In addition to his successful film career, Hollywood star Tom Cruise is also well-known as a member of Scientology, or the Church of Scientology. Some of his controversial statements include claiming that psychology and psychiatry are pseudosciences and that people can train themselves to use telekinesis to move objects with their minds.
The “Crazy” Claims
Scientology, or the Church of Scientology, was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986) in the 1950s. The initial idea stemmed from the concept of “Dianetics”, which can be understood as a philosophy where followers believe they can connect with their soul and understand the world around them.
The philosophy of Scientology can be summarized as follows: Humans and their awareness are central to understanding and reacting to the world, ultimately leading them to a state of “clear” or purity.
Scientology is derived from two words: “scio,” meaning “knowledge, awareness, distinction” in Latin, and “logos,” meaning “study, reasoning” in Greek. Hubbard defined the teachings of Scientology as a type of science because both the scientist and the Scientologist strive for greater understanding, with the ultimate goal being to achieve “clarity” or “clear” status.
Scientology heavily criticizes psychiatrists and psychologists, with founder L. Ron Hubbard declaring that “Dianetics” is the cure for most mental illnesses. He also stated that “psychiatrists” are responsible for the world’s greatest atrocities, even likening them to figures like Adolf Hitler, who used psychiatry as a tool of political oppression.
Tom Cruise and Scientology
Actor Tom Cruise embraced Scientology in 1990 after encouragement from his first wife Mimi Rogers. Initially, he stated that Hubbard’s teachings helped him overcome his dyslexia but gradually became a devoted follower and openly discussed his commitment to Scientology.
In fact, in 2005, Cruise actively campaigned for Scientology to be officially recognized as a religion in Europe. That same year, Cruise repeatedly publicly claimed that “psychology is a pseudoscience”, sparking outrage among psychologists and psychiatrists worldwide.
For example, in an interview with Matt Lauer, Cruise stated that there was “no chemical imbalance in the body” and insisted that “antidepressants don’t work”.
As a result, the American Psychiatric Association criticized Tom Cruise for being “irresponsible” and using his movie fame to push his personal beliefs while preventing people with mental health issues from receiving proper care.
Rumors and Telekinesis
Remarkably, in 2012, American media buzzed with rumors that Tom Cruise, after nearly 30 years of practicing Scientology, had developed powerful psychic abilities. This suggested that Cruise could move objects with his mind or read people’s thoughts through telepathy. However, this was not true.
Three Divorces… Because of the Religion
Cruise’s strong belief in Scientology also affected his romantic life and marriages. In 2004, “The Church” reportedly launched a project to find a wife for Tom Cruise, during auditions for Cruise’s new film, actresses already involved in Scientology were asked a series of strange questions, such as “What do you think about Tom Cruise?”
Eventually, Iranian-American actress Nazanin Boniadi was selected for an important “mission”: to date Tom Cruise. Their relationship lasted from November 2004 to January 2005, after which Cruise and Nazanin couldn’t stand each other.
Later, Nazanin revealed to a friend details of her relationship with Cruise. As punishment for this, she was forced to “scrub toilets with a toothbrush, clean bathroom tiles with acid, and dig ditches in the middle of the night,” according to Vanity Fair.
Suri Cruise’s Connection
Cruise’s religious devotion also played a role in his third wife Katie Holmes filing for divorce in 2013. Specifically, Katie claimed she needed to divorce him to protect their daughter Suri Cruise from Scientology.
Cruise even believed that Suri was not his biological daughter. According to Scientology doctrine, children are simply vessels for the souls of past lives. If a child dies, it doesn’t mean their soul has ended, and they can reincarnate in a new body.
The Number 33 and the Divorce Connection
Interestingly, there is a theory that Scientology was the reason Cruise divorced all three of his wives when they were 33 years old. Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes were all 33 years old when they divorced him. But what does the number 33 mean? The Church of Scientology was first established in Phoenix, Arizona, which lies on the 33rd parallel.
Recent Years
Although he was once seen as a “cult fanatic”, in recent years, Tom Cruise seems less enthusiastic about Scientology. For instance, when he visited New Zealand in 2017, Cruise didn’t visit any Scientology centers in Auckland, which was unusual for him.
In the summer of 2021, while filming the latest Mission Impossible installment, Cruise showed no signs of visiting Scientology Churches in the country. Some speculated that the star had lost faith in Scientology due to COVID-19, as the church had stated that preventing the disease didn’t rely on vaccines.
