallogy, it costs no money, there are no churches, just a group of people dedicated to the purpose of hating stuff. Any one want to join?
I’m in.
Why not Whycantwealljustgetalongogy?
It’ll be like Community College.
Supposedly, L. Ron Hubbard was talking to
Robert A. Heinlein when he said that the
easiest way to strike it rich was to start
a religion. The story may be apocryphal but
it certainly doesn’t sound out of character
for either of them. Interestingly, while
not started by Heinlein, the neo-Pagan Church
of All Worlds was inspired by his STRANGER IN
A STRANGE LAND.
Strainger, that column was written in 1989. Its been ten years & Cecil is still alive, enough said.
you people are below rednecks. if it was anything else but scientology, any religion at all, you wouldn’t say these sorts of things, you would be full of unbiased respect.
you make me sick to the pit of my stomach, and your ignorance speaks more for your pitiful selves than anything i can put into words.
how about you actually go visit an org and see what’s it’s all about, instead of speaking in terms of “i heard once that…”, and "yeah, my cousin’s friend said…"etc
i am not going to get in to a debate over this, but i think you should at least draw your own conclusions from first hand experience, rather than just voicing the popular knee-jerk reaction that you’ve been told. this site is supposedly full of intelligent, clear thinking individuals, so why don’t you prove it.
That’s not true. You should look into different forums on this board to see what kind of things everyone says about Mormonism, Wiccan, Catholicism, etc. Also, I’m not sure if you can truly have unbiased respect. Just FYI.
I always try to do things in chronological order.
Quite right. The denizens of this MB tend to disdain and cast scorn upon any religious tradition or idea that pops up (or at least some of us do). Except, strangely, for Orthodox Judaism, which we all seem to think is pretty cool.
(And don’t think I consider this knee-jerk anti-religiosity to be a badthing…)
…but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans!
Count me out Da Ace. I think ALL religions are bogus, including Scientology and Orthodox Judaism. I respect peoples right to believe what they want, but I sure don’t believe and I will scorn any and all believers in them when they act too smug, self-righteous or holier-than-thou.
“The truth does not make a good story; that’s why we have art.”