Roy Wallis "Religious sects and the fear of publicity" 5/5
Ron Newman
and the fear of publicity", first published in the UK magazine
_New Society_ for 7 June 1973, pages 545-547.
In the first two parts. Wallis discussed the Christian Scientists'
attempts to suppress books that they disapproved of. In parts
three and four, Wallis described similar efforts by the Church
of Scientology, including a campaign of intimidation and forged
letters aimed at Wallis himself.
Roy Wallis wrote a number of other 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).
Much of the material in this essay eventually made its way
into that book.
-------------
A later batch of letters was addressed to "The Chancellor" of
Stirling University. The covering letter this time was purportedly
from a disgusted landlady. Contained with it were two homosexual
love letters of an obscene kind, written on Stirling Department
of Sociology notepaper -- or more probably a photograph copy of the
letter-head -- typed on a machine with a distinctive type-face very
similar to my personal portable, and signed with my name. On investigation
by the police the landlady was found not to exist.
During the student troubles at Stirling, letters similar to those
received by the northern sociologist were also received by
Digby Jacks, President of the National Union of Students. These
letters indicated that I was one of those responsible for reporting
students for disciplinary proceedings, and that I was "working for
a right-wing organisation." Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am not usually prone to this kind of correspondence and the
implication is strong that, whether with or without the connivance
of the leadership of the Scientology movement, I was the subject of
a concerted attempt at harassment designed to "frighten me off"
Scientology, to undermine my credibility as a commentator on their
activities, or to keep my so busy handling these matters that I had
little time for research.
While these events are disturbing, as they have been for myself and
other writers on this movement, their motivation is not hard to
understand. If a group regards itself as embodying the absolute truth,
as did Christian Science in earlier years and Scientology today, then
only those fully versed in and committed to the beliefs and practices
in question will be seen as legitimate commentators upon them. Since
both are highly authoritarian sects, to permit commentary by outsiders
threatens to undermine the authority of the leadership as the sole
legitimate interpreters of the doctrine. Moreover, in the development
of most social movements, events will occur at one stage or another
that may contrast uncomfortably with a later, more sophisticated
rhetoric. We all have skeletons we would prefer left unexposed,
Christian Science and Scientology and their founders no less than the
rest of us. The misfortune of Mrs. Eddy and Ron Hubbard was that
in an age of instant communication, no respectable period has been
permitted to elapse during which such skeletons could be effectively
buried, or passed off as a youthful aberration of their movements.
Vilification of the enemy is therefore a natural recourse. The enemies
of Christian Science are vilified as practitioners of "malicious
animal magnetism" and the Catholic Church is seen as the chief repository
of this maleficent force. The enemies of Scientology are seen as
engaged in a world conspiracy fostered by the "psycho-politicians"
to deny man the "total freedom" available through Scientology. Psychiatrists
and mental health organisations are those principally seen as engaged
in this "suppressive" activity.
But sectarian movements draw their boundaries rather sharply. Their world is
black and white. Those who are not for them are against them, and
the observer on the sidelines is liable to be tarred with the same brush
as their most rabid opponent.
[Citations listed in the right margin:
Charles S. Braden, _Christian Science Today_ (Dallas: Methodist
University Press, 1969
Roy Wallis, "The sectarianism of Scientology" in Michael Hill (ed),
_A Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain_ (SCM Press, 1973)
Sir John G. Foster, "Scientology and its enemies" (_Inquiry into
the Practice and Effects of Scientology_, HMSO, 1971
]
[Credit line in right margin:
Roy Wallis is Lecturer in Sociology, University of Stirling
]
--
Ron Newman rne...@cybercom.net
Web: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/home.html