LRH

LRH is the initials widely used for L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), an American writer and the founder of the Church of Scientology. He published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health in 1950, presenting a system aimed at relieving psychological pain by addressing past traumatic memories stored as “engrams.” The Dianetics movement soon evolved into Scientology, established as a religious organization in the early 1950s. Scientology teaches that humans are spiritual beings, called thetans, trapped in a material universe, and offers a graded program of auditing and training known as the Bridge to Total Freedom. Auditing uses an E-meter, a device claimed to measure mental state, during sessions intended to clear individuals of psychosomatic and spiritual impediments. Progress is said to culminate in states such as Clear and, for some, higher levels called Operating Thetan.

Hubbard had a background as a science fiction and adventure writer and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He headed the Scientology organization for decades, including the Sea Organization, and produced a large body of writings and policy materials that shaped church practice. After his death in 1986, Scientology continued to expand in various countries, and in the United States the church was granted tax-exempt status in 1993.

LRH’s legacy is contested: supporters view him as a pioneer of spiritual development, while critics and former members challenge the movement’s methods, finances, and scientific or legal claims. Scientology remains legal as a religion in some jurisdictions and faces restrictions or ongoing controversy in others.