Will Scientology survive Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' divorce?

Will Scientology survive Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' divorce? - As the press delves into the religion's bizarre practices after the TomKat split, Scientology's most visible spokesman becomes its greatest liability

Amid allegations that it's a mind-controlling cult that extorts money from its members, rips families apart, and brainwashes children, Scientology, the mysterious 12 million-strong religion founded by sci-fi author L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, has long relied on Tom Cruise and other celebrity members to maintain a veneer of respectability. Over the years, Scientology has tried to squelch negative press reports through costly lawsuits, and to play down its more bizarre aspects, such as the creation myth that Earth was founded by an intergalactic warlord named Xenu some 75 million years ago. However, Cruise's recent divorce from Katie Holmes, along with reports that Holmes feared Scientology's effect on their child Suri, has ramped up scrutiny of the church. Given new reports of abuse and mass defections, church watchers say the Cruise-Holmes split is a crippling public-relations blow to Scientology. Can it survive the end of TomKat?

Tom Cruise: His divorce from Katie Holmes has triggered new allegations of abuse within the Church of Scientology. Photo: Florian Seefried/Getty Images

Scientology's image is crumbling:

Cruise and other celebrities have allowed Scientology to "gain mainstream acceptance," but "the bright light of celebrity can cut both ways," says Robert Marchant at New York's The Journal News. The Cruise-Holmes divorce has put the religion under klieg lights, and people who have left the church have become bolder in speaking out about its allegedly cruel abuses. Scientology's "cultivated public image — carefully crafted through websites, videos, discreet celebrity endorsements, and visitor centers around the country" — is facing its greatest challenge.

Cruise has become Scientology's greatest threat:

Scientology "is the central story line to the TomKat story," with Holmes cast as the naive princess "who falls in with dark forces, is held hostage in her gilded cage, and then, after carefully planning her escape, makes a break for freedom," says Richard Rushfield at New York. After the divorce and the airing of Holmes' concerns for Suri, "it will be a very long time before anyone on the outside sees Scientology as just another harmless fad celebrity preoccupation again." Ironically, Cruise, the loudest and proudest of Scientology's celebrity spokesmen, is now perceived as "either a brainwashed dope or a controlling Church henchman." Scientology's golden boy could end up "sinking its ship."

But Scientology will always have its appeal:

Scientology may be "effing crazy," but like any cult it will always appeal to certain people, says Alexis Rhiannon at Crushable. Scientology claims its teachings can "maximize your potential, increase your intelligence, streamline your talent, and most importantly — give you control of your life." It's no surprise Cruise fell for it: The pitch is perfect for Hollywood, where "people every day for years and years will tell you 'no,' and you have to continue to believe 'yes.'" And the message will continue to resonate for people in the future, too. ( theweek.com )


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Tom Cruise attorney threatens National Enquirer with lawsuit

Tom Cruise attorney threatens National Enquirer with lawsuit - Tom Cruise's attorney has threatened the parent company of the National Enquirer with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over a new issue asserting it has details of the actor's recent split with wife Katie Holmes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Hollywood Reporter on its website posted a letter from Cruise's Los Angeles attorney, Bert Fields, in which he blasts American Media Inc, parent of the Enquirer, for what he calls "false and vicious lies" he says will cause "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages to Cruise.

Actor Tom Cruise and his wife, actress Katie Holmes, arrive at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, California February 26, 2012. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

"As you were notified in advance, your current issue of National Enquirer makes numerous false and defamatory assertions about our client Tom Cruise," the three-page letter begins.

The letter draws attention to disparaging descriptions of Cruise in the Enquirer's issue that hit newsstands on Wednesday, with Fields writing, "These are all lies - vicious, hurtful, damaging lies."

Fields did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment late on Wednesday and a representative for American Media could not be reached.

Cruise and Holmes have been the subject of hundreds of headlines worldwide since she filed for divorce from the "Mission: Impossible" movie star two weeks ago, seeking sole custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Suri.

Earlier this week, the couple agreed to a divorce and custody arrangement, but details were undisclosed. Both have remained publicly silent about the issue, except for one joint statement in which they said they were working together to settle their differences in the best interest of Suri.

Speculation about a reason for the split has centered on Cruise's membership in the Church of Scientology, but that has never been confirmed by either the couple or their representatives. (Reuters)


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Suri Was ‘Born With’ Style Sense

Tom Cruise: Suri Was ‘Born With’ Style Sense - Some parents cultivate their kids' musical talent by getting them into piano or violin lessons at an early age. Others put their offspring on the baseball or soccer field as soon as they can walk, to work on bringing out that athletic ability. Mega-celebs Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, however, have decided that their daughter, 5-year-old Suri Cruise, is bound to be a future fashionista.

"Katie has her create things and sew and stuff like that. It's kind of amazing," Cruise told Us Weekly at Monday night's "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" premiere in New York City. "It's beautiful. It's really beautiful."

Despite the fact that the little girl looks like she's stepped off a pint-size runway every time she's spotted in public -- donning darling dresses, faux fur jackets, legging ensembles, ballet flats, and sheepskin boots -- Papa Cruise insists the fashionable pieces are all Suri's own picks and that the littlest Cruise "dresses herself."

Tom Meinelt-Jason Winslow/Splash

"She was just born that way. I don't know what to say," Cruise continued. "She really creates her own outfits."

And there are benefits to being the parents of a budding style star, the actor told Celebuzz at the same premiere: "She even tells Katie and I what we should wear." ( Goddess )

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