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"Writing for 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." Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born March 13, 1911, and was both a sailor and writer before founding of one of the most controversial religious movements of the 20th century.As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the 30's and 40's, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as Buckskin Brigades and Ole Doc Methuselah. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively. (Although some have tried.— L. Ron Hubbard  ) Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel To The Stars was respected enough to be nominated for a Retro Hugo in 2001.Had his life continued on this path, he would probably be remembered today as a significant writer of the Golden Age Of Science Fiction, though probably not one of "the greats". Instead, he created Dianetics, a style of therapy based on digging up traumatic memories, including Past Life Memories, through persistent questioning. Although roundly criticized by the medical and scientific communities, Dianetics found a following. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, set up to train Dianetic auditors, soon became a multimillion dollar enterprise, but mismanagement, scandals, and a public backlash caused it to fail in 1952.Undaunted, Hubbard used Dianetics as the basis for a religious movement called Scientology (known on this wiki as the Church of Happyology). Supporters claim that Hubbard's shift from a psychological movement to a religious one was due to "having discovered that man is most fundamentally a spiritual being". Skeptics have suggested that his true motive was to exploit tax breaks and insulate himself from criticism from the scientific community.To cut a very, very long story short, Scientology was incredibly successful and secured Hubbard's fortunes for the rest of his life, but controversy has dogged the movement to the present day. Critics have alleged that the church practices fraudulent medicine, financially exploits adherents, and has a cultlike atmosphere. The church in turn has been very public (sometimes criminal) in battles against its critics. Scientology has gathered a massive Hatedom, and modern pop culture uses it as a stock punchline, although members of the church remain devoted.Near the end of his life, Hubbard returned to his roots as a science fiction author, releasing Battlefield Earth in 1982 and the ten-volume, four thousand page Space Opera Mission Earth (no relation) over a two-year period starting in 1985. Both were bestsellers, although how much of this is attributable to Scientologists buying multiple copies in a effort to drive the books up the lists is a matter of debate. 'Battlefield Earth got some respect from fans of pulp adventure (The movie, not so much.), but Mission Earth not. Hubbard died January 24, 1986, three months after the first volume of Mission Earth was published.Hubbard currently holds Guinness world records for most books published (1,084) and most languages his books have been translated into (71).This page Needs More Love, but respect the Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement.Works by Hubbard with their own trope pages include:Tropes commonly associated with Hubbard and his work include:
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