Tom Cruise fucking nutty.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/29/cruise.aliens.reut/index.html
Tom Cruise: We're not alone
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- Hollywood actor Tom Cruise not only battles creatures from outer space in his latest film "War of the Worlds", he also believes aliens exist, he told a German newspaper on Wednesday.
Asked in an interview with the tabloid daily Bild if he believed in aliens, Cruise said: "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?
"Millions of stars, and we're supposed to be the only living creatures? No, there are many things out there, we just don't know," Cruise, 42, said in the interview published in German.
Cruise is a follower of the Scientology church founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and his recent willingness to discuss the faith has raised eyebrows in the media.
Most controversially, Cruise criticized actress Brooke Shields for revealing she had taken antidepressants. An official Scientology Web site argues that people should live drug-free.
Cruise also dismissed psychiatry as a "pseudo science", invoking the ire of the American Psychiatric Association that called the remarks "irresponsible".
But many scientologists feel they are unfairly criticized, arguing that although many believe in the concept of aliens, it is not such an unreasonable proposition, and that the side effects of some medication are not fully understood.
Cruise's new film "War of the Worlds" is based on British writer H.G. Wells' 1898 story of the invasion of Earth by Martians.
So you're left wondering, what is scientology?
Good question.
http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/scientology/
I'll let you read the page, but here are a few choice cuts.
....As a matter of fact, the Church of Scientology is widely believed to be a dangerous cult. In recent years, the group has been officially banned or restricted by the nations of Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, and Australia.
....Another key differentiator between Scientology and other self-described religious organizations is how they treat their holy texts. They consider the works which articulate the source of their belief system to be trade secrets, and the organization employs a battalion of attorneys to protect their copyrights on that intellectual property. Which is to say, they're not exactly generous with the big answers.
.....Which brings us to the heart of the matter. Scientology isn't really a religion. At least, not primarily one. A cover story in Time magazine characterized the group this way:
Scientology poses as a religion but really is a ruthless global scam.
Which is something of an overstatement. Who's to say that Scientology is a phony church but the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons are genuine? But Time was correct in this sense: whereas the dogma of most cults originates with some form of alleged divine revelation, the core beliefs of Scientology grew out of the business venture launched by a conniving bullshit artist.
......Using the E-Meter, Scientologists unburden themselves of the Reactive Mind. Once you have successfully accomplished this feat, you are declared "Clear." After becoming a Clear, you now possess a genius IQ, as well as a perfect memory, ideal physical health, and an inability to cause accidents. At which point, you are enticed to progress beyond Clear, into the advanced levels ascribed to Operating Thetans. Hence, the first stage is called OT I, the second OT II, and so on up to OT IX. The spiritual path is called "The Bridge to Total Freedom." At each step of The Bridge, you will accumulate increasingly powerful and extraordinary gifts, including the power to fly, turn invisible, perform astral projection, control matter and energy with only your mind, telepathy, ESP, etc.
In other words, Operating Thetans are capable of violating physical laws of the universe. In ecclesiastical terms, they can work miracles just like Jesus Christ. In fact, according to Hubbard, Jesus was simply an ordinary mortal who had somehow managed to bring himself "a shade above Clear." So Scientologists are in good company. (Of course, LRH also claimed the King of Kings was a boy fucker. Maybe not such good company after all.)
.....But Fair Game doesn't just apply to their own members; the Church of Scientology has a long and storied history of antagonizing external critics using smear campaigns, physical threats, and overwhelming litigation. For historical reasons, Scientology's holds longstanding grudges against:
* blabbermouthed former Scientologists
* the Internet
o alt.religion.scientology
o http://www.xenu.net/
o http://www.scientology-kills.org/
* Psychiatry
* the American Medical Association
* the Internal Revenue Service
* the Pharmaceutical industry
Also, the Co$ has over the years established a pattern of outright hostility toward government institutions, members of the press, and skeptics of every stripe. In a legal suit, the appellate court noted that the church even made a point of attacking judges:
Declarations of former members and officials of the Church, Gerald Armstrong and Vicki Aznaran, revealed the practices and policies of the Church, including its "fair game" doctrine and employment of litigation practices designed "to bludgeon the opposition into submission," as well as attacks against judges who rule against it. The declaration of an attorney who had represented the Church (Joseph A. Yanny), submitted in an action brought by the Church against him and others, related aspects of the Church's "fair game" doctrine, including copies of exhibits to demonstrate "the Cult, according to written policy, will use any means legal or illegal to subvert and frustrate judicial process against them, and will willingly and knowingly abuse judicial process in order to attack perceived 'enemies.'"
-So there you have it, a super duper rich nutball church with less creditnals then the cathloic curch. Hard to do but somehow hollywood did it. Anyone involved in scientoloy is a fucking loon.
Tom Cruise: We're not alone
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- Hollywood actor Tom Cruise not only battles creatures from outer space in his latest film "War of the Worlds", he also believes aliens exist, he told a German newspaper on Wednesday.
Asked in an interview with the tabloid daily Bild if he believed in aliens, Cruise said: "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?
"Millions of stars, and we're supposed to be the only living creatures? No, there are many things out there, we just don't know," Cruise, 42, said in the interview published in German.
Cruise is a follower of the Scientology church founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and his recent willingness to discuss the faith has raised eyebrows in the media.
Most controversially, Cruise criticized actress Brooke Shields for revealing she had taken antidepressants. An official Scientology Web site argues that people should live drug-free.
Cruise also dismissed psychiatry as a "pseudo science", invoking the ire of the American Psychiatric Association that called the remarks "irresponsible".
But many scientologists feel they are unfairly criticized, arguing that although many believe in the concept of aliens, it is not such an unreasonable proposition, and that the side effects of some medication are not fully understood.
Cruise's new film "War of the Worlds" is based on British writer H.G. Wells' 1898 story of the invasion of Earth by Martians.
So you're left wondering, what is scientology?
Good question.
http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/scientology/
I'll let you read the page, but here are a few choice cuts.
....As a matter of fact, the Church of Scientology is widely believed to be a dangerous cult. In recent years, the group has been officially banned or restricted by the nations of Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, and Australia.
....Another key differentiator between Scientology and other self-described religious organizations is how they treat their holy texts. They consider the works which articulate the source of their belief system to be trade secrets, and the organization employs a battalion of attorneys to protect their copyrights on that intellectual property. Which is to say, they're not exactly generous with the big answers.
.....Which brings us to the heart of the matter. Scientology isn't really a religion. At least, not primarily one. A cover story in Time magazine characterized the group this way:
Scientology poses as a religion but really is a ruthless global scam.
Which is something of an overstatement. Who's to say that Scientology is a phony church but the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons are genuine? But Time was correct in this sense: whereas the dogma of most cults originates with some form of alleged divine revelation, the core beliefs of Scientology grew out of the business venture launched by a conniving bullshit artist.
......Using the E-Meter, Scientologists unburden themselves of the Reactive Mind. Once you have successfully accomplished this feat, you are declared "Clear." After becoming a Clear, you now possess a genius IQ, as well as a perfect memory, ideal physical health, and an inability to cause accidents. At which point, you are enticed to progress beyond Clear, into the advanced levels ascribed to Operating Thetans. Hence, the first stage is called OT I, the second OT II, and so on up to OT IX. The spiritual path is called "The Bridge to Total Freedom." At each step of The Bridge, you will accumulate increasingly powerful and extraordinary gifts, including the power to fly, turn invisible, perform astral projection, control matter and energy with only your mind, telepathy, ESP, etc.
In other words, Operating Thetans are capable of violating physical laws of the universe. In ecclesiastical terms, they can work miracles just like Jesus Christ. In fact, according to Hubbard, Jesus was simply an ordinary mortal who had somehow managed to bring himself "a shade above Clear." So Scientologists are in good company. (Of course, LRH also claimed the King of Kings was a boy fucker. Maybe not such good company after all.)
.....But Fair Game doesn't just apply to their own members; the Church of Scientology has a long and storied history of antagonizing external critics using smear campaigns, physical threats, and overwhelming litigation. For historical reasons, Scientology's holds longstanding grudges against:
* blabbermouthed former Scientologists
* the Internet
o alt.religion.scientology
o http://www.xenu.net/
o http://www.scientology-kills.org/
* Psychiatry
* the American Medical Association
* the Internal Revenue Service
* the Pharmaceutical industry
Also, the Co$ has over the years established a pattern of outright hostility toward government institutions, members of the press, and skeptics of every stripe. In a legal suit, the appellate court noted that the church even made a point of attacking judges:
Declarations of former members and officials of the Church, Gerald Armstrong and Vicki Aznaran, revealed the practices and policies of the Church, including its "fair game" doctrine and employment of litigation practices designed "to bludgeon the opposition into submission," as well as attacks against judges who rule against it. The declaration of an attorney who had represented the Church (Joseph A. Yanny), submitted in an action brought by the Church against him and others, related aspects of the Church's "fair game" doctrine, including copies of exhibits to demonstrate "the Cult, according to written policy, will use any means legal or illegal to subvert and frustrate judicial process against them, and will willingly and knowingly abuse judicial process in order to attack perceived 'enemies.'"
-So there you have it, a super duper rich nutball church with less creditnals then the cathloic curch. Hard to do but somehow hollywood did it. Anyone involved in scientoloy is a fucking loon.