Hi, new here. Got over 10 years in. Figured this to be a good place to start.
I think ultimately he deluded himself. From where I saw his views in his writings, I think he sincerely believed what he wrote.
But, perhaps there were ulterior motives in the beginning. I have an interesting view from being in a project where so many non-Scios were run through the Book One game. It was very interesting to see how the common person was handling and applying the material. For some, it ran deep, for others, really shallow. So, it was a bit hit or miss and very seldomly, if ever, the "releases" were nothing of the magnitude of the writing in the book. However, there was some very interesting workability, if for nothing more than the apparency of the auditor caring about what the aberee said. Some guys were just more accessible than others, it appears.
Having read "Madman, Messiah", "Bare-Faced Messiah", "Going Clear" and several other books, I can see Hubbard under enormous pressure to live up to what he was selling, or shilling. Probably he patterned many or the workable aspects from other sources, but he really had a drive to get himself above the trouble right behind him in the bigamy, children, money, etc. He had to create something to ease his conscience, I think. It was catching up to him, if his "Admissions" are any indication. What better way to do this than to "save the world"! Then all is straight. (Reminds me a bit of the Fear book he wrote.) So, dust off some old therapies, consider a few tricks from self or better auditors and write the book. Didn't go so well as he had to come back with Advanced Procedures. That one gets pretty complicated. Let's go hardcore spiritual bent. Oh ho - lots of fun with a meter. On and on it goes. Had to keep developing the newer, better thing to keep people coming back for more - but personally justified as let's make things more easier and efficient. Which expands to all the training aspects, Objectives, etc. Hell, let's just build a bridge.
So, I think he created for himself this salvation, which ultimately ended as a pretty bad fate, because it wasn't any real salvation, and this was his own realization at the end.
But, Midge, I think he thinks it's a scam, now. Might have been a loyal follower before, but I think he knows its BS now. No other way to explain the current push of donations over service as a primary money making activity. His hell will be worse. (As I write this, I can almost imagine Midge having nightmares of a zombified Management Structure escaping the Hole and going after him with his inhaler.)
My two cents...