Scientology's®
Claims
From: Public Relations (publicrelations@scientology.org)
RE: GEORGE ORWELL
We have commonly hear the claim that L. Ron Hubbard said to get rich
quick you should start a religion, or words to this effect.
We can find no claim on record like this aside from what George Orwell
said - "I have always thought there might be a lot of cash in
starting a new religion..."
This was proven in a court case and can be found in the ruling of
County Court Munich I, dated 22 October 1982, which held that these
statements could not be attributed to Mr. Hubbard as it was proven
that he did not make them.
Public Relations
And now for the truth
When conveinient, Scientology apparently considers the lack of evidence
to be either proof of innocence else it's a conspiracy. In this case
it's apparently both.
In a 1981 issue of Reader's Digest, L. Ron Hubbard was quoted as
saying:
For some mysterious reason the Scientology organization "forgot"
to mention this quote and -- in the claims faithfully reproduced above
-- the organization expresses ignorance as to what the actual quote is.
To be fair, there have been a large variety of rumors regarding
this quote, including the suggestion that Hubbard made a bar bet with
Robert A. Heinlein. In Bare Faced
Messiah which Scientology tried very hard to stop being published,
Neison Himmel who shared a room with Hubbard stated:
Sam Merwin who edited Thrilling Science Fiction Magazine also
commented upon what he knew about the claim. He confirmed the quote
which Reader's Digest offered. Details of that confirmation are also
discussed in Bare Faced Messiah. It's interesting to note that at
the conference which Hubbard was supposed to have made the claim,
numerous people who attended apparently recall the comment yet a
number of Science Fiction writers have reported that they don't
recall ever hearing the comment during the conference.
About the best coverage of this rumor I've ever encountered can be found at
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~lindsay/scientology/start.a.religion.html
which provides a good review of not only the rumors, the quotes, the
Scientology organization's usual denials, and background into lawsuits
the criminal organization has filed in an attempt to halt these rumors
and I recommend checking that web page out. It describes where George
Orwell (writer of the world-famous "Animal Farm") factors
into the issue.
Is the claim that Hubbard entered into a bar bet with George Orwell true?
I tend to doubt it since there's really no evidence that can be found
other than the testimony of Mr. Robert Vaughn Young who has provided
an otherwise stellar exposure of his involvement with the organization.
Is the claim that Hubbard admitted publically that he felt the best way
to make money would be to start a religion true? The evidence could
swing either way with some people who was there and who would know
better than most saying Yes, he did. Others who were apparently also
at the conference don't recall Hubbard making the statement yet it's a
question as to where Hubbard was at the time he supposedly made the
admission.
It's also important to note that Hubbard didn't create a religion
-- as a result of a bar bet or otherwise. Hubbard created a criminal
enterprise based upon his delusional fantasies and only looked in to
what he called his "religion angle" as a method of acquiring
tax exemption so he and his fellow criminals could hold on to more of
the take. His "Volunteer Minister" scam is based upon the
fradulent tax scam.
In the end it comes down to who you believe: A massively criminal
organization that apparently and by all external indications considers
lying to be a religious sacrament, else individuals who knew Hubbard,
attended Science Fiction conferences with Hubbard, or were once close
associates with Hubbard who later escaped from the Scientology
organization and started talking to the media and testifying in court.
Subject: George Orwell
Date: 1999/03/31
Church of Scientology
"Writing a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants
to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own
religion."
"I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money
-- he used to say he thought the easiest way to make money would
be to start a cult."
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