Yikes! That sounds like our personal hell!
Marc Headley left Scientology after being involved for 15 years and is publishing a tell-all book called Blown for Good about the bizarre religion and he talks about Tom Cruise's supreme influence on its members.
Those working at the Scientology compound in Gilman Hot Springs, California are not allowed to watch television or read newspapers, but apparently they were gathered at different times to view clips of Scientology poster-child Tom Cruise!
Headley explains the strange ritual:
"Everyone there thought Tom Cruise was just brilliant. Absolutely all the employees looked up to him. They think he is an exhilaration, which is very high up on what they call the 'tone scale'. People who work within the organization were not given access to newspapers or television shows. The only thing we knew was what we were told or shown.
"At the International Headquarters they would record any appearances on TV shows or even mentions of Tom Cruise, or little stories they heard about him. Then they would re edit them and cut them together into a five or ten minute video of all the snippets of him on TV. But it was never the full interview or story.
"For example the actual footage might have said; 'Scientologist Tom Cruise, the biggest movie star in the world, acts like a crazy person on Oprah.' But what we saw was 'Tom Cruise, the biggest movie star in the world.' Then it would cut to the next thing."
That sounds so shady!
After Headley left the compound it was then he saw what the world was really saying about Tom Cruise and Scientology in general and he began to question the religion and their "propaganda:"
"I just knew he was a superstar who talked about Scientology everywhere he went and encouraged people to join. I thought everyone was embracing Scientology and that millions of people were joining because of him. But somehow just before I got out I happened to see a few episodes of Conan O'Brien and he was making fun of Tom Cruise and the church.
I had only been shown the good. I had never been exposed to anything else. But it got me thinking that if jokes are being made and people are laughing at them then not everyone thinks Scientology is so great. They don't think Tom Cruise is awesome, they think he is a freak show."
Well can you blame us? With the Oprah couch incident, the highly-publicized battle with Brooke Shields and the famous sound bite of "you're glib!" to Matt Lauer?!
Headley also talks about what it entails to leave Scientology, using Tom Cruise's family as an example including ex-wife Nicole Kidman:
"If you want to leave Scientology and publicly announce it, then you run a high risk of being branded a suppressant person. You will not be able to speak to your mother or your children or you family members again if they are still part of Scientology. If you leave and you say, 'I don't want to do this and I don't want to be here then you are punished.' You are threatened with physical and physiological harm…
"Nicole did attempt Scientology but she walked away from it. But she has never spoken about that. There are a lot of people still today who are quote on quote, 'still in Scientology'. They may not like what is happening in Scientology but they will play along for fear they would suffer the disconnection.
"If Connor or Isabella [Tom and Nicole's kids] said, 'I don't want to do anything in Scientology anymore' and didn't speak out or say its crazy then they would be fine.
"But as soon as they say 'I don't want to do it anymore and I don't believe in it' and they make that fact known publicly then they stand a strong chance of being branded a suppressant person. If that were to happen, then they are living with Nicole."
That is effed up!
The more people speak out about their experiences in Scientology, the more creeped out we get!
Somebody save Suri!
[Image via WENN.]
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