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Letters // Ignoring achievements of L. Ron Hubbard

Title: Letters // Ignoring achievements of L. Ron Hubbard
Date: Wednesday, 24 August 1988
Publisher: Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia)
Main source: link (64 KiB)

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To the Editor:

Modern journalism seems to have developed a nearly terminal case of "tunnel vision" — only believing things that are "controversial," "horrifying," "absurd" or "sexy." Things which conflict with this journalistic "formula" are either ignored or ridiculed.

Such is the sad fate of staff writer Patrick Lackey's June 26 review of a book ostensibly concerning the late American author and founder of the Scientology religion, L. Ron Hubbard (Bare-Faced Messiah, by Russell Miller). The book itself also suffered this fate. It was written by a tabloid journalist who declined to review large amounts of available documentation and research offered to him, and whose "research" was based on the word of a few disgruntled individuals, all outwardly and self-avowed critics of Mr. Hubbard and the Church of Scientology.

A (short) listing of some of the contributions and achievements of Mr. Hubbard follow:

* Mr. Hubbard's ground-breaking work on the problems of drugs, drug abuse and methods of drug rehabilitation have led to more than 100,000 individuals freed from the harmful effects of drugs. Mr. Hubbard's research and writings on drugs also led to the formation of a network of centers called Narconon, which use his methods exclusively.

* Mr. Hubbard's first major work on the mind (Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health), published in 1950, resulted in instantaneous and overwhelming response. It has remained a phenomenal best seller for 38 years with more than 10.5 million copies sold.

* As a result of his research into the human mind, Mr. Hubbard encountered the undeniable existence of the human soul. His research and discoveries into the nature of man as a spiritual being had unquestionably entered the realm of religion. A group of Mr. Hubbard's friends and associates formed the first Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C., in 1954. The Church of Scientology has rapidly expanded to hundreds of churches and missions, and millions of members internationally.

* Mr. Hubbard's prolific career as an author is a record that speaks for itself. His fiction works alone have sold more than 23 million copies. His magnum opus fiction work, Mission Earth, published in 10 volumes, has appeared regularly on The New York Times and other best-seller lists over the past 2½ years.

Mr. Hubbard also spoke out strongly and loudly against abuses of basic human dignities and violations of the right of men to live and work free. He was therefore not popular with psychiatrists who employ the barbaric and brutal "treatments" of slicing and cutting hu-man brains, drugging children and electric shocking our elderly, to name a few.

None of the above fits today's journalistic "mold": None of it made either Mr. Lackey's piece or the book he reviewed.

DAVID ADEN
Department of Public Affairs
Church of Scientology
Boston, Mass.