Professor says Scientology church tried to isolate him
A professor of sociology who has written books and articles critical
of the Church of Scientology and other organisations told the High
Court yesterday the church was attempting to isolate him within the
academic community.
Prof Stephen Kent, who is based in Canada, made the claim in the
ongoing action for damages by Ms Mary Johnston (40), who operates a
sports equipment centre at Westwood, Foxrock, Dublin, and who is a
former member of the church.
She has sued the church and three members of its Dublin mission - Mr
John Keane, Mr Tom Cunningham and Mr Gerard Ryan - for alleged
conspiracy, misrepresentation and breach of constitutional rights.
Yesterday, during resumed cross-examination of Prof Kent, Mr Michael
Collins SC, for the defendants, referred to articles written by a
number of sociologists, psychologists and others dealing with the
concepts of brainwashing and coercive persuasion.
Mr Collins suggested the conclusions of some of these writers were at
variance with those of Prof Kent, particularly regarding the
professor's view that a person's free will can be overborne by certain
coercive persuasion techniques to such an extent they may undergo a
significant personality change and truly convert to whatever ideology
it may be sought to persuade them of.
Prof Kent agreed there were some differences between his views and
those of some writers referred to but said he was in broad agreement
with them on many issues. He said one expert had not referred to
religion in discussing coercive persuasion and he believed it was
vital to factor in that people are motivated for purposive rewards.
He agreed the term brainwashing can be used in two different senses,
involving an element of physical force and no such physical element.
He accepted that one expert appeared to be saying that brainwashing
did not produce a true change in a subject to the extent that person
genuinely came to believe in the ideology they were being coerced to
espouse. Much depended on the nature of the study population and how
free will was defined.
He also believed there were coercive persuasion techniques capable of
truly changing a person's psychiatric status but added he would not
necessarily put a time frame on this.
Mr Collins said one recognised expert had described as a myth the
theory that certain techniques could result in a person's psychiatric
status being transformed from normal to pathological. Prof Kent said
he believed there could be a change in psychiatric status as a result
of coercive persuasion. He agreed hypnosis could be a factor but said
there were other factors.
He had not taken a stand on the broader question of brainwashing
techniques being applied to get people into cults as opposed to
retaining them in such groups.
He was aware of situations which seemed to indicate the use of
brainwashing techniques to get people into certain programmes. There
were extreme cases where people could not leave cults and the cost was
their lives, such as the mass suicide of followers of the Rev Jim
Jones at Guyana, he said.
At one point, Prof Kent told Mr Justice Peart the defendants had put
in a critique of his work in an attempt to isolate him in the academic
community.
Mr Collins said Prof Kent had responded to that critique and he was
indicating, in referring to certain articles, was that the professor
has been the subject of criticism by reputed scholars.
Mr Collins said he had not explored the matter of whether that
criticism was justified.
The hearing continues today.
Source: Irish Times
Publication date: 2003-03-06
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