Tom Cruise and Scientology
Tom Cruise may have taken a step back from Scientology, as he has reportedly stopped visiting the UK headquarters in East Grinstead for some time, sparking speculation that the controversial religion could be abandoned by the actor. According to the British Mirror, the Mission Impossible star has not been seen at the Sussex HQ for at least three years. Cruise, who has been living mainly in the UK lately for the filming of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, has been mostly spotted around Birmingham and Cotswolds.
The Beliefs of Scientology
Scientology is a movement, which became a global church, collecting and spreading since 1954 the set of beliefs and practices created by L. Ron Hubbard and based on his book Dianetics. The fundamental belief of the Church of Scientology is that a human being is an immortal and spiritual being – called thetan – who is only a resident in a physical body – so essentially men take “on loan”, but do not own, their own body. The thetan has also had innumerable past lives, some before his arrival on Earth. Scientology is defined as the study and management of the spirit in relation to itself, others and all life.
The Relationship Between Tom Cruise and Scientology
Tom, who is an ambassador of Scientology, is considered one of the highest profile members of the community. In the past, he has also tried to launch a campaign for the recognition of Scientology as a religion in Europe. Like him, there are also other stars who follow the religion: from John Travolta to Nancy Cartwright, to Elisabeth Moss. Already in 2021 there were rumors about the alleged “distance” of the actor from Scientology and the new rumors, according to which the Top Gun divo had been absent from one of their most famous British bases for the last three years, are now further fueling speculation about his relationship with the church. In an article published by a renowned magazine in 2015, on the occasion of the release of the documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief produced by Hbo, the author also investigated the relationship between Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, interviewing Mark “Marty” Rathbun, former member of the community, who for years had practiced in close proximity to the Hollywood star. To the question “Why doesn’t Tom Cruise leave Scientology?”, Rathbun answers: “Because after all these years Scientology has become a bigger mission than him. He doesn’t leave because Scientology is his life”. Are we sure it’s still like that?
