Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard
A biography by Russell Miller

I'll admit that I've heard a lot of conflicting rumors about L. Ron Hubbard over the years. He's claimed a lot of titles -- pulp science fiction author, religious martyr, self-styled guru -- and there's always been a shroud of mystery about the man. The Church of Scientology would have you believe that he was Jack London, Henry David Thoreau, and Jesus Christ all rolled up into one great bundle of self-affirming joy, as he's most often described in Church-sanctioned materials as a young adventurer who parlayed his vast experience into a successful career in the pulps and then eventually unraveled the secrets of human existence.

According to British journalist Russell Miller, that's all a load of seriously smelly horse manure. Of course, Miller's opinion came with a price. During the compilation of his book, he dealt with a seemingly endless assault from the heads of the Church of Scientology, who leveled threats of litigation over everything from libel to defamation of character. He was set upon by lawyers, he was investigated by private detectives, and his publishing agency was confronted by claims that he was disreputable. Still, he was undeterred.

Culling from countless sources, Miller has put together a thoroughly researched account of Hubbard's life that details all the sordid little things the Church of Scientology would prefer you didn't know about. Like the fact that Hubbard's often bragged-about adventures really only consisted of two brief trips to the Orient (which, according to Hubbard's own personal journals, he loathed). Like the time he abandoned his wife and children and shacked up with a bohemian chick in California, ultimately marrying her and adding bigamy to his resume. Or the several weeks he spent in a Navy infirmary complaining of nonexistent injuries in order to insure a hefty disability check. Or even that one summer when he participated in a Satanic ritual set to bring about no less than the birth of the Antichrist. Say what you will -- the guy definitely got around.

Miller's portrait of Hubbard is neither pretty nor cynical. Laid out in documentary form, the book attempts to put us in the head of Hubbard in an effort to better understand him. There is no damning being done here. Rather, the picture painted is that of the world's greatest con-artist and of a madman infinitely more interesting than the Church of Scientology's "official" documents even begin to portray. A vagabond, a user, a charismatic devil, Hubbard left an indelible mark on everyone he met, from followers to foes. This was a man who repeatedly told friends that "the only way to make real money is to start a religion." True to his word, Hubbard ushered in the birth of Dianetics and Scientology, two of the most controversial modes of thought (sorry, but I just hate to call them "religions") in the twentieth century.

Bare-Faced Messiah follows events that begin with the origins of Hubbard's family to his prominence as a pulp writer to his death in the eighties and the subsequent arrest of nearly a dozen of Scientology's leaders for a series of illegal break-ins and infiltration of government agencies. It traces the roots of his disturbing cult of followers while providing a reasonable explanation of Hubbard's motives (cold hard cash and s-e-x). And it does so in an intriguing, movie-of-the week manner. Demon or messiah, you be the judge. Regardless, the man altogether had an intriguing life.

Re-read Factor: Hubbard led so many lives that you'll have to pour over the book several times just to make sense of them all.

Sequel Factor: Well, the guy's dead after all. But you know, the Church of Scientology is expecting him back any day now. Keep your eyes to the skies.

Strong Chick Factor: Hubbard had duplicitous affairs with loads of women, and they all had to have possessed pretty strong stomachs to deal with his loathsome treatment of them. His ex-wife Betty stands out the most, as she's the one whose smiling picture graced the front of thousands of newspapers after she went to the press with the true tales of Hubbard's madness.

-- David Rosiak

Bare-Faced Messiah, is currently available online, and you can access it by following this link.

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