L.Ron Hubbard, deceased since 1986, has been the focus of widespread opprobrium, particularly as Scientology gains traction in several parts of the globe. The accusations weighed against him are that he was an "opportunist," a "charlatan," a "swindler," an amateur who assumed the mantle of scientist and psychologist. To date, Scientology has attracted such Hollywood luminaries as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Priscilla Presley, Giovanni Ribisi, Jason Lee and Lisa Marie Presley. With such dignitaries at the forefront, Scientology has not lacked for publicity, which has helped generate controversy among the more analytical members of our society.
Subject to derision by South Park, as well as by the members of the activist group Anonymous, Scientology has come under increased scrutiny thanks to its cultural prominence, attained partly through its Hollywood proselytes. Much of the focus is directed towards the deceased founder, a man held in the same esteem by adherents of the religion he founded as Joseph Smith is by the Mormons.
For all the criticism lobbed against the late Mr. Hubbard, one must step back and look at just how much an element of the American story this unlikely prophet really is. The majority of us raised within the confines of bourgeois society lack a certain audacity, one that could propel a man to invent a religion and facilitate its rise across the globe. Although we may be trammelled by modesty, inertia and a host of other factors, Mr. Hubbard allowed none of these fetters to obstruct him and exceeded the expectations placed upon a college flunkout and second-rate science fiction writer.
What differentiates Hubbard from so many of us is that Hubbard had the foresight that so many hucksters lack. Instead of preying upon the general population, it is not unlikely that Mr. Hubbard sat down in front of a desk of rejected manuscripts and thought, "where could I find numerous neurotic, overpaid, gullible individuals with little formal education who want a sense of spirituality and purpose? Oh, yeah, Hollywood! Duh, why didn't I think of that sooner?" So went the rest of the story. Hubbard delivered to the privileged classes what they wanted: pseudo spirituality, a supposedly radical break from traditional psychology all with the end goal of helping others find their purpose or rather delude them into believing that such purpose had been found. His work has paid off handsomely: Scientology is now a very well-funded organization whose tentacles have spread out across continents. Its disciples, many of whom are in the public eye, keep a steady stream of publicity for the church and the coffers are well endowed with millions of dollars.
There really is no reason to disdain the late Mr. Hubbard. He combined his intelligence with a free market that was willing to enable him. Legions of uneducated thespians believe that they have found meaning and will proselytize his message, thus insuring that the church will flourish. Hubbard was a genuine success story. A testament to the fact that one man's chicanery can reap quite a windfall. For those who apply rationality and critical thinking, Scientology is a harder sell. Take for example, the celebrities who are known for their formal education, e.g., Natalie Portman (multilingual Harvard graduate), James Woods (attended M.I.T.; achieved a near-perfect score on the S.A.T.), Tommy Lee Jones (Harvard graduate), Matt Damon (attended Harvard), Hugh Grant (Oxford graduate), Emma Thompson (Cambridge graduate) and nearly all other educated members of the acting world. There is no record of these individuals donating substantial sums of their sizable incomes to the Church of Scientology. Coincidence? Probably not.
L. Ron Hubbard has proven what I have always suspected: that widespread ignorance in our population is not always a tragedy. After all, one has an easier time distinguishing oneself if more and more refuse to engage the analytical part of their brains.In addition, if you have no morals, it is quite easy to profit from the credulous. This is particularly true if they are paid to live in a world of fantasy for the amusement of others.
 |
| Ask yourself if you want to belong to any religion in which this is its most prominent spokesman! |
No comments:
Post a Comment