The Church of Scientology was started because of a bet.

My father and Science Fiction Writer Fritz Leiber challenged L. Ron Hubbard to prove a statement Hubbard made when at a party at Fritz's house.

Science Fiction Writers back then did not usually make a lot of money. Hubbard had boasted that the way to really make money was to start a religion and enjoy the money sent into church headquarters by the idiots who need religion in their lives.

Hubbard boasted that it would be easy for a Sci Fi writer to start a new religion. Fritz and my father bet him five dollars each that it would fail if he tried.

Hubbard eagerly said they were "On!" and that they could pay him the five dollars in ten years.

Since he was so eager, they put a few provisions in the bet. He had to incorporate something from Sci Fi as the foundation of his new religion.

A year or so earlier they had all vacationed in Acapulco, Mexico, and my father insisted that Hubbard include the electrical shock paddles that they all tried down on the beach. A Mexican peasant had a black box with a grinder handle on it. Extending from the box were two electrical wires. As the Mexican ground on the handle it generated an electrical charge to the paddles. If a brave young man held onto the paddles, he would receive a shock. If it was too much, he would have to let go. Dad insisted that the hand paddles had to be part of the religion. He did not say the box that generated the electrical shock treatment, just the paddles. Hubbard agreed and said that he would make it part of the introduction to the religion. After the party, Hubbard started making up his religion with the ludicrous requirements. He ended up a millionaire.

Dad and Fritz lost the bet.

 

That would not suprise me one bit.

Humans are suckers.

 

Could Christianity have been formed because of a bet?

 

Very cool. It doesn't answer the question as to how you turned up so fucking crazy.... But the story is very cool!

 

Was Recruiting from Hollywood part of the bet or just shooting fish in a barrel?

 

And it makes about as much sense as any other religion.

 

I have never posted anything that is CRAZY. You are just too stupid and uneducated to understand what I have posted. It is you who has the problem, not me. Having inherited Dumb DNA, you are at a distinct disadvantage in the world.

 

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark! You are crazy cruel Newbarf!

 

you know, if everyone around you is telling you you're crazy. it's more likely than not that you aren't the only sane person in the room.

 

The simple fact of the matter is that you are not intelligent enough to understand what I have posted on this forum. I point out what the Bible says, and lunatics like you think that means I agree with it. I have never said I agree with it, but I will pretend to for amusement sake. As I point out to those who are intelligent enough to understand, I post for amusement and entertainment sake. The object is to be entertaining and that alone. On this forum I have to deal with complete lunatics like Jillian, EchoZulu, Elvis, Pauli, you and several other who think that if you do not have the intelligence to understand you must attack and lie about the poster. Lighten up and try being a decent contributor rather than an ass all of the time.