It wasn't always this way.
While there were always Hubbard worshipers around, it usually manifested as a brief and passing phase.
An early example was the Aberree magazine. published and read by independent auditors. It was well enough grounded in reality to recognize that Hubbard was part of the problem.
Even earlier, statements by John Campbell, who had published the first article on Dianetics by Hubbard, in 1950, and Dr. J. A. Winter, who had written the Introduction for the book
, Dianetics, criticized Hubbard, and this was when they were still enthusiastic about many of his counseling methods.
The first person to receive Doctor of Scientology certification in 1952, Jack Horner, later broke with Hubbard over the 1965
Keeping Scientology Working, yet Horner, while viciously attacked by Hubbard, continued to do auditing.
Author William Burroughs remained a proponent of many aspects of Scientology auditing, while recognizing that Hubbard had created Scientology, "fundamentally as an ersatz immorality" for himself. Burroughs' book,
Naked Scientology, was published in the early 1970s.
After the schism of 1982, and the looting of franchises, while it took time for some to realize what was happening, most
did finally realize that Hubbard (now deep in hiding) was behind it, and that Hubbard was part of the problem.
An early issue of the magazine published by the Advanced Ability Center, run by former Senior Case Supervisor and Hubbard's former personal auditor, David Mayo, featured a poem that sarcastically poked fun at Hubbard.
Three years after having left the Organization, and while operating his own Independent Center, David Mayo described Hubbard's cruelty on the Flagship Apollo and added, "He told me he had an insatiable lust for power and money. He stated that very emphatically. He thought it wasn't possible to get enough. He didn't see it as if it was a fault, just that he couldn't get enough."
A few years after that, in an article published in an Independent auditor magazine, David Mayo, while still advocating "Clearing" (as a verb) through auditing, described Hubbard's reason for downgrading and redefining (the noun) "Clear" (in 1978) as "PR and marketing" motivated.
Also after 1982, Class 8 auditor, Bent Corydon, while operating an Independent auditing center, began interviewing those who had worked with Hubbard in decades past, ultimately resulting in what was to become the book
Messiah Or Madman?
And there are more examples from the past.
But something happened.
In recent times, things have changed.
Whether it be any number of small mom and pop auditing centers, the Advanced Organization of the Great Plains (although there is some indication that might be changing ever so slightly), Ron's Orgs (by far the largest group), or the Dror Center, Hubbard worship is alive and well.
Take this recent example from the Director of the Dror Center.
Out for
eight years, and this is where he is.
Referring to the Organization:
"They managed to give Ron Hubbard a bad name, so Ron Hubbard who you and I admire, and hold him as the greatest genius who ever lived, a great man, the greatest man who ever lived, and created, and gave so much to us and all Mankind; his name has become a bad name. He's been vilified by the Church of Scientology, because of the terrible things that they do and they attribute to Ron Hubbard, like Declaring people Suppressive, Disconnection policy, and more..."
Wow.
Comparing this to some others who, years ago, left the Organization and continued to do auditing, this is a glaring example of failure to develop critical thinking skills, and failure to observe.
And he's not the only one. It's become "normal."
Link to the Talking to new Scientologists thread.
