A reclusive multimillionare who preferred to work all night. A man terrified of germs who fought his growing array of ailments with a variety of drugs and massive vitamin injections.

That’s how Time magazine described L. Ron Hubbard–founder of Scientology–back in 1983.

Later, in 1991,  as a cult thriving on greed and power.

Here are thirteen facts on quite likely the most lucrative cult in America.

1. In May 1950, Hubbard collected and published many ideas common to Scientology in an article for the magazine . In the same year he published a systematic presentation of his quasi-psychoterapeutic and religious ideas in a non-fiction book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

2. Influences on Scientology include philosophers  and , psychologist Sigmund Freud and religions such as Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism, even .

3. Hubbard insisted Scientology was a religion and in 1953 incorporated the Church of Scientology in New Jersey. To this day Scientology is recognized as a tax-exempt religion in the U. S.

4. From 1966 through 1975, Hubbard lived aboard the Scientology’s floating headquarters, the 300-foot boat Apollo.  at his ranch aged 74 on January 24, 1986, .

5. Scientology revolves around the idea of the “thetan,” a person’s essential self expressed in the universal force. Thetans existed in the primordial past, created the universe for their own pleasure and fell from grace when they identified with this creation. Thetans also reincarnate.

6. Scientology splits the mind in two: the reactive and the analytical. The reactive side is responsible for emotions while the analytical, consciousness. Think subconscious versus conscious.

7. Important to Scientology is the concept of survival, broken down into eight classifications, individual survival being the most basic. [Note of Maslov’s hierarchy of needs here.]

8.  and taught that the human population was 80% “social personalities” and 20% “anti-social personalities,” the Hitlers, Stalins, Pol Pots, unrepentant murders and drug lords.

9. Through a process known as “auditing” a Scientologists can solve his problems and free himself of engrams–painful and debilitating mental images that can accumulate and cloud a person’s true identity.

10. Scientologists develop spiritually through a process known as “the ” that involves progressively complex study materials. Donations are required for each course with higher-level courses costing in the thousands.

11. The Church hides higher-levels of mystical teachings to protect unprepared minds and fight against text twisting.

12. Scientology , charging it was responsible for World War I, Hitler’s rise, the decline of education in America, the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo and September 11.

13. Tom Cruise is an unequivocal Scientology fanatic, evident in this .

Part of the Quick Facts on Christian Cults series.

Want to know who the 13 most famous Pentecostals of all time are? Read on.

Pentecostalism, for nearly a century, has been a native American sect.

And it vies with Mormons and Southern Baptists as one of the most vital religious movements in our country.

This is the tradition I grew out of. So its close to home.

But for those of you who don’t know much about Pentecostalism and its people, here are 13 must-know personalities.

1. Joel

Around 800 BC  that God will pour out his spirit on mankind and everyone will prophesy, dream dreams and see visions.

2. Peter

In the second chapter of Acts,  to explain the tongues of fire, the ruckus and the strange words and non-words on the streets of Jerusalem.

3. Paul

Commands us to  at all times.

4. Charles Fox Parnham

On January 1, 1901, Parnham led his Bible school of Holiness followers in an ecstatic celebration of Baptism in the Holy Ghost.

5. Agnes Ozman

Parnham follower–and ignorant of Chinese–Agnes asserted that for three days after Parnham’s celebration she spoke Chinese and wrote Chinese.

6. William Seymour

About 1910, led his followers into a perpetual storm of Pentecost at the Azusa mission in Los Angeles where the Charismatic movement was born.

7. Jimmy Swaggert

Catastrophically passionate and charismatic, this televangelist shocked his audience with a confession of .

8. Jim Bakker

A shadow of his contemporary Swaggert, Bakker still managed to get entangled in sex and tax scandals.

9. James Watt

Prominent Assemblies of God laymen and Regean’s Secretary of Interior  because of the looming apocalypse.

10. Kenneth Hagin

The grandaddy of the  movement.

11. Benny Hinn

Regularly heals people of blindness, deafness, cancer, AIDS, and severe physical injuries during his Miracle Crusades.

12. Todd Bently

Flamboyant, cage-match style  preacher headed the Lakeland revival until his admission of adultery.

13. Holy Spirit

The misunderstood and often-neglected mastermind behind tongues, , faith healing and stadium-sized revivals.

So, did I miss anybody?

Part of the Quick Facts on Christian Cults series.

Part of the Quick Facts on Christian Cults series.

File this under controversial. Conspiratorial. Bizarre. Trivial.

Wherever you file it, know this: This is serious stuff some people lock-in on.

In the last two weeks I’ve showcased the Adventists and Unitarians. Two relatively close cousins to orthodox Christianity.

This Sunday I thought I’d go out to the far branches of her family tree and snoop in on a sect that nurses secret knowledge.

So, without anymore pussyfooting, let me introduce you to the Rosicrucians.

1. Historically, Rosicrucians consider –a man who learned esoteric wisdom from Sufi or Zoroastrian teachers during a pilgrimage to the Middle East during the early 15th Century–to be their founder.

2. Rosenkreuz nurtured 8 disciples who were doctors and sworn bachelors. They promised to heal the sick for free, maintain secret fellowship and find replacements when they died.

3. Rosenkreuz’s legend emerged in three manifestos published in early 17th Century, the first being the .

4. This legend inspired a  who existed to advance inspired arts and sciences, including a spiritual and symbolic alchemy.

5. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, some Christian groups styled themselves Rosicrucians, including Esoteric Christian Rosicrucians who professed Christ.

6. While in Germany in the fall of 1907,  understood his mission to prepare mankind for a new phase in religion after a visit from a highly evolved entity identified as an Elder Brother of the Rosicrucian Order.

7. Around 1910 Heindel founded the Rosicrucian Fellowship on Mount Ecclesia in Oceanside, California, teaching the mysteries Jesus spoke about in and .

8. RFs teach that man is spirit and body, but the body is improving through a series of existences as the power of God are opened to his life.

9. Man is also unfolding latent spiritual powers through multiple rebirths.

10. Consequently, death is viewed as rebirth into a larger sphere. And life as a school that prepares the man for this birth.

11. Important to the RFs is the doctrine of the , which evolves through multiple births.

12. Tucked into this philosophy is the idea of two Christs: One within and one without. The Savior Christ and the Cosmic Christ. The Cosmic helps the Savior emerge in our spirits.

13. Invisible Helpers–students of the Western Wisdom Teachings– continue Heindel’s work, namely preaching the gospel and healing the sick.

I had a lot of fun doing this because in a previous life I was a huge fan of  and his book . I’m serious.

Tell me what you think.

From the reason why they observe Saturday as Sabbath to their connection to David Koresh–13 fast facts.

Last Sunday I quietly started a weekly series on Christian and non-Christian sects. I started this series for one reason only:  To learn more about unorthodox Christian religions.

To my surprise, it turned out better than I thought.

Not only did I learn from my own research, but two Unitarians showed up at my blog and shared a wealth of information.

I intend to keep this up for 17 weeks. Or until I run out of sects to write about. Which ever comes first.

And normally I’ll publish these on Sunday. But since  observe Saturday as the Sabbath…this week I’m making an exception. Enjoy.

1. The denomination grew out of the great second advent movement that swept the United States in the 1840s, stemming largely from the activities of  who predicted Christ would return on October 22, 1844.

2. When October 22, 1844 came and went, Miller’s followers referred to it as “The Great Disappointment.”

3. After “The Great Disappointment,” Adventists united in a close-knit, defensive and suspicious group due to their rejection by mainstream Christianity and the Millerites humiliation.

4. The Saturday-as-Sabbath doctrine was introduced to the Adventist pioneers in the mid-19th century by , a Seventh Day Baptist. Seventh-day Adventists observe the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism.

5. On the Sabbath, Adventists abstain from secular work

6. Adventists believe in the unconcious state of the dead, which means the dead do not enjoy a reward or suffer punishment until Judgment Day.  Also known as soul sleep.

7. The  is a doctrine Adventists hold that a judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. Adventist historian and theologian  says “judgment” should be understood as “favored.”

8. The doctrine of the Great Controversy says that all humanity is involved in a conflict between Christ and Satan over the character of God.

9. Since 1860, wholeness and health have been the emphasis of the Adventist church. In fact, Ellen G. White advocated vegetarianism.

10. Adventists also believe in an annihilationist view of hell. Annihilationism says that sinners are going to be destroyed rather than thrown into hell.

11. Walter Martin, in his , wrote, “It is perfectly possible to be a Seventh-day Adventist and be a true follower of Jesus Christ despite unorthodox concepts.”

12.  , who was instrumental in establishing the Sabbatarian Adventist movement, was a prophet, visionary and writer. Some argued that her visions were hallucinations that stemmed from mental illness and epileptic fits.

13. A well known but distant offshoot of the Adventist is the .  Ex-Adventist David Koresh led the Branch Davidians until he died in the 1993 siege at the group’s headquarters near Waco, Texas.

So what do you think? Seventh-day Adventists orthodox Christians or not? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Part of the Quick Facts on Christian Cults series.