Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once said, “You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”
This is not surprising considering how Scientology got its start. Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas as a form of therapy called Dianetics, but the organization he developed to promote these ideas went bankrupt in 1950. So, “Why not start a religion?” he thought.
By 1954, he uncharacterized the ideas as a religion, probably for tax reasons, and Scientology was born. The controversial organization has since been defined as everything from a cult to a business to a new religious movement. While some countries recognize it as a religion, others, like Germany, have deemed it an “unconstitutional sect.”
Headquartered in Riverside County, California, the religious organization is a sort of blend of science and spirituality with three main principles: that humans are immortal, a person’s life experience transcends a single lifetime and humans have infinite capabilities.
It has a particularly lucrative revenue model by claiming traumatic events that cause “engrams” in the mind can be removed through a session of “auditing.” Of course, each session costs a fee, and typically, years of sessions are required to make it to the “clear” status. After that, followers are invited to participate in the Operating Thetan levels, which also require payment to move up.
* Dollar stats come from Wikipedia’s dynamic list of the wealthiest religious organizations unless otherwise noted. It’s important to note that most religious organizations never disclose all of their financial information to the public.
