‘Do not dare speak of Scientology in France!’

Authors

  • Bernadette Rigal-Cellard Université Bordeaux Montaigne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.19163

Keywords:

secularism, anti-cult, France, Scientology

Abstract

In this article I contrast the ease with which I have always been able to study Scientology with the near impossibility to speak about my research in France unless it is to attack the Church, considered as the epitome of the dangerous tentacular cult. Any factual presentation of its origins and workings will be interpreted as a biased promotion of this dangerous ‘secte.’ I narrate a year-long attack by anti-cultists against my work and against CESNUR.

References

Aristégui, Marie-Claude. 2006. ‘Scientologie: ‘‘Je présente seulement les faits.’” Sud-Ouest. 23 November.

Bilan financier. 2014. Certificat administrative de paiement prevention, n° 00000447, Extrait du register des délibérations du Conseil municipal. Bordeaux.

Dericquebourg, Régis and Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, eds. 2017. Scientology in Scholarly Perspective. Proceedings of the International Conference 24–25 January 2014. Subsidia IV. Acta Comparanda. Wilrijk-Antwerpen: Faculty for Comparative Study of Religions and Humanism.

Infos RCF Bordeaux. 2007. ‘Infos sectes Aquitaine dénonce un colloque universitaire à Bordeaux III.” Le 07/06.

Rapport de l’Assemblée Nationale au nom de la commission d’enquête relative a l’influence des mouvements à caractère sectaire et aux conséquences de leurs pratiques sur la santé physique et mentale des mineurs. https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/pdf/rap-enq/r3507-rapport.pdf

Rigal-Cellard, Bernadette. 1981. ‘‘‘The Church of Scientology” ou la fabrication d’une religion américaine.’ Revue française d’études américaines 12(octobre): 235–246.

———. 2004. ‘SMI : Les missions de l›Église de Scientologie: vers une nouvelle religiosité?’ In Sectes, Églises, Mystiques : échanges, conquêtes, métamorphoses, edited by B. Rigal-Cellard, 283–314. Bordeaux: Pleine Page.

———. 2009. ‘SMI: Scientology Missions.’ In Scientology, edited by James Lewis, 325–334.. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

———. 2019. ‘The Visible Expansion of Scientology and its Actors.’ The Journal of CESNUR. Volume 3(1): 8–118.

Rouquette-Valeins, Hélène. 2007. ‘Les sectes dans l’amphi.’ Sud Ouest 4 June

Published

2021-03-05

How to Cite

Rigal-Cellard, B. (2021). ‘Do not dare speak of Scientology in France!’. Implicit Religion, 23(2), 182–192. https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.19163