Roy Wallis "Religious sects and the fear of publicity" 1/5
Ron Newman
Wallis's article "Religious sects and the fear of publicity", published in the
UK magazine _New Society_ for 7 June 1973. As you will see, this article
compares the efforts of Christian Science and Scientology to suppress written
works unfavorable to their respective Churches.
Roy Wallis wrote a number of essays about Scientology during the 1970s and
1980s, as well as the excellent full-length book _The Road to Total Freedom_
(Columbia University Press, 1977).
Since Roy Wallis is deceased and _New Society_ has folded,
I don't think anyone will seriously object to my posting it here.
When I have finished typing it in, I'll put it on my web site.
"Religious sects and the fear of publicity"
by Roy Wallis
published in _New Society_ magazine, 7 June 1973.
(Roy Wallis is identified as "Lecturer in Sociology, University of Stirling")
subhead:
Few religious sects go to the lengths of the Scientologists to maintain
secrecy. But Christian Science was once a comparable example.
While some religious and quasi-religious sects, in their eagerness to broadcast
the word as widely as possible and bring new sheep into the fold, welcome
investigation by outsiders and the publication of books by former members about
their beliefs and practices, this is typically not always the case. Many seek
to discourage publicity and deny access to their activities to those who are
only casually or impartially interested. They feel that only the committed have
any right to observe or discuss the work of the sect.
The reason, I feel, is not far to seek. The members of a sect see themselves as
having a unique and privileged access to the truth not possessed by outsiders,
who are therefore likely to contaminate, misunderstand, or misrepresent the
doctrine and ritual. In some cases their scepticism on the objectivity of
observers is not unwarranted. The popular press seems, on occasion, to project
some of the more obvious Freudian fantasies onto new sectarian groups whose
beliefs and rituals they find incomprehensible. Many editors appear to have a
sneaking suspicion that something underhand is always going on in new sects that
do not welcome reporters, even if it is not always sexual immorality.
However, while some sects do not view investigators or even writers in their
own ranks favourably, not all have gone to the lengths of Christian Science
and Scientology to maintain secrecy.
One would hardly believe that the elderly gentlemen and middle-aged, middle class
ladies who attend the services of Christian Science churches could be
mobilised into actively suppressing serious literary works discussing their
Church -- but at times in its history, such a belief would have been profoundly
misplaced. A pamphlet issued by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1930, _The Blight
that Failed_, gives an account of the difficulties faced by this publisher over
the appearance of a biography of the founder of Christian Science,
_Mrs. Eddy: the biography of a virginal mind_, by Edwin Franden Dakin.
Dakin had not been a Christian Scientist, but his interest in Mrs Eddy led him
to write the biography, which Scribners accepted for publication. After the
appearance of a public announcement for the book, Scribners were immediately
approached by the Christian Science Committee on Publication for New York
who made reference during a conversation with the publishers to a confidential
memorandum issued to Scribners' sales staff. The one-man Committee suggested
that the book be submitted to its office for a check on accuracy and
reliability -- an offer regarded by the publishers as censorship, which
they declined.
The pressure brought to bear then took a different form. Personal approaches
were made to Scribners executives by former schoolfriends in the Church.
When the book appeared, bookshops and libraries were visited as part of a
concerted campaign to persuade them not to take it. The bookshops were
threatened with boycott if they offered it for sale. Abusive letters
were sent to Scribners from all parts of the United States, many having
a highly stereotyped content and phraseology. So effective was the
campaign that, at one point, 70% of Scribners' normal retail outlets had
stopped selling the book and refused to display it. The campaign backfired,
however, since Scribners could advertise how important the work must be,
if so much effort was being expended to suppress it, and the book
eventually became a bestseller.
What is especially disconcerting is that this was not an isolated case.
An early biography of Mrs Eddy, originally published in article form in
_McLures Magazine_, later appeared as a full-length biography --
Georgine Milmine's _The Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of
Christian Science__ -- by Doubleday. The board of Mother Church was
able to purchase the copyright and plates of this book, effectively
preventing republication.
[to be continued]
--
Ron Newman rne...@cybercom.net
Web: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/home.html
Peter McDermott
rne...@cybercom.net (Ron Newman) wrote:
>Since Roy Wallis is deceased and _New Society_ has folded,
>I don't think anyone will seriously object to my posting it here.
>When I have finished typing it in, I'll put it on my web site.
Well, actually it was taken over by the New Statesman (which
became New Statesman and Society) but I'm sure they wouldn't
object too much.
Thanks for posting it.
--
pe...@petermc.demon.co.uk Cool as fuck!
100% pure Meatball - No clam additives!