Roy Wallis

Roy Wallis, (1945-1990 [ [http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Wallis.htm Content Pages of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Social Science ] ] ) was a sociologist and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at The Queen’s University of Belfast. He is mostly known for his creation of the seven signs that differentiate a religious congregation from a sectarian church, which he created while researching the Scientology church.

After publishing his book The Road to Total Freedom, an in-depth analysis of the sociology of Scientology, he was harassed by the church both legally and personally. [Roy Wallis's The Road to Total Freedom, page 218-219] [Roy Wallis (1977) "The Moral Career of the Research Project" in Colin Bell and Howard Newby (Eds) "Doing Sociological Research" London: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 0029023505] Forged letters, apparently from Wallis, were sent to his colleagues implicating him in various scandalous activities [Stewart Lamont (1986) "Religion Inc.: The Church of Scientology" London: Harrap. ISBN 0-245-54334-1. page 87] .

He introduced the distinction between "world-affirming" and "world-rejecting" new religious movements. [Bromley, David "NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS" in the "Encyclopedia of Religion and Society" edited by William H. Swatos, Jr. Editor [http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/NRM.htm] ]

Bibliography

*Roy Wallis (1976) "The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology" London: Heinemann. ISBN 0435829165. US edition published 1977 by Columbia University Press, ISBN 0231042000
*Roy Wallis (1984) "The Elementary Forms of the New Religious Life" London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. ISBN 0710098901

References

External links

* [http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/wallis/wallis1.txt Roy Wallis 1976, The Road to Total Freedom, A Sociological analysis of Scientology ("ISBN 0-231-04200-0")]
*http://www.dci.dk/?artikel=514
*http://www.dci.dk/?artikel=600
*http://www.dci.dk/en/?article=488