Roy Wallis "Religious sects and the fear of publicity" 2/5
Ron Newman
publicity", published in the UK magazine _New Society_ for 7 June 1973,
pages 545-547. 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).
If you know of any newsgroup dealing specifically with Christian Science,
please let me know; I'd like to post this article there as well as here.
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Adam H. Dickey's _Memoirs of Mary Baker Eddy_, published in 1927, was
based on his observations of several years in which he acted as
Mrs. Eddy's secretary, and her specific instruction to him not long
before her death that he write a history of his experiences during
his time with her -- although the book was not published until after
his own death. On publication, the board of directors of the Church
wrote to every member of his Association of Students, requiring them
to return their copies, and reimbursed Mrs Dickey for the costs of
publication -- thereby acquiring the copyright. The book never saw
the light of day again.
In another case, after all other attempts at obstruction failed,
considerable pressure was brought to bear on Putman & Co., sufficient
to persuade them to make sweeping revisions in the manuscript of
High Studdert Kennedy's _Mrs. Eddy: her life, her work, her place
in history_. These revisions mutilated the book to such an extent that
his widow regarded it as bearing no relation to the original, and
she eventually established her own publishing trust to produce the book.
Finally, Arthur Corey, at one time a prominent Christian Science
practitioner, produced a volume based on materials employed by many
prominent teachers of Christian Science in their class instruction.
Although there was no formal prohibition against publishing materials
used in teaching the normal classes (passage through which is a
prerequisite to practitioner status), an informal taboo had emerged
against making public what took place in class or passing details
on to the uninitiated. Although Putnams expressed an initial interest
in Corey's book, _Class Instruction_, they eventually decided that
they were unwilling to face the campaign which would inevitably ensue
on publication.
Many of the teachers or their heirs, on orders from the Church,
protested against inclusion of their class materials in the book
_before_ its appearance, or even announcement, and threatened legal
action. Corey discovered that his financial position had been
investigated to discover whether he could stand the costs of a lawsuit.
Threats from a law firm representing the board of directors were
received, and a professional process server served a bogus injunction
on Corey to prohibit publication. When it did appear, editors of
periodicals which reviewed the book were subjected to an organised letter-
writing campaign. Furthermore, immense pressure was brought to bear
by Christian Science advertisers to prevent publicity in the press
and on radio. Many editors declined to give the book coverage
on the grounds that they could thereby escape the considerable nuisance
which had been caused them in the past when they had published materials
deemed objectionable by the Church. Bookshops again received threats
of boycott unless they ceased selling the volume. Charles Braden, from
whose book, _Christian Science Today_ , these details are taken, recounts
that many libraries refused to accept copies, and that copies disappeared
from libraries which did take the book. In one case even the index
card was stolen. Other copies were mutilated.
Braden himself, although an historian of contemporary religion of
undoubted eminence and integrity, found himself greatly obstructed
by the Church in his preparation of _Christian Science Today_. The
board of the Mother Church refused access to archival materials and
made several attempts, directly and indirectly, to secure the right
to censorship. Braden also recounts that he had evidence of Christian
Scientists organising themselves into groups which would arrange to
borrow in continuous rotation, from libraries which stocked them,
materials deemed by the Church to be objectionable. This was in order
to prevent other readers gaining access to such works.
[to be continued -- parts 3-5 will deal with Scientology]
--
Ron Newman rne...@cybercom.net
Web: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/home.html