The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper

Author:Paulette Cooper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Scientology
Publisher: Belmont/Tower
Published: 1971-01-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14 Scientology -- Business or Religion?

Ron Hubbard does not look upon himself as a patriarch, pope, bishop or even elder. "I control the operation," he says, "as a general manager would control any operation of a company."

-- from an interview with Hubbard for The Saturday Evening Post{1)

Scientologists repeatedly emphasize that Hubbard makes no money from Scientology because he pours any money he receives back into the organization for research.{2) If this is true, then it is to the Scientologists' credit that they have spent an enormous amount of money for research, because Hubbard has often received a ten percent tithe from the gross income of the Churches.{3) In addition to this, he once levied an additional five percent tax on Orgs which were slow in paying up,{4) and also once requested that his Orgs send him "any extra money you have around."{5)

Just where the money goes has never been clear. His followers swear that he uses none of it personally, and there seems to be no question in their minds that his many homes, cars, boats, etc., are all necessary for the Scientology operation. His followers' faith is such that no one in the Orgs seemed particularly perturbed when they saw the picture of Hubbard and his wife next to their car, and the caption "Ron and Mary Sue beside their Jaguar."{6)

Hubbard's wealth may have also come from the publication of at least thirty-five books that he's written on Scientology and Dianetics. He writes one every six months, sells 6-9,000 copies of each, and recovers his printing costs in eighty days.{7) One of the books, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the most relentlessly promoted of all of his books, has sold a million and a half copies since it was published.{8)

In addition, Hubbard makes all Orgs buy $10,000 worth of his books ($5,000 with cash) or he declares the Executive Secretary, whose job it is to purchase these books "nonexistent" for this "betrayal to humanity."{9) There is also some evidence that Hubbard has made money by auditing people personally at $50 an hour{10) and by speaking at Scientology Congresses which he set up.{11) These Scientology Congresses are generally a good source of income, since they cost at least $75 per couple. In fact, one in 1958 that included auditing brought in approximately $800 per person from at least 140 people, thereby earning over $100,000 for the weekend.{12)

Scientologists also promote a number of special items in a booklet they call Expand whose title seems to have nothing to do with the potentialities of the mind. Expand advertises not only Hubbard's books ("order as many books as you possibly can without regard to fixed consumption and flog them"), but also films about Hubbard ("get these films now and boost your stats to boom proportion"), tapes of Hubbard ("The Org Board and Livingness," "The Missed Missed Withhold"), Church certificates for marriages, funerals and christenings (which are legal in many states), old father Hubbard's cupboard of E-meters (which are sold for more than $126, although the government determined in 1963 that they cost only $12.

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