Reddit reviews Bare-faced Messiah: True Story of L. Ron Hubbard

Seems like it's been available to read for a long time...

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-faced-Messiah-Story-L-Ron-Hubbard/dp/0718127641

Bare-Faced Messiah by Russell Miller is their main source as far as I know.

An excellent read would be "Bare Faced Messiah," which exhaustively documents the rise of the Church and its various abuses and crimes, including my two personal favorites, virtual slavery aboard SeaOrg vessels, and infiltrating government agencies to systematically delete information critical of the Church. One must wonder what other groups engages in such tactics in the present day and age.

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-faced-Messiah-Story-L-Ron-Hubbard/dp/0718127641/ref=pd_sim_b_2

However, I must add the caveat that some of the techniques of Scientology, which amount to applied psychology, have proven to be effective; it's just that like everything else, someone built an exploitative cult around them claiming a monopoly on their administration.

Also worth reading:

http://www.amazon.com/L-Ron-Hubbard-Messiah-Madman/dp/156980009X/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1249403423&sr=8-14

Bent Corydon's account of how the Church of Scientology bullied all the Scientology franchises into signing over legal rights.

Bare faced messiah is a great read. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bare-Faced-Messiah-True-Story-Hubbard/dp/0718127641 and has this story along with a load of other facinating stuff on Hubbard. I'm not sure if I believe this actual bit about him though.

I read Bare-faced Messiah: True Story of L.Ron Hubbard some time ago. In that book they discuss multiple physicians diagnosing him with schizophrenia, as well as him reaching out for help from psychiatrists shortly before forming Sea Org.

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-faced-Messiah-Story-L-Ron-Hubbard/dp/0718127641

How about [Bare-faced Messiah] (http://www.amazon.com/Bare-faced-Messiah-Story-L-Ron-Hubbard/dp/0718127641); it's a bit dear so you can [read it here] (http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm) -"the best and most comprehensive biography of L. Ron Hubbard".

I understand you're asking about Scientology as primarily, but you mentioned why the Catholic Church isn't being considered a cult because of actions they've committed in the past.

As for the FBI, there is some precedent to believe that Scientology are under investigation currently. That precedent being that there have been multiple investigations in the past, increased recent public scrutiny (Louis Theroux, Leah Remini) and a recent suspicious death of a Scientology member, it's kinda unlikely to believe that they aren't under investigation, albeit not publicly.

For the longest time they weren't classified as a religion until they wore down the IRS to give them the tax-exempt status of a religion. Until there is video evidence of SeaOrg members torturing and imprisoning members in which those same tortured members are willing to testify against Scientology in court and say they were held against their will, then it's going to take a domestic terror situation to make the government do something about this cult (as is the case in many countries that have their own unique cults).

Obviously you're curious for a real in depth look into Scientology and how it relates to organized religion and whatnot so here's a few book recommendations so you can go beyond Reddit where you definitely won't get the detailed look you might yearn for (BUT WITH BOOKS YOU CAN :D).


Going Clear

Bare-faced Messiah

Combatting Cult Mind Control

This one is good, too

Well said.

A really good read is Bare Faced Messiah - a well documented unauthorized biography of L.R.H

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-faced-Messiah-True-Story-Hubbard/dp/0718127641

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and of course Netflix carries the deeply sad Going Clear

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https://www.netflix.com/at-en/title/80037110

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in which a lot of ex senior Scientology figures come clean on what they did. The saddest part is that most of them come across as good people trying to come to terms with the lunacy they dealt and dealt with.

i was going to buy this, but it's 100$ on amazon..