Random Surprising Ways Scientology Like the Church of Satan (12 items)

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  (#11) L. Ron Hubbard Was Fascinated with Aleister Crowley

  Believe it or not, but L. Ron Hubbard was obsessed with Aleister Crowley, one of the largest-looming figures of Satanism. Hubbard was so into Crowley's erotic magic that he moved to Pasadena, CA, where he began studying under John Whiteside Parsons, whose main focus was that of Aleister Crowley's OTO sex magick. 
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  (#2) Celebrities Love Both Religions

  Both Scientology and the Church of Satan have attracted a lot of big names to their gatherings in all the years they've been around. Admittedly, Scientology-inclined celebs like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Beck are a little bigger, but you can't beat card-carrying Satanists like Sammy Davis Jr., Jayne Mansfield, and Marilyn Manson. 
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  (#3) Both Are Tight-Lipped About Money

  One of the biggest questions about Scientology is, "What are they doing with all that money?" Because the church hasn't released a tax statement in about a decade, it's impossible to know where all the tithes they receive go, but by looking at the Celebrity Center and a few of their other spots in Los Angeles, it's pretty easy to figure it out. The Church of Satan never says what it does with its membership fees, either, and since there isn't a defacto headquarters to keep up, it seems odd that they would still collect money. 
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  (#1) Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to Both of Them

  The Church of Scientology is known for maintaining an almost cartoonish level of secrecy about its operating budget, auditors, and pretty much everything else that goes on behind its blue-and-gold doors. The fear of Scientology is similar to that of the fear of the Church of Satan due to the fact that they aren't the biggest oversharers either. 
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  (#6) The Self Is the Most Important Part of Both Religions

  It's no secret that Satanism is a religion about turning yourself into your own god and placing your well-being above all others. While Scientology isn't as selfish a philosophy as Satanism, it is about clearing yourself of all your perceived mental ickiness so you can ascend to a higher plane of existence. 
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  (#5) They Were Both Started by Artists Trying to Make a Transition

  One of the biggest things that connects the Church of Satan to the Church of Scientology is that they were both started by guys who were down on their luck. Anton LaVey was famously a carnival barker who started the first version of his church in a nightclub with topless witches, similarly to how L. Ron Hubbard got burned out on his job as a freelance pulp writer and began seeking a better way to make a living. A famous Hubbard quote goes, "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."

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