Careercow L. Ron Hubbard a lolcow that started a religion. -

[Picklepower]

What do you guys think?

Anyone read his books? have experience with anyone who is a Scientologist or is flirting with the idea?

Anyone listen to his insane lectures?

I've read a lot of his short stories, a novel he wrote called "A very strange trip", and the well known Battlefield Earth (book and have the movie). There is a used bookstore in my area that has a whole section of unsold Dianetics books, some still plastic wrapped, next to all the Sylvia Brown books. I got 1/3rd of the way through Dianetics, myself.

 

[Dollars2010]

I actually have one of his books that I bought for a quarter at a thrift shop:

I got about half-way through several years ago before dropping it to read a more interesting book but I don't really recall all that I read so I might give it another go sometime.

 

[Bgheff]

Less of a lolcow and more of a successful conman.

 

[Leon Kennedy]

Less of a lolcow and more of a successful conman.

This

 

[Himawari]

And I don't think he really believed in what he wrote; he knew it was fictional.

Now, if he did genuinely believe in all of it, then he'd be lolcow material. But as it is, it's more his followers who are the lolcows (or shuddercows, depending).

 

[Dollars2010]

Yeah, it's more-so his followers that are his lolcows, especially because of his quote:

“You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”

 

[Bgheff]

Yeah, it's more-so his followers that are his lolcows, especially because of his quote:

“You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”

Agree with this 100%

 

[Grand Number of Pounds]

Didn't he start Scientology as a joke?

 

[Sakamoto]

Back when I was 18 these fuckers tried to recruit me. I had no idea who the fuck L.Ron Hubbard was or anything about Scientology at the time. Some of them approached me on a hot day in downtown L.A. (don't live there but I was visiting) and asked me if I would come inside a "take a survey" and they said they had cold sodas & snacks. So I was like, cool, I'll come in the air conditioned room and do a survey if I'm getting a free soda. So I fill out this stupid survey, which if you've read about Scientology you know is set up so that you will fail it, and they will offer to "help" you, which is exactly what happened. Plus the fuckers hadn't even brought my fucking soda yet. So, this bitch who told me what an awful person I am based on the survey asked me to go have a seat in their waiting room while she talked to the next sucker, and I thought "screw this" and just walked out of the place.

A few years ago I read an article about some woman who had joined them and got out after being in for many years and learned all about their bullshit. L. Ron was a shitty writer and total nut case, but he sure knew how to mind-fuck people. The whole CoS is a giant lolcow herd.

 

[Saney]

I used to have a book of Sci-fi short stories and the first one was written by Hubbard. Something about a space hotel, I dunno, it was boring as fuck, so I skimmed it.

 

[Dollars2010]

I actually get a couple of flies every so often in my mailbox because there's a Scientology center in town here.

But yeah, the entire ordeal is a scam to con people out of their money and the surveys are set up so that you fail no matter what so they can help "cure" you and better your Thetan (soul kind of thing) for the afterlife or some nonsense. Nevertheless, the treatments gradually become more costly and you never get truly "cured".

 

[Picklepower]

I heard that he started it expecting that the scientific community would accept his "findings", and when they didn't, he declared it a religion. I heard at the end of his life he did believe it, because he was going crazy auditing himself, and thinking the CIA was after him, much like OPL he was paranoid. Also like OPL he sang, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZd7MzF1RlA

And who could forget? Frank Stallone's classic Scientology hit, The Evil Purpose! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDtIquZ0g_c

 

[Count groudon]

God damn his stories are boring. I've read a few because I heard about him on southpark, so I got curious about his non crazy religious babble books. Yeah it's just boring shit that's only considered scifi because OMFG IT'S IN SPACE!1!1!!!1111!1ONE

 

[Himawari]

Far more shudder than lol, but this left a huge impression on me when I read it years ago.

tl;dr version: super-elite Scientology cruise ship was full of asbestos, architect brought this up, his concerns were completely dismissed because "Hubbard never SAID asbestos was dangerous" and because cancer is caused by relationship problems, not asbestos.

 

[Picklepower]

I read Battlefield Earth and loved it, but I was in middle school, maybe just getting into high school. I wonder how it would hold up, now that I'm in college? I do own the movie, which I enjoy for comedic value.

 

[waffle]

The movie is prettymuch prototypical "so bad its good" for me. It's what me and my hommies call a "cinema masterpiece" its right up their with "the stuff", the "blade" trilogy and "reanimator".

 

[Pikimon]

Its the most brilliant scam next to beanie babies and time shares

 

[Alp_Aslan]

I dont really care what they believe as a religion , since iam religiou toos. But the point is that Sciencetology is there just to isolate people from their families and ask them to pay money.
Its the only religion where spirituality and theology is replaced by money. No wonder celebritys join them , they can pay hard cash to climb the social ladder. And also they keep a very tight watch on
any convert.

 

[Zim]

Hubbard is actually one of my personal idols. Religion is one of the biggest money scams in the world but instead of taking the easy way like a lot try with selling products based on people wanting to become closer to god (ex. that con artist Peter Popoff) he flat out just made up an entirely new religion. In fact he just based it on his sci fi books and money and for some reason people are dumb enough to sign up for this and pay out the nose into it. This, to me, is a level of absolute power very few can get to in life.

I'm not saying he's a good guy or that his scam isn't hurting people but you have got to admire anyone who can pull something like this off with his level of success. That's why I think he's awesome.

 

[WWWWolf]

I heard that he started it expecting that the scientific community would accept his "findings", and when they didn't, he declared it a religion.

Nah, it was funnier than that. Hubbard was first pushing Dianetics as a form of pop-psychology. He wrote the book and it went all over the magazines of the day.

Now, getting the scientific community to accept something is a really easy task - you just need to prove your theory actually works. Some time after Dianetics started to catch on, Hubbard was proud to announce they had managed to get the first person ever to Clear. A very big breakthrough. Come and see, sceptics!

Of course, the scientists in the audience might have found the show a little bit underwhelming. Hubbard claimed Clear people are supposed to have perfect memory and incredible mental faculties. The woman on the stage was duly tested on these qualities. She couldn't remember what she had had for breakfast. Or what colour of a tie Hubbard was wearing a few seconds before.

After this, Hubbard was pretty convinced that it just might make sense to try to market it as a religion rather than a scientific theory.