Posted on 07/10/2005 3:46:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Tom Cruise's end-zone dance on the Oprah show and his scolding of Matt Lauer may have startled viewers, but it surely came as no surprise to his fellow Scientologists.
They had seen this side of Tom Cruise before.
Last October, in a recorded speech simulcast live to Scientology audiences around the world, Cruise passionately exhorted Scientologists to promote church programs and the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.
To those not fully committed, he hotly said: Step it up or get out!
Don't ask permission to help others, he said. Just do it. As Scientologists, he said, you have a special "tech" that works.
He blasted psychiatry and the use of psychiatric drugs in the same biting tone the world saw on the Today show.
The video was shown at the annual convention of the International Association of Scientologists in Britain before Cruise was awarded a Medal of Valor by the church's worldwide leader, David Miscavige. It later was made part of an exhibit on Scientology in the church's Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, where a St. Petersburg Times reporter viewed it weeks ago.
Now that Cruise has emerged as Scientology's cheerleader, with his behavior sparking comment worldwide, church officials declined last week to release a copy to the Times or allow a reporter to re-view it.
Church leaders were quick, however, to praise Cruise for speaking out. And they clearly welcomed the media attention he has generated.
So what, if anything, does the Church of Scientology get from all this attention?
And does Cruise's behavior in October suggest his recent public displays were orchestrated to raise Scientology's profile?
No question, Scientology has gotten a public relations bonanza from the Cruise coverage, said J. Gordon Melton, adjunct professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an expert on new religions.
"I think a major goal of the church right now is solidifying the image they are just another church," he said. "They are trying to slough off that cult image, of a religion that does weird things."
Media attention - even if Cruise's behavior comes off as peculiar - meets that goal.
"For Scientology, they have gotten some of the best publicity they could have," said Melton, who lectured Thursday at the University of South Florida. Coverage has been much more mild and matter-of-fact than the church would have received 10 years ago, he said.
But Melton doesn't believe the church orchestrated the events. It's more likely, he said, Cruise's people cooked it up as a way to promote his summer movie War of the Worlds.
"I think it got out of hand," Melton said. "They (Cruise's team) lost control of it along the way. But overall, it served their purposes . . . His movie was No. 1 this week."
That the church also got some publicity was a side benefit, Melton says
The church got 2.5-million different visitors to its Web site over the four weeks Cruise was making headlines, said Ben Shaw, spokesman for the church at its spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. That's 10 times as many hits as the site got during the same period last year. Sales of Scientology publications worldwide also increased, Shaw said, from 10,500 books a week to about 14,000.
Shaw's office has been inundated with media inquiries and requests for interviews.
Shaw praised Cruise for sparking discussion of psychiatry and the use of psychiatric drugs, both of which the church vehemently opposes.
"I think it's great, personally," Shaw said of Cruise's outspokenness. "I think it has put an important issue in the forefront (of the world's attention)."
But Shaw doesn't think it will translate to a spike in church membership. Gains in Scientology membership worldwide "come from word-of-mouth, not from media, necessarily," he said.
Melton agrees.
"Ten years down the road, I don't think we're going to find the blip where this means anything for the church," he said. "The only thing it has an effect on is the overall image. They (Scientologists) think how this affects their image in France and Germany and Italy and Spain and Russia, where the church is growing. They think in terms of how this plays in different countries.
"Religions have a saturation level," Melton said. "If you give a religion free rein, they can only get so many members. New members join and others drop out. In America, they (the Church of Scientology) may have reached that saturation rate."
But a celebrity can be a powerful ally.
That's especially true in America when celebrities embrace religions, said USF religious studies professor Dell deChant. One powerful example is the attention paid to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in the prime of his boxing career.
Scientology has dedicated celebrity centers where movie stars, musicians and other artists can practice without being bothered by the public.
For a segment of society, deChant said, celebrity endorsements carry weight.
"In the United States, you have power as a celebrity. People listen to what you say," said deChant, who has toured Scientology facilities in Los Angeles, including its Celebrity Center.
What's interesting, Melton said, is that Cruise's outspoken attitude about Scientology is a recent phenomenon. Although a Scientologist for about 20 years, Cruise had been reluctant to talk publicly about it.
"Of all the celebrities Scientology has, only four or five are upfront and outspoken about it," Melton said, pointing to Isaac Hayes, Chick Corea, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.
Cruise has clearly joined those ranks.
"He's suddenly come out of the woodwork," Melton said. "It may be for Cruise, it starts with that award."
I wonder if L Ron's vision was this nutty worldwide cult, or if people who came after him are the *main* cause for its spread
But if you decide to get out, don't be surprised if you are slandered, sued, harrassed and subjected to false "anonymous" charges to the police and the IRS. Remind me again: WHY was this cult given tax-exempt religious status by Clinton's IRS commissioner? Oh yeah, now I remember: we were never told why.
-- I have some links regarding this cult ( yes, I call 'em like I see 'em... ) here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430340/posts?page=55#55
How many will imitate him we can't know, but the damage to those souls will be eternal.
Pray for Tom.
I keep thinking this is a big joke put upon all these celebs by a 50's Scifi author. (L Ron was never in the class of Asimov).
Why would anyone with more than a GED diploma pay any attention to what a Tom Cruise or his ilk has to say about anything. These people are paid to act. I doubt they would be getting paid at all if they were being paid to think!
Cruise is an actor period. Like all the other actors I care not for anything that comes out of his head other then watching his work.
Empty heads of mush that give a hoot what any actor or actress thinks is shallow and pathetic.
This episode has been a complete disaster for Scientology. Their "Xenu" story has finally seen the light of day and there's no putting the genie back in the bottle. More and more news and talk outlets are doing critical stories on Scientology and all the lawyers in the world can't stop it.
One lawyer they have is Greta VanSusteren of Fox. She never mentions the cult on her show.
This sounds like SPIN worthy of James Carville the Clinton crowd.
I saw a short clip of Tom on Oprah. Maybe it was out of context, but he looked like he was on something far stronger that a dozen cups of coffee.
I agree with Tom Cruise on the dangers of drugs that doctors prescribe for you. I was forced to take the Drug Depakote and I had brutal side effects.
This society is over drugged. Follow the money trail between the insurance companies, doctors, and big pharma.
Those drugs didn't make me better they made we worse.
The city of Clearwater is being sucked dry as the Scientologists are buying up prime real estate there making them tax exempt.
I can see why Scientologists are against Pschiatry, anyone who joins needs to go see one.
Tom Cruise is a sawed off little snot with little talent , but looks that women go nuts over. He couldnt carry John Waynes jock strap. Wait until the glamor boy roles are gone and he has to play older male parts. Yesterdays stars went on for years even as older men . When that time comes Cruise will wish he had saved some of that money he hands over to his "Church".
L. Ron was a con artist and he's duped a lot of dopes.
Cruise is either a con artist or a dope.
Bump!
Cruise-control. You have to pay extra for it. It doesn't come standard.
"Cruisinetics"
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