Or ask Kristen Veyshtieksntuusjtyeeuyrjnvazier or whatever the hell her last name is.












oh geez, that was rude of me.

the tom cruise vs. matt lauer thing is on msn's videos. GOSH! HE'S A FLIPPIN FRUITCAKE!

TRACY YOUR PICTURE IS IN THE DICTIONARY UNDER FRICKIN AWESOME. :D

see, i'm telling you guys, everytime something dies down, he does something else crazy to get back on the front page. Just recently... proposed in Paris... few days later got the water squirted at him... now he acted like a total idiot this morning. There's no such thing as bad PR in his camp. It's all perfectly strategized and timed

Good point, but bad press isn't necessarily helping his career.

Not hurting it either though. What person hasn't heard of the War of the Worlds movie now?

True, but what director would want to shoot a movie with Cruise after his erratic behavior? Also he's losing fans-after the Brooke Shield's mess you couldn't PAY ME to ever watch another of his movies. Does anyone else feel this way or am I just weird?

Or Batman Begins.

I guarantee this publicity...errrrr....love affair is over by the time both their movies hit DVD.

killarneyrose, my husband was a navy pilot and he and several of his squadron mates were(and still are) hot! and tom cruise ruined it all when he opened his mouth and gave interviews. what an arrogant s.o.b. he is. imho, too many actors and actresses get above themselves and feel that they can enlighten us(the ignorant, unwashed masses)on whatever they want to speak about. someone should get some duct tape and shut the boy up!

ps-and thank you for the snarkywood link. how hilarious!!

Did you ever see the episode of the Simpsons where Selma marries Troy McClure to boost his career and cover up his weird fish fetish? That is what comes to my mind when I think of the TC/KH relationship.

I have read quotes where Katie talks about how she used to have Tom Cruise posters on her wall when she was a kid and dreamed one day of marrying him. Kelly Preston said the exact same thing about John Travolta,yet another Scientologist. I have also heard rumors that the Nicolas Cage /Lisa Marie Presley ended because he wouldn't convert. The whole Scientology doctrine is just bizarre.

has anyone else commented on katie holmes escort on the european tour who is a scientology member? reminds me of old shows where someone falls prey to a cult and then the victim is always under the watchful eye of cult members. creepy!!

You are wierd lol.

His personal life doesn't effect his screen performance for me. And I am not a Tom Cruise fan.

Some of us are just keeping the remote a bit closer!

I didn't like this nutjob before, but he's giving a bad name to nutjobs!!

Yeah, but are people going to see it?

ITs a Spielgberg movie, with Tom Cruise. Its also a remake of a very famous story. ITs going o be the Top grossing movie of the weekend I am sure.

to add to what James said, it also had the biggest budget of any movie ever made.

This is a really good post.

I've onyl seen the previews, and am familiar with the story, but liked the movie the first time when it was Independence Day.

Have any of you ever seen a Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy movie called "Bowfinger"? It was out sometime around the turn of the century. Eddie Murphy is this huge movie star who doesn't make a move without consulting the leader of the scientology-like cult he's involved in. Oh, and he thinks aliens are coming to get him.

It's one of the most hilarious movies I have ever seen (but, sadly, I don't think many others saw it).

Hilarious movie..I saw it in the theater when it came out.

Scientology is odd. My mom used to work with them back when she was in the computer biz and sold them tons of computer equipment. She said they were very secretive and there were places in their compound type thing that you needed high security clearance to get in and access.

And the Tom and Katie thing, hey more power to them if they are really in love, but I think she's just a beard.

Yep! I mentioned that earlier in this thread. Tom has hired a full time female minder for Katie.

Definitely creepy.

I still want to see War of the Worlds, but that's because I am a Spielberg fan. I could care less that Tom Cruise is in it.

I'd love to boycott all things starring Scietology members, but that means I can't watch any of my shows anymore like "That '70s show" and "Fat Actress".

:D I LOVE IT!

L. Ron Hubbard is with the aliens now.

Who in That 70's Show is a Scientologist?

Oh and the LM Presley thing is so not true. I stole Nicolas Cage from her. :)

Its Danny Masterson (Hyde).

I think on the Today show tomorrow they are going to show Matt Lauer and Tom going at each other over the use of medication to treat psychological disorders. I've seen a clip of it and Tom looks tired and strung out.

I read a transcript and I could not believe it. To see that ignorant little moronic high school dropout pontificating to Matt about the use of anti depressants drugs just turned my stomach. If there were someone in need of said drugs it is certainly Tom.

Funny, My husband is in the shipping business and when we lived in Tampa he had to send a driver out to the Scientology Center in Clearwater. He said that when the driver came back he told my husband that he would NEVER do another delivery there again (very creepy, but don't have all the details).

The rumour in the paper this morning is that they are planning to start a family.

Certainly argeed that all religions can produce their loons and their exploiters.

Much depends on how one is using the word cult. Originally, it simply meant a religious practice, like the cult of Apollo. Today (according to Wikipedia, and I think it is probably on point here): In religion and sociology, a cult is a group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs and goals which may be contradictory to those held by the majority of society. Its marginal status may come about either due to its novel belief system or due to idiosyncratic practices that cause the surrounding culture to regard it as far outside the mainstream.

Some use a more restrictive definition, however. Again, per Wikipedia: In English-speaking countries since about the 1960s, especially in North America, the term cult has taken on a pejorative and sometimes offensive connotation. This largely originated with highly publicized cults which purportedly exploited their members psychologically and financially, or which allegedly utilized group-based persuasion and conversion techniques. These techniques may include "brainwashing," "thought reform," "love bombing," and "mind control" . . . . Due to the usually pejorative connotation of the word "cult", new religious movements (NRMs) and other purported cults often find the word highly offensive. Some purported cults have been known to insist that other similar groups are cults but that they themselves are not. On the other hand, some skeptics have questioned the distinction between a cult and a mainstream religion. They say that the only difference between a cult and a religion is that the latter is older and has more followers and, therefore, seems less controversial because society has become used to it.

By this second definition (involving emotional, intellectual or financial expoitation of members), I don't think the LDS Church can properly be called a cult. Scientology can.

In any event, "cult" is a loaded word that must be used carefully.

Didn't Christianity start as a cult?

-Rudey

Using the "classical" definition, Christianity certainly was a cult -- the cult of Christ (just as Judaism was the cult of YHWH). But classically speaking, cult and religion are basically synonymous.

Using the sociological definition I provided above, Christianity certainly could be called a cult in its first century -- "a group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs and goals which may be contradictory to those held by the majority of society. Its marginal status may come about either due to its novel belief system or due to idiosyncratic practices that cause the surrounding culture to regard it as far outside the mainstream." Using this definition, Rome would have considered both Christianity and Judaism as cults.

I know of no evidence that would make the use of the third definition (the narrow, perjorative definition sometimes used in North America that implies brainwashing and emotional or financial exploitation) appropriate with regard to early Christianity.

Again, "cult" has become a loaded word. It needs to be used carefully, and probably with some explanation of the meaning intended.

What time period is early Christianity?

I mean listen, if the majority of people were scientologists and scientology existed before other religions, there wouldn't even be a discussion of people saying they were a cult.

And religion defies logic and reasoning often. It is about faith.

I don't understand the Christians that go around healing people by touch and profiting strongly just as I don't understand how Scientologists believe there is an alien attached to every human guiding him. Y'all can believe whatever you want but religion is about faith and all too often, the exploitation of the masses and the opiate of the mind.

-Rudey

I don't consider those people Christians, I consider them charlatans (Benny Hinn et al).

Christian evangelists have one of the most booming "entertainment" industries. Everything from their own television programming to movies and more. This isn't a small sliver of the community.

That's not saying that anyone is a charlatan. It's saying that the money is there and boy, oh boy, is business booming.

-Rudey

I think probably anytime up to somwhere between 313 (the Edict of Milan) to around 382 (Theodotius' decree making Christianity the official, favored religion of the Roman Empire) would be considered the early Christianity.

Without question, very true.

This is one reason I have tried to avoid characterizing Scientology based on its beliefs and have instead focused on some of its practices, which do bear some hallmarks of a "cult," as used in the very narrow sense -- particularly, the degree of control it seems to exercise over its adherants and the methods used to instill and maintain that control.

Funny quote from Jimmy Kimmel:

Tom and Katie got engaged on Friday and, once again, the media somehow found out about it. If we promise to go see 'War of the Worlds,' will you please make this stop?

What's the name of the other guy that sells his "Holy Water" on the early morning religious infomercial? I think it's the same channel as Benny Hinn but I'm not sure. I just know I usually rise from bed to see some freak "healing people with the power of god" when he smashes them in the face and throws them to the ground!


I should try that, smash someone in the face and throw them to the ground and proclaim that I am healing them. Would it work?

It might, but you might want to find a few people to stand around and watch you do this. This way you can really claim you are a religious group and these people are your followers.

Was questioning of religion and its leaders encouraged and allowed in Christianity?

-Rudey