Operation Clambake presents: FBI Files on L Ron Hubbard
It appears that the infamous L.Ron Hubbard, who founded scientology, was also associated with Alesteir Crowley, who claimed to be The Beast 666. I have always believed that scientology is basically an evil religion, and Crowley openly claimed to be evil. Hubbard is stated in the reference above to have swindled $10,000 from an associate. If so, scientology is one of three religions I am aware of that were started by swindlers, and probably started as tool to swindle money from their followers.
The second is Mormonism, since the founder, Joseph Smith had not only been convicted as a swindler, but served time in prison for that crime. Since he demanded his followers paid him 10% of their earnings, it appears that the religion was designed to fetch him money. He also gave himself the 'right' to have many 'wives', which suggests that original Mormonism was also a tool to get the swindler a lot of sex. It worked well until an angry citizenry lynched him ad his brother. Did not stop the religion, though.
The third is spiritualism. This began in 1848 by sisters Margaret and Kate Fox who used simple tricks to cause such things as knocking noises. Under the management of an older and married sister, they toured giving seances to communicate with the dead - for money of course. Margaret later confessed to the fraud, but the religion went on regardless.
How many other religions began as swindles to suck money (and/or sex) from followers? How can people be silly as to follow a religion that has been exposed as a fraud?