Back in 1970, Harry W. Theriault was a high-security inmate at USP Atlanta, Georgia. The story goes, he ran across some information that science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, was in a bar after the war in 1947 with another famous writer, Robert A. Heinlein, and they made a bar bet.
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard
Hubbard is reported to have told Heinlein, forget writing, “The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion.” Well, he did. With some comments on Dianetics by Heinlein, Hubbard went on to found Scientology. Or so the story goes…
Prisoner Theriault, who already had a few escapes to his credit, clearly wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. He created his own idea, an amalgam of a paratestament, declared himself the Messiah–you know, the usual stuff–and certain sacraments. He called his religion, the Church of the New Song, CONS for short. Appropriate. more…
