From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Mind Benders
The Mind Benders
The Mind Benders Attempted bans by Scientology
In the UK
In 1972, the Church of Scientology sued to prevent publi-
cation, claiming that as a condition of taking the Special
Briefing Course at Saint Hill, Vosper had agreed not to di-
vulge its content to anyone who wasn’t "Clear".[1] Lord
Denning dismissed the case, arguing that the material
was sufficiently dangerous for the public interest to over-
Book Cover, 1971 Edition, hard cover ride the confidentiality agreement.[1]
The hardback edition was rushed to print owing to
Author(s) Cyril Vosper the legal action. Vosper regarded the paperback — which
Country Great Britain was properly proofread and had an extra chapter on the
litigation — as the authoritative edition.[citation needed] (To
Language English
this day, the case Hubbard v. Vosper is a staple in many
Subject(s) Scientology classes studying copyright law)[2].
Vosper referenced the legal troubles that the 1971
Genre(s) non-fiction
edition of the book encountered, by titling the 1973 edi-
Publisher Neville Spearman Limited tion: The Mind Benders: The Book They Tried to Ban
Ban.
Publication date 1971
In Canada
Media type Hard Cover
The Church of Scientology of Canada attempted to ban
Pages 188 the book in libraries in Canada. In June 1974, libraries
were advised that if they do not remove the books: Scien-
ISBN 0-85435-061-6
tology: The Now Religion, Inside Scientology, The Scandal of
OCLC Number 215728 Scientology and The Mind Benders from their shelves, they
Dewey Decimal 131.3/5 would be named in a lawsuit[3]. Two different library
boards in Ontario, Canada had been served with writs[3].
LC Classification BP605.S2 V68 After obtaining out-of-court settlements of
USD$7,500 and USD$500 and apologies from the publish-
The Mind Benders was written by Cyril Vosper, a scientol- ers of two of the works (Dell Publishing and Tower Publi-
ogist of 14 years who had become disillusioned,[1] Pub- cations), Scientology further threatened to sue any li-
lished in 1971 (hardback, Neville Spearman, ISBN brary or bookstore that carried them[4]. After certain li-
0-85435-061-6) and reprinted in 1973 (softcover, braries in Canada refused to remove the books from their
Mayflower, ISBN 0-583-12249-3), it was the first book on shelves, they were sued by Scientology[4]. One Canadian
Scientology to be written by an ex-member and the first library reported the theft of a book critical of Scientology
critical book on Scientology to be published (narrowly from its shelves[4].
beating Inside Scientology by Robert Kaufman).[citation need- These incidents were later reported in a chronologi-
ed] It describes the lower levels of Scientology and its
cal timeline of censorship in British Columbia[5].
philosophy in detail (it does not go into the Operating
Thetan levels) and also includes the story of Vosper’s ex-
pulsion from the Church. References
The book was released as an electronic edition on [1] ^ Jenkins, Peter (1997), Counselling, Psychotherapy
the internet with the approval of Vosper by the old Cult and the Law, SAGE, ISBN 9780803979871
Awareness Network, in April 1996 and then again in Au- [2] Chapter 5 The US doctrine of ’fair use’ and the UK
gust 1997.[citation needed] ’fair dealing’ provisions, Copyright Law Review
Committee, August 23, 2004.
[3] ^ Libraries Face Libel Threat, Winnipeg Free Press, 27
June 1974
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Mind Benders
[4] ^ Anti-Scientology Books Targets of Lawsuits, The • Cyril Vosper interview, 3-RRR Liars’ Club,
Library Journal, November 1, 1974. 10am-11am Sun 03 Sep 1995 (transcript)
[5] Censorship in British Columbia, BCLA Intellectual • Researching New Religious Movements: Responses
Freedom Committee, 1970-1979., retrieved 2/28/07. and Redefinitions by Elisabeth Arweck, p. 114
(required Google login)
External links • Hubbard v. Vosper (1972) 2 QB 84 - seminal copyright
case
• The Mind Benders (complete book)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mind_Benders&oldid=445086862"
Categories:
• Books critical of Scientology
• 1971 books
• Cultural studies books
• 1971 in religion
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