Tom Cruise YouTube Video Touches on Scientology

The basic tenets of Scientology are simple: man is basically good and spiritual salvation depends on the individual, his or her relationship to others, and attaining a symbiosis with the universe. Scientology proposes that man is a spiritual being whose existence does not end with one life but continues on and that he is blessed with abilities beyond what he believes. The ultimate goal of Scientology is "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights." A bit naïve, perhaps, but still a worthwhile and very impressive aim.

Scientology is often referred to as a cult. Many religions espouse similar fundamentals truths, attract a wide and diverse following, but are not assumed to be a cult. Any religion--Christianity, Muslim, Taoism, Druid-can become a cult in the hands of the wrong person. David Koresh and the eighty-two ill-fated members of his cult, whom he referred to as students of the Seven Seals, were members of the Branch Davidians, themselves a cult who originated under the umbrella of the Seventh Day Adventists. The People's Temple, under Jim Jones' leadership, took its roots from the Protestant doctrine. The fact that Scientology is endorsed by prominent public figures (John Travolta, Priscilla Presley, Giovanni Ribisi, Jason Lee, Katie Holmes, Rob Thomas to name but a few) seems to make the organization a target for criticism and labeling.

Of course, possibly it's most prominent proponent, Tom Cruise, makes criticizing the group almost too easy. Opponents of any organization or cause will always use the most extreme cases or members to justify their dissension and Tom is nothing if not extreme. Watch the recent interview that was removed from You Tube.

It is incredibly easy to see why leaders of the religion wouldn't want prospective members to see this video. Hysterical, nigh maniacal laughter, zealous, pointed stares, disjointed thoughts and garbled sentences: the interview does nothing to entice interest beyond that of a innocent bystander who wants to look away from the scene of a horrific crash but finds it impossible to do so. Simply the arrogance in Tom's mannerisms and statements served to irritate even an open minded viewer like myself. ""Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident... you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help." EMTs and policemen and rescue workers, of course, would be pointless in the face of Tom's help. "We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions... we can rehabilitate criminals." Great! Do it. Forget hospitals and universities and the Peace Corps. Tom Cruise can do it all! Get started. And finally, my personal favorite: "Being a Scientologist, people are turning to you, so you better know it, you better know it and if you don't, go and learn it, but don't pretend you know it. It's like we're here to help." What?

I opened the video with an open mind, long being a fan of the man's movies, and regarded Scientology as an interesting concept. I browsed information on the history of the religion and read some of L. Ron Hubbard's documents. I was honestly interested in learning more. And then I saw the video clip and heard statements such as, "So it's our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. We have that responsibility to say, 'Hey, this is the way it should be done because we do it this way and people are actually getting better'" or "I want to know that I've done everything I could everyday, and I think about those people out there who are depending on us. I think about that and it does make me feel that we've got more work. I need more help, get those spectators either in the playing field or out of the arena. Really, that's how I feel about it" and changed my mind. Maybe after the echoes of that howler-monkey laugh have faded from my eardrums and the image of that over-wide, hyena fervent grin are no longer burned on my retinas I can go back to reading about the concepts and basis of Scientology. But not right now.

Sources:

VIDEO: Tom Cruise: "It's a Privilege to Call Yourself a Scientologist", http://www.usmagazine.com/tom_cruise_its_a_privilege_to_call_yourself_a_scientologist

Scientology, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology