On 18 February 1954, Lafayette Ron Hubbard, a popular science fiction writer, began his notorious new religion.

In 1949, Ron, as he was known among his faithful, said these prophetic words:

“If a man really wanted to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion” (Time, 5 April 1976.)

Such an honest and frank admission should be taken very seriously by any person who is or wishes to join this dangerous cult, for as the old proverb goes, many a true word spoken in jest.

Hubbard, much like the ex-goalkeeper, David Icke had an overnight awakening and subsequently found himself the author of the best selling book Dianetics.

However, nothing just happens overnight, therefore, one might be forgiven for being a little cynical!

It may also be of interest to the reader that Hubbard’s own son would disown his father and publicly expose him as being a fake. His son would also go on record to say how amazed he and his father were that this cult took off.

His son would also later become a born-again Christian.

Facts and figures

• Their headquarters are in Clearwater, Florida.

• Worth in excess of $500 million (£263,157,000).

• Own a 440-foot cruise ship.

• Two publishing houses and more than 45 buildings – 500 acres in California.

• 700 centres in 65 countries (Time, January 1990).

• 50,000 strong worldwide (Time, January 1990).

• Current leader David Miscavige (Time, January 1990).

He is described as cunning, ruthless and so paranoid about perceived enemies that he kept plastic wrap over his glass of water.

• $503 million (£264,736,000) received in 1987 alone (Time, January 1990).

• “The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power” (Time, January 1990).

• In this article Time claimed Hubbard was skimming millions of dollars from the church, laundering money through false companies in Panama; church members stole IRS documents, filed false tax returns and harassed the agency’s employees.

• $400 million (£210,526,310) hidden away in bank accounts in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Cyprus (Time, January 1990).

• In 1993, after many years of legal wrangling, they finally paid the Inland Revenue Service $12.4 million (£6,578,947) to settle outstanding taxes. They are now a legally recognised tax-exempt religion.

• Members voluntarily dress up in false military uniforms.

• They flirt with Hinduism (Veda) and Buddhism (Bodhi).

• Hubbard decreed that humans are made of clusters of spirits (or “thetans”) who were banished to earth some 75 million years ago by a cruel galactic ruler named Xenu (Time, January 1990).

• Superficially wish to be acknowledged as ecumenical good at clarifying the nature of man.

• Over five thousand fully pledged members were involved in espionage against the US government.

• Among those caught was Hubbard’s third wife, Mary Sue five year prison terms were handed down to Mrs Hubbard and other leaders.

• Interestingly, Hubbard escaped justice but was named as one of many co-conspirators (People’s Weekly, 14 August 1978).

• A multi-million dollar nuclear proof vault was built into Walker Mountain in California to protect Hubbard’s sacred writings (The Cult Observer, 1992).

• Several high profile court hearings ranging from manslaughter to deception.

The first involves the mysterious death of a 34-year-old Lisa McPherson in 1995. Lisa had been involved with this cult for many years and had given very generously to support them financially. However, after a car accident, she was found walking the streets naked.

Admitted to the hospital by local police and against doctor’s orders, she discharged herself and left the hospital with officials from the church of Scientology.

Several days later Scientology officials returned her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The autopsy stated she died of prolonged dehydration (ABC News, 20 December 1998).

John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, both faithful ambassadors of their cult, went voluntarily on US nationwide television to try and defend their cult and rubbish the dead woman.

It would appear that Lisa was trying to obey Hubbard’s teachings not to seek psychiatric assistance, while Hubbard had frequently sought psychiatric help during the 1940s for himself.

The second case involves a homosexual Beverly Hills artist, Michael Pattinson. Pattinson, a member for 25-years, claimed that he joined the Scientologists because Travolta was used as an example of a homosexual who had been cured by the cult.

Pattinson sued them for $500,000.00 (£263,157.00) (Miami Herald, 9 August 1998).

Travolta has deep reservations about leaving the scientologists for fear they may announce his promiscuous sexual tendencies (Time, 1990).

Hubbard the man

• Considered himself to be a second Buddha, or the Meitreya and has now completed Buddha’s work (Advance, 12/74.)

• Announced that the Bible was the Egyptian Book of the Dead (Hubbard, Phoenix Letters).

• Prolific fictional author sold 25 million copies to date.

• Requested psychiatric treatment from the Veterans Administration on 15/10/47.

• Dabbled in the occult and the Church of Satan (Corydon, Madman).

• Attained bogus diplomas (Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah).

• Thrice married, twice divorced.

Was already married to his first wife Margaret when he married his second wife Sara.

Sara, his unfortunate newly wed wife, would later accuse Hubbard of sleep deprivation, beatings, strangulations and kidnapping of their baby daughter, Alexis Valerie, which he would later go on to disown as being illegitimate.

Sara would accuse him of saying to her: “Commit suicide if you really love me.”

To this day she stands by this controversial statement (Corydon, Madman).

Confusion continues to surround Hubbard’s younger years. Scientologists take great pride in parading their messiah as someone unique and quite remarkable.

One doesn’t have to search too far to discover what their propaganda machine is capable of churning out.

In their Scientology Dictionary – a must have reference tool for any scientologist – it says, he studied science and mathematics at George Washington University crippled and blinded during World War 2, studied philosophy and fully healed by 1949. Certified fit for full combat duty (Hubbard, Abridged Dictionary, 1970).

This amazing and quite impressive abridged account, suggests Hubbard was a brilliant mathematician who had received miraculous healing due to combat injuries. However, authors such as, Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, The True Story of L. R. Hubbard, and Bent Corydon, (former scientologist), author of Messiah or Madman? would challenge this embellished and dishonest memoir and go on to expose much of the above as lies.

In Walter Martin’s book, The Kingdom of the Cults he gives the following caution concerning Hubbard’s infamous vocabulary:

“The prudent Christian reader should exercise discretion in reading these two books (Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah & Corydon, Messiah or Madman?)

Both contain offensive, vulgar and obscene quotations attributed to Hubbard and others. Even Scientologists have expressed surprise at the filthy language of their leader.”

One Scientologist asked:

“You mean the leader of the church speaks like that”?

Another Scientologist responded:

“Oh yes, he doesn’t believe in keeping anything back.”

Beliefs

Red = Scientology

Black = Traditional Christianity

Mankind is basically good (Hubbard, Axioms and Logics, 1973).

If mankind was basically good, then Jesus Christ need not have ever humbled Himself, took on human form and hung naked on the cross for six painstakingly long hours.

Man could just lead life the best way he knows how and hope to enter Heaven on his own merits. However, the word of God is crystal clear that mankind is not good and is conceived in original sin.

The Lord summed up this doctrine in Matt 19:16, 7: “Why callest thou me good? THERE IS NONE GOOD BUT ONE, THAT IS, GOD: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

There is no definitive concept of God, i.e., takes the Hindu belief of multiple gods or possibly Supreme Being, God, and gods each scientologist must decide what feels best for him (The Scientology Catechism, and also Hubbard, Hymn of Asia, 1974).

Jesus Christ taught that there was one God (Mark 12:29) & (John 8:58); that He is a Spirit (John 4:24); that He loves all of His creation (Matt 5:45); and that He sent His Son to save the World (John 3:16); not to destroy the lives on men (Luke 9:56).

All of the above should be evident for any open-minded soul to see that God is very much an individual with a definitive concept.

And the option for each scientologist is, is to decide what feels best for him. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

The Scientologist, like all other persons, is free to either accept or reject this. However, if people reject this, they should know that God will punish their sins for all eternity!

Totally rejects the Christian gospel (Hubbard, Heaven, 1963).

The apostle Paul would deal with men such as Hubbard: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9).

The apostle Peter would write: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

That man will one day evolve into deity (Hubbard, History of Man, 1968).

Mormons also share in the belief of this myth. However, nothing in Scripture even hints at such a possibility.

Hosea 11:9: “I am God, and not man, the Holy One is the midst of thee.”

God became a man (John 1:14) but man can never become a god. At best, man through faith in Christ alone, is adopted as a child of God but only in the spiritual sense (John 1:12).

That man will also be reincarnated [rebirth] (Hubbard, Science of Survival.)

The writer of Hebrews would totally dismantle this false doctrine: “And as it is appointed unto men ONCE TO DIE, but after this THE JUDGMENT” (9:27).

In Luke 16:19-31 the Lord gave His disciples a vivid description of life after death:

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.'”

When man dies, his spirit (Matt. 26:41) returns to God (Luke 23:36), his soul, depending on his relationship with Christ, will either go to be with God (Luke 23:43) or go to Hell (Luke 16:19); (Col. 2:14), and his body will remain in the ground until the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:16), or if he died in his sins [unsaved] (John 8:24), his body will remain buried until after the Millennial Reign of one thousand years. This event is called the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev. 20:10-15).

Give Jesus Christ lip service as to His Messianic credentials (Hubbard, Phoenix Letters).

In John’s Gospel, we read the following: “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ “Jesus said to her: ‘I who speak to you am He’ (4:25-26).

The above verse is fundamental to the Christian faith. Had Jesus not been the Messiah then we would all still be in our sins, and salvation would never have come (1 Cor. 15:17).

However, such a clear, unambiguous and divine declaration affirms that Jesus is the Messiah – Christ never lied (Heb. 4:15).

Man is sixty trillion years old a type of evolution is taught jelly fish involved into a man.

The earth, the solar system and creation in general, cannot be any older than 10,000 years.

The 2nd Law of thermodynamics teaches that everything is breaking down, not increasing.

Had the earth been even a fraction of a trillion years old, then the moon and the sun would have burnt out many years ago.

They haven’t, therefore the universe is no more than 10,000 years old.

Evolution is an unproven supposition. Some honest scientists have acknowledged that there have been no discoveries of transitional fossils anywhere in the world to date.

Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is it taught that God used evolution to commence His creation.

Therefore, no adequate refutation has ever been given to repudiate the literal six-day-creation account that we read of in the book of Genesis.

However, for many, the biblical account of creation is foolishness – repentance and forgiveness too. The atheist might be interested to learn that God agrees with them (1 Cor. 2:14.)

Evolution takes great faith and quite frankly I don’t have that kind of faith!

It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that is evil (Hubbard, Auditors Bulletin).

Jesus, after clashing with some unbelieving Jews, had the following to say to them and vicariously to all of mankind: “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God demands mankind to repent:

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; BUT NOW COMMANDETH ALL MEN EVERY WHERE TO REPENT: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30, 31.)

“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin” (John 15:22.)

There can be no graver sin than to call God a liar and refuse to repent. Yet, that is exactly what Hubbard did.

Some famous advocates

Tom Cruises’ second marriage to Nicole Kidman ended in 2002. Since then, Ms Kidman has gone on to distance herself from her former husband’s cultic beliefs. Interestingly, Tom and Nicole’s two adopted children are currently being raised in the Roman Catholic faith by their mother’s Catholic parents, in Australia.

Cruise and Kidman both come from Catholic backgrounds. However, in 1990, Cruise renounced his Catholic beliefs and swiftly endorsed Hubbard’s religion. Kidman has also dabbled in Buddhism, Judaism and several other eastern philosophies.

Mimi Rogers, Cruises’ first wife, is also a member of this cult. And in November 2003, Penelope Cruz, Cruises’ former lover, also signed up to this notorious religion.

Cruises’ current wife, Katie Holmes has also embraced it.

Cruise is very much a devout follower of Hubbard’s movement and has gone on record to say that people who disapprove of it are ‘bigots and ignorant.’

His latest film The Last Samurai is dedicated to his religion.

(On each of Tom’s film sets, he not only proselytises those around him but also erects an area where his fellow actors and extras can be introduced and indoctrinated into Scientology during breaks.)

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston are also strong defenders of this cult.

Travolta thinks nothing of jumping into his private plane and criss-crossing the United States for secret worship meetings.

Travolta claims to have healed the pop singer Sting from a throat infection minutes before going on stage. Like Cruise, he has also made a film about his cult. However, Battleship Earth flopped at the box office and subsequently was released prematurely on DVD for home markets.

Other advocates, Elvis Presley’s daughter, Priscilla and actress, Anne Archer.

Conclusion

The similarities between false teachers such as Joseph Rutherford, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Sun Myung Moon and now Ron Hubbard, is their natural ability to quite blatantly live very unbiblical lifestyles. Anyone who wishes to be treated seriously as a committed Christian or a messenger from God need to be like his master and not follow or promote such false teachings. However, such characters as these phoney impostors fail this criteria and amazingly enough, they don’t seem to really care anyway.

All of the above was prophesised by Jesus (Matt. 7:15-20).

My intention while researching these cults is to try and highlight the tragic misfortune of people who are initiated into such an empty and worthless way of life.

All cults make the arrogant claim that they are the way of salvation. This is not true. Only faith, repentance, and trust in Christ alone will save souls.

Sources

Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults

Miscellaneous press reports and articles

 

JGB, 2004

Updated, April 2006

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