Scientology's®
Claims
The Scientology organization likes to demand that their messiah L.
Ron Hubbard was a war hero and that he was seriously wounded in
battle to the point where his recovery was a miracle. The whole
reason for making the claim that Hubbard experienced a miracle of
healing is because the organization wants people to believe that
Hubbard's "science of the mind" was what cured him.
(And thus begins the basis of Scientology quack medical frauds.)
Indeed, the organization makes these and many other like-minded
claims on a number of their web pages. Reproduced here in
Fair
Use extract from one of their web pages we find the
organization stating these very claims:
I numbered the claims. Out of the 12 claims in that one sentence,
we find that there are 8 outright lies which we'll get to. For now,
let's take a look at how the Scientology organization continues to
represent Hubbard's war record:
So complete was his recovery, (19) that officers from the Naval
Retiring Board reviewing Lt. Hubbard's case were actually upset. (20)
After all, they reasoned, how could a man physically shot to pieces
at the end of the war (21) pass his full physical examination? (22)
The only answer, they concluded, was that L. Ron Hubbard must be
somebody else. (23) And when they found that all was in order, they
designated him fit for active duty. (24)
These claims might be forgiven if Hubbard's Navy record wasn't a
matter of public record, available through the Freedom of Information
Act. Hubbard was a pathological liar and a con man so it would be
understandable if the Scientology organization accepted his bizarre
claims at face value. Unfortunately, however, Hubbard's war record
is available to anyone who submits FOIA requests for them
and the Scientology organization has done just that. Instead of
accepting the fact that their messiah was a pathological liar and
a con man, the Scientology organization promptly labeled their mad
messiah's Navy record a forgery.
So what does Hubbard's war record really look like? Researcher
Mr. Chris Owens decided to find out and, after acquiring all of the
available Navy records, he wrote a book covering the truth about
Hubbard's war record, a book called
Ron The War Hero which
offers all of the detailed. And yes, Scientology is once again
proven to be deliberate liars. A review of the 28 claims they make
in the extracts above breaks down this way:
The Scientology organization wants you to believe that their
"Volunteer Minister" program is anything other than more of
the same well documented bunko lies that are so often repeated in the
rest of the Scientology organization's web pages. Can you think of
any real religion which engages in such deliberate deception?
After reviewing Hubbard's real Navy history at
Ron The War Hero, you
might also check out the rest of his life both before and after his
unfortunate Navy career. Bare-Faced
Messiah not only covers Hubbard's Navy career, you'll find copies
of FBI documents covering Hubbard.
For hundreds of original documents covering
Hubbard's Navy career, you'll find photographic scans of the information
that the Navy provides for Freedom of Information
Act Requests of Hubbard's record.
Mr. Mike Jackson also noted:
The highly respected POW Network is now listing Layfette R. Hubbard as
a phonie in it's extensive list of phonie war heros. The POW Network
has extensive connections within the government and the military and
works to verify the status of those who wear some of this nations
highest military awards. They are also in contact with other veterans
organizations who share information to expose phonie war heros.
http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies49.htm
Layfette R. Hubbard is in good company!!
When the US entered World War II (1), Mr. Hubbard was commissioned as
a lieutenant (2) (junior grade) in the US Navy (3) and served as a
commander of corvettes. (4) He saw action in both the Atlantic (5)
and Pacific, (6) and thoroughly distinguished himself in the eyes of
those who served beneath him. (7) Yet he was not a man who enjoyed
war, (8) and having seen enough killing to last him a lifetime (9)
-- and the effects of that bloodshed on men's sanity (10) -- he vowed
to redouble his efforts to create a saner world. (11) With this same
sense of compassion, he also did all he could to safeguard his
crews... (12)
http://www.whatisscientology.org/to/part01/chp03/pg0118.html
In 1945, left partially blind with injured optic nerves (13) and
lame from hip and back injuries, (14) Mr. Hubbard was hospitalized
at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. (15) Among the
5,000 naval and Marine Corps patients at Oak Knoll (16) were hundreds
of former American prisoners liberated from Japanese camps on South
Pacific islands. (17) Many were in terrible condition from starvation
and other causes, unable to assimilate protein. (18)
1: The United States entered World War 2.
TRUE
Yes, it's quite true that the United States entered World War 2.
Hubbard himself managed to enlist regardless of the fact that his
poor eyesight would normally have kept him out of the service. At
the time the United States needed people to sign up so they
"scraped the bottom of the barrel" as it's called and
allowed him to sign up.
2: Mr. Hubbard was commissioned as a lieutenant.
TRUE
Yes, that was his starting and ending rank.
3: Hubbard joined the United States Navy.
TRUE
That's true, too. So far the Scientology organization is three for
three. Here's where the organization suddenly hops off into never
never land, however.
4: Hubbard served as a commander of corvettes.
FALSE
No, Hubbard never even served aboard a corvette, leave alone having
ever commanded one. The Scientology organization knows that Hubbard
never commanded any corvettes yet they deliberately lie anyway.
5: Hubbard saw action in the Atlantic.
FALSE
The phrase "saw action" is intended to mean that Hubbard was
involved in battles against the enemy. This is false as Hubbard never
saw any battles and never fought in any. The closest he came was
dropping a bunch of depth charges on a magnetic rock deposit and
shooting up the Coronados Islands in Mexico.
6: Hubbard saw action in the Pacific.
FALSE
No, Hubbard never "saw action" anywhere. When it looked like
he might have to actually serve aboard a ship that would see actual
fighting, Hubbard's Navy record shows that he contrived medical problems
or asked for transfers to avoid battle.
7: Hubbard thoroughly distinguished himself.
FALSE
Hardly. Hubbard was a screwup and his Navy record shows a review
wherein it is recommended that the Navy find a place they can store
him where he can be closely supervised because he's a pathetic
screwup. Hubbard shelled and shot up a Island belonging to Mexico
and -- equally idiotically -- one of his crew assembled a deck gun
so badly that he wound up shooting off his own ship's antenna. The
attack on the magnetic rocks off the coast of Oregon was a good
indication of just what this "officer" was all about and
other ship commanders who Hubbard called in to do battle against
the rock formations also got a good look at the idiot. Eventually
Hubbard was relieved of command -- fortunately before his stupidity
and incompetence got anyone killed.
8: Hubbard was not a man who enjoyed war.
TRUE
Quite true. He hated it so much that he did whatever it took to avoid
going into battle. Hubbard was insane yet not totally gone; at least
not back then. Aside from that, few people actually enjoy war.
9: Hubbard saw enough killing to last him a lifetime.
FALSE
Well maybe but if so, it was done from a safe distance. He himself
never killed anyone during any war. The homicides which occur with
periodic regularity within the Scientology organization he created
later could probably be attributed to him yet it's doubtful that he
himself ever pulled the trigger. Since he never engaged in any
fighting himself, if he saw killing, it was from the safety of
newspaper and radio coverage of the war.
10: Hubbard observed the effects of bloodshed on men's sanity.
FALSE
Well maybe, but if so, that was also done from a safe distance.
This is part of the basis for the quack medical fraud, however, in
that the Scientology organization wants people to believe that
Hubbard created a scientific breakthrough which some how fights
against insanity. To claim that Hubbard saw people being driven
insane means they can claim he conducted research -- which he
didn't -- into mental health.
11: Hubbard vowed to redouble his efforts to create a saner world.
FALSE
Hubbard's history paints an entirely different picture. After
Hubbard was relieved of command he bounced around from place to
place and engaged in a number of exploits, chalking up a number
of criminal convictions for a number of petty crimes. He met up
with Alester Crowley, abandoned his wife, married another woman
without divorcing the old one, and pretty much devoted his life
to being a con man. If he vowed to do anything, it was to rook
as many people out of every last dime possible.
12: Hubbard did all he could to safeguard his crews.
FALSE
Not according to Hubbard's Navy record, no. He and the crews that
served under him never saw battle however attacking magnetic rock
deposits off the coast of Oregon can be considered hazard
duty -- more so with a madman in command. By pretending to sink
Japanese submarines and dropping live ordnance, Hubbard put at
risk the health and safety of the crew that served under him. It
is true that the goats that lived on the Coronado Islands
he attacked were unarmed and thus couldn't shoot back, of course.
So maybe attacking unarmed animals is what Scientology is talking
about when claiming he had concern for the safety of his crews.
13: Hubbard was partially blind with injured optic nerves.
FALSE
Hubbard was never wounded. His eye sight was poor going in to the
service and his eyesight degraded over the years. Scientology likes
to demand that Hubbard was blinded and crippled after having picked
up an unexploded shell that had landed on the deck of his ship.
Hubbard himself liked to claim that he had had both feet broken due
to concussions running through the deck of his ship during a battle.
All of these claims are outright fabrications -- and Scientology
along with their "Volunteer Ministers" -- knows it.
14: Hubbard was lame from hip and back injuries.
FALSE
At worse Hubbard had stomach problems and suffered from a sexually
transmitted disease. Hubbard's medical records from the Navy show
no such injuries.
15: Mr. Hubbard was hospitalized at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in
Oakland, California.
TRUE
Yes, Hubbard complained about non-existent medical problems to avoid
shipping out on war ships that would have put him in to battle. His
stomach problems were controlled though a change in diet and it's
curious that the Navy allowed him to goldbrick so much. Possibly
the Navy felt that keeping him out the way would be the safest thing
to do so they let him slack off some place where he wouldn't be able
to shoot up Mexico any more.
16: There were 5,000 naval and Marine Corps patients at Oak Knoll.
MAYBE
It's possible yet one has to ask where the Scientology organization
got this information. The number of casualties being treated are not
matters of public record so it's almost certain that this claim is a
lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt, however, and allow
that maybe they're telling the truth about this one, anyway.
17: The Hospital where Hubbard stayed had former American prisoners
liberated from Japanese camps on South Pacific islands.
MAYBE
This claim seems unlikely as well. The idea is, I believe, to set up
a situation where the Scientology organization can claim that Hubbard
had access to brainwashed and insane ex-prisoners so that he could
"conduct research" on them and thus develop his amazing
"scientific breakthrough." So it's almost certainly another
lie. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt again and say
"maybe."
18: Many were in terrible condition from starvation.
MAYBE
This seems marginally possible -- if, in fact, there really were
ex-prisoners at that hospital.
19: So complete was his recovery...
FALSE
Hubbard didn't "recover" from anything. Even the stomach
problems he complained about which got him put into the hospital were
being controlled through medication and an altered diet. He was not
cured of his stomach problems which plagued him the rest of his life.
Hubbard also suffered from mental difficulties and he begged the
Veterans Administration to help get him into a mental clinic. He was
most certainly never cured of any of the problems he suffered from.
20: The Naval Retiring Board reviewing Hubbard's case were actually
upset that Hubbard some how was cured of being a blinded cripple.
FALSE
Not only is there no indication that Hubbard was ever wounded anywhere
in Hubbard's Navy records, there's no indication anywhere in the record
that anybody -- leave alone any official review board -- was some how
"upset" with Hubbard unless they were upset about his gross
incompetence and goldbricking.
21: Hubbard was physically shot to pieces at the end of the war.
FALSE
He wasn't.
22: Hubbard passed his full physical examination.
TRUE
But then anybody who's relatively healthy and not suffering from any
serious problems who none-the-less checks himself into a hospital is
expected to pass a physical examination.
23: The Board concluded that L. Ron Hubbard must be somebody else.
FALSE
There's no record of any of this fantasy ever having happened except,
perhaps, in L. Ron Hubbard's pathologically insane mind.
24: The Board designated Hubbard fit for active duty.
TRUE
Which seems reasonable since he was never hurt in the first place.
The name "Scientology"® is trademarked to the "Church" of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the Scientology organization's "Volunteer Minister" program are members of or representatives of the Scientology organization. Quotes used within this web page and within this web site are used according to the Fair Use laws of the United States.
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