Bare-Faced Messiah

The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard

By: Russell Miller

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

How did an obscure science fiction writer become one of the world's most notorious religious leaders?

Bare-Faced Messiah tells the extraordinary story of L. Ron Hubbard, a penniless science fiction writer who founded the Church of Scientology, became a millionaire prophet, and convinced his adoring followers that he alone could save the world.

According to his "official" biography, Hubbard was an explorer, engineer, scientist, war hero, and philosopher. But in the words of a Californian judge, he was schizophrenic, paranoid, and a pathological liar. What is not in dispute is that Hubbard was one of the most bizarre characters of the 20th century.

Bare-Faced Messiah exposes the myths surrounding the fascinating and mysterious founder of the Church of Scientology - a man of hypnotic charm and limitless imagination - and provides the definitive account of how the notorious organization was created.

©2015 Russell Miller (P)2021 Tantor

Inside the nuthouse....

a well-researched book on the notorious conman, L Ron Hubbard. He was a habitual liar and had paranoid schizophrenia, as just a small sampling of mental issues Hubbard had. I am amazed anyone would follow this false prophet as well as hand him or his 'church' boatloads of cash.

Great biography of L Ron Hubbard

Mostly, L Ron Hubbard comes out looking like a bad guy, confidence man, and rascal. But, there is also another side to him which this author does show you, basically a brilliant, charming, and manipulative leader. I saw a podcast on YouTube by Chris Shelton. Shelton himself is an interesting person, and he was in Scientology. Shelton had on an another guy, Dr Yuval Laor, who said Hubbard might have had temporal lobe epilepsy, which would’ve made it possible for Hubbard to both be a con man and simultaneously sincere about Scientology. The symptoms of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Hubbard’s strange behavior overlap, so it’s a very interesting unproven theory. The theory was in the back of my mind when listening to the book. Hubbard was clearly a highly complicated, brilliant, and sometimes dangerous figure. Great book. I enjoyed listening. The reader is excellent.

So much worse than you thought

Hi was not sure what to expect. I had talked and texted with people about it and then started reading it and I couldn’t put it down. It is a fabulous book. Fillers really interesting ideas. For the first time I was able to get through something without blowing something up.

A thorough examination of cult leader, L Ron Hubbard

What turns somebody into a psychotic despot? Bare-Faced Messiah delves into the life and lies of L Ron Hubbard, writer, conman, and cult leader. Author Russell Miller presents a detailed and disturbing picture of the founder of Scientology. This is a must read for anyone interested in psychology, cults, and the tax payer funded ongoing human trafficking organization. That is Scientology.

Excellent Takedown of LRH, Expertly researched

Narration was a little dull and possibly not the right artist to perform this book. However I stuck with it and it’s a fantastic takedown of LRH and expertly researched. Well done!