Who was the better con man: Joseph Smith or L. Ron Hubbard?

I only suggested the two, so please feel free to add your personal choice, if different.
Donna: Whaddup, you!
Gorgeoustx: Bro Paul is a good choice. I had thought about including him but I'm only allowed a limited number of 'characters'. )
Would you all suggest I hire someone to retrieve and deliver my mail from this point forward?
Thanks to all responders and to those who starred.

Well, L. Ron Hubbard has better lawyers...

I prefer neither. I think they're both well cult leaders. Dead or alive. Hey you

EDIT: same old, same old, it's all good.

L.Ron by far.

St. Paul (Lil St.?) was the biggest con man who ever lived. He invented a Christ and made selling fear and guilt very lucrative.

Of the two you mentioned, it is a hard choice. Probably L. Ron Hubbard because he got rich off his nonsense.

They were both successful. Need we distinguish?

Smith. Hubbard's cronies are the ones who built up Scientology.

Of the two, Mr. L Ron, easily. Given he brazenly admitted to being a liar, and was caught out several times, and yet still people buy into Scientology. At least Joseph Smith /pretended/ to be honest.

Joe Smith. The LDS are the fastest growing religious group in the US!
One born every minute!

I'd say L. Ron Hubbard was. Why? Because we KNOW he blatantly stole all his ideas and placed them in Dianetics.

He also got people to believe in this XENU crap? Extraterrestrial spirits coming to earth and being planted in us? OMG. Srsly?! One has to be a great salesman to do that.

Then, he strong arms everyone so they don't stray.

I think Joseph Smith was shady but not to the extent of Hubbard.

That's a tough one. They both had help from the Devil, quite literally, so they can't take all the credit. Where women are concerned, Joseph Smith was the better con man, esp considering the whole multiple wives thing (yes, I realize that isn't common practice now). According to a documentary about one member of the American rocket program, L Ron Hubbard was a scribe in a Satanic cult just prior to founding the Church of Scientology.

Paul, Joseph Smith and L Ron Hubbard are all as bad as each other

At least Smith has a foundation based on the bible. Maybe that leads to an opportunity to get closer to God. I don't think you get that from Scientology.

Tough call. I'd have to do with Hubbard

Hubbard died a natural death in comfortable wealth while Smith was brutally murdered in a police station. I think it's Hubbard by a landslide.

And Hubbard collected the twenty from the bar bet that he could not found a cult out of thin air in less than a year.

As neither are a part of my religion I don't really think about it. I will say that L Ron Hubbard was on record prior to his creation of Scientology that the way to make a lot of money was to create a religion. Given that statement, I would tend to say his motives were less than pure but as I said, neither is important in my own religion (I am Jewish).

Joseph Smith was a good man. He was honest and I know he was a prophet of God. He didn't gain anything from his calling - only persecution which caused his death.