The Scandal of Scientology
Encyclopedia
The Scandal of Scientology is a critical exposé book about the Church of Scientology
, written by Paulette Cooper
and published by Tower Publications, in 1971.
In 2007, Cooper wrote about the events that occurred as a result of her original publication of an article called "The Scandal of Scientology" in Queen
, in 1968. In the article "The Scandal of the Scandal of Scientology," in Byline, Cooper commented on her motivation for writing the book: "I had a master's degree in psychology and had studied comparative religion
at Harvard for a summer and what I learned during my research about the group founded by L. Ron Hubbard was both fascinating and frightening. The story cried out to be told."
, the goal of which was to deter Cooper from criticism of Scientology by having her "incarcerated in a mental institution or jail
or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks". Members of the church sent itself forged bomb threats, purportedly from Cooper, using her typewriter and paper with her fingerprints on it; further plans included bomb threats to be sent to Henry Kissinger
. The Church's campaign was discovered when the FBI
raided Scientology offices in 1977 and recovered documents relating to the operation.
In June 2007 Paulette Cooper wrote about her experience with the Church of Scientology and Operation Freakout from "beginning to end" for the first time.
. In June 1974, libraries were advised that if they do not remove the books Scientology: The Now Religion
, Inside Scientology
, The Scandal of Scientology and The Mind Benders
from their shelves, they would be named in a lawsuit. Two different library boards in Ontario, Canada had been served with writs.
After obtaining out-of-court settlements of USD$7,500 and USD$500 and apologies from the publishers of two of the works (Dell Publishing and Tower Publications), Scientology further threatened to sue any library or bookstore that carried them. After certain libraries in Canada refused to remove the books from their shelves, they were sued by Scientology. One Canadian library reported the theft of a book critical of Scientology from its shelves.
These incidents were later reported in a chronological timeline of censorship
in British Columbia
.
described Cooper's work as a "scathing" look at Scientology. The Charleston Gazette called the book: "a fascinating, 220-page paperback expose."
The book was used as a reference in Jon Atack's later work, A Piece of Blue Sky
. Atack wrote: "I happened upon the hard-to-find Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper. Now I was fascinated, and started collecting everything I could get my eager hands on — magazine articles, newspaper clippings, government files, anything." Later, when A Piece of Blue Sky was dropped from Amazon.com
listings in a controversial move, this was compared to court actions that initially limited distribution of The Scandal of Scientology.
J. Gordon Melton
recommended reading both Cooper's book and the church's refutation, False Report Correction/The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper, for "insight" into the Scientology controversy in his 1978 work, The Encyclopedia of American Religions.
Full-text sites
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
, written by Paulette Cooper
Paulette Cooper
Paulette Marcia Cooper is an American author who is best known for activism against the Church of Scientology and the harassment she suffered as a result. Cooper's books have sold close to a half a million copies.-Early life:...
and published by Tower Publications, in 1971.
In 2007, Cooper wrote about the events that occurred as a result of her original publication of an article called "The Scandal of Scientology" in Queen
Queen (magazine)
Queen magazine was a British society publication established by Samuel Beeton in 1861. In 1958, the magazine was sold to Jocelyn Stevens, who dropped the prefix "The" and used it as his vehicle to represent the younger side of the British Establishment, sometimes referred to as the "Chelsea Set"...
, in 1968. In the article "The Scandal of the Scandal of Scientology," in Byline, Cooper commented on her motivation for writing the book: "I had a master's degree in psychology and had studied comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
at Harvard for a summer and what I learned during my research about the group founded by L. Ron Hubbard was both fascinating and frightening. The story cried out to be told."
Operation Freakout
The book earned Cooper negative attention from members of the Church, and she was subsequently the target not only of litigation but a harassment campaign known as Operation FreakoutOperation Freakout
Operation Freakout, also known as Operation PC Freakout, was a Church of Scientology covert plan intended to have the US author and journalist Paulette Cooper imprisoned or committed to a mental institution...
, the goal of which was to deter Cooper from criticism of Scientology by having her "incarcerated in a mental institution or jail
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks". Members of the church sent itself forged bomb threats, purportedly from Cooper, using her typewriter and paper with her fingerprints on it; further plans included bomb threats to be sent to Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
. The Church's campaign was discovered when the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
raided Scientology offices in 1977 and recovered documents relating to the operation.
In June 2007 Paulette Cooper wrote about her experience with the Church of Scientology and Operation Freakout from "beginning to end" for the first time.
Attempt to remove book from libraries
The Church of Scientology of Canada attempted to suppress the book in libraries in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In June 1974, libraries were advised that if they do not remove the books Scientology: The Now Religion
Scientology: The Now Religion
Scientology: The Now Religion is a non-fiction book on Scientology, written by George Malko. The book was the first full length analysis of the history surrounding the founding of the Church of Scientology, and L. Ron Hubbard. The author conducted interviews with members, and provides analysis...
, Inside Scientology
Inside Scientology
The book should not be confused with the February 2006 Rolling Stone article, .Inside Scientology: How I Joined Scientology and Became Superhuman is a non-fiction book that takes a critical look at the Church of Scientology. It was written by Robert Kaufman, and published in 1972 by Olympia Press....
, The Scandal of Scientology and The Mind Benders
The Mind Benders
The Mind Benders was written by Cyril Vosper, a scientologist of 14 years who had become disillusioned, Published in 1971 and reprinted in 1973 , it was the first book on Scientology to be written by an ex-member and the first critical book on Scientology to be published The Mind Benders was...
from their shelves, they would be named in a lawsuit. Two different library boards in Ontario, Canada had been served with writs.
After obtaining out-of-court settlements of USD$7,500 and USD$500 and apologies from the publishers of two of the works (Dell Publishing and Tower Publications), Scientology further threatened to sue any library or bookstore that carried them. After certain libraries in Canada refused to remove the books from their shelves, they were sued by Scientology. One Canadian library reported the theft of a book critical of Scientology from its shelves.
These incidents were later reported in a chronological timeline of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Reception, use in other works
The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
described Cooper's work as a "scathing" look at Scientology. The Charleston Gazette called the book: "a fascinating, 220-page paperback expose."
The book was used as a reference in Jon Atack's later work, A Piece of Blue Sky
A Piece of Blue Sky
A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed, published in 1990, is an examination from a critical perspective by former British Scientologist Jon Atack of the history of L. Ron Hubbard and the development of Dianetics and the Church of Scientology...
. Atack wrote: "I happened upon the hard-to-find Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper. Now I was fascinated, and started collecting everything I could get my eager hands on — magazine articles, newspaper clippings, government files, anything." Later, when A Piece of Blue Sky was dropped from Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
listings in a controversial move, this was compared to court actions that initially limited distribution of The Scandal of Scientology.
J. Gordon Melton
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
recommended reading both Cooper's book and the church's refutation, False Report Correction/The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper, for "insight" into the Scientology controversy in his 1978 work, The Encyclopedia of American Religions.
External links
Paulette CooperFull-text sites
- FACTnet, Fight Against Coercive Tactics NetworkFight Against Coercive Tactics NetworkFight Against Coercive Tactics Network, also known as FACTNet, co-founded by Robert Penny and Lawrence Wollersheim, is a Colorado-based organization committed to educating and facilitating communication about destructive mind control...
- www.cs.cmu.edu, David Touretzky, Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
See also
- Ronald DeWolfRonald DeWolfRonald Edward DeWolf , born Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr., also known as "Nibs" Hubbard, was the eldest child of Scientology founder L...