Hubbard plagiarized Scientology

Well well well. Turns out that L. Ron Hubbard, the failed sci-fi writer who started the Scientology cult actually stole the whole thing, name and all.

Via Boing Boing, we learn that a German book from 1934 called Scientologie was the basis for much of Hubbard’s work.

Boing Boing got it from a post at Enturbulation, and you can read the full details at http://www.scientologie.org/english.htm.

Besides claiming that it’s a religion (and not a wacko cult), Scientology also claims to have copyright on all its ’sacred texts.’ They didn’t want everyone to know that they believe people were brought to Earth by the galactic tyrant Xenu… oh, never mind.

Anyway, the fact that Hubbard plagiarized much of those ’sacred texts’ calls into question the whole copyright issue, doesn’t it? Or maybe that’s just my thetans talking.