Scientology was invented by third-rate sci-fi author L. Ron Hubbard. It is so full of nonsense that anyone with half a brain would reject it.
Don’t base your hate of Battlefield earth on the movie. The book was pretty good. Scientology is nuts, but she the book was ok.
As I recall, he created Scientology as the result of a bet. Not out of any real belief
“It is so full of nonsense that anyone with half a brain would reject it.”
Certainly, if they told people all the nonsense up front. However, they are more clever than that. The only reveal the more reasonable elements at first. By the time you get any hints of the far out sci fi stories, you have already invested tens of thousands of dollars in the “church”, broken off ties with family members, and they have a file with confessions of all your life’s indiscretions to blackmail you with.
So even though most people probably do think it is hogwash when they get the full picture, there are plenty of reasons to keep them stuck in the group even after that point.
That is why it is so popular in Hollywood.