Church of Scientology: News, Information, Events

ScienTOMogy.info is a web site dedicated to satire and criticism of Tom Cruise's actions, especially those on behalf of the Church of Scientology. Neither Cruise nor Scientology appear to be happy about this and the latter has sent threatening legal letters to the owner of the site, claiming that it represents a trademark infringement. I don't think that the law is on their side.

When people think about deaths resulting from religious beliefs that oppose modern medicine, they might first think about Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood products or Christian Scientists who object to much of modern medical practice. Where does Scientology come into this? Scientology objects to psychiatric medication and this may have led to murder in one case.

Back when Paramount was negotiating with Tom Cruise about the production of his third "Mission Impossible" film, the studio evidently wanted Cruise to take a major pay cut (studios have been pressuring big stars to take less money in general, I believe). Now there are reports that Scientology "muscle" tried to intimidate studio head Brad Grey. Doesn't that sound like something from a bad movie?

Nebraska has a law requiring newborns to get a blood test. This, apparently, is a problem for Scientologists who object to anything which distresses an infant an thereby creating negative engrams which will only have to be cleared out later. A Scientology couple challenged the law in court, but a federal judge ruled that the state's interest in medical testing was more important.

Not many people talk about it, but one of the facets of Scientology beliefs is that if a person progresses far enough through the high-priced training, then they can acquire incredible powers. The Church of Scientology doesn't talk much about this, but they are opening up a training program in Clearwater, Florida for people who can afford it.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been together for quite a few months now and they even have a baby together. Most people have probably assumed that they would get married (though whether the marriage would last is another question). Right now, though, there are indications that maybe they won't marry - and because Katie Holmes hasn't done well enough in learning about Scientology.

The Church of Scientology has, over the past few years, developed a very strong presence in Clearwater, Florida. Early on residents weren't too happy about this; more recently people seem to have at least resigned themselves to the change or even grown to appreciate it. Still, Scientology is controversial enough that at least some think they can make a political issue out of them.

Many people have expressed concern for Katie Holmes' relationship with Tom Cruise because they fear that her involvement with the Church of Scientology will do her more harm than good. There is some reasonable basis for this concern - she's been isolated from friends and family and is being heavily pressured to adapt to Cruise's religion.

The Church of Scientology has a reputation for being litigation-happy. The Church of Scientology sends legal letters to people who criticize Scientology or, even worse, reveal the beliefs which Scientology only tells members after they have become heavily invested - emotionally, psychologically, and financially - in the organization.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how two Scientologists, Bodhi Elfman and his wife, Jenna Elfman, freaked out over John Roecker's t-shirt which ridiculed Scientology. One of the things which Jenna Elfman did was to ask Roecker 'Have you raped a baby?' That's an incredibly bizarre question, but as it turns out this is something which Scientologists ask.

John Roecker, a film director, has a home-made t-shirt criticizing Scientology: one side shows Tom Cruise with the words "Scientology is Gay;" the other sides shows John Travolta with the words "Very Gay!" This outraged Bodhi Elfman and his wife, Jenna Elfman, both Scientologists.

So, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have had their first child, a girl they've named Suri but which the media has dubbed TomKitten. Before the birth, it was reported that Tom Cruise was determined to eat the placenta - a practice common in some cultures but which is a bit odd in America.

The Church of Scientology is as much of an opponent of mental health care in the medical field as conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists are opposed to evolution - and the opposition is about as reality-based, too. Like fundamentalists, the Scientologists are achieving legislative influence, getting the Arizona legislature to crack down on the use of drugs to treat mental illnesses.

It's being reported that Tom Cruise has used his clout to get Comedy Central to cancel a repeat of the famous Scientology episode which portrays Cruise as being 'in the closet' - a figurative reference to rumors of his homosexuality bundled with lots of satire about his Scientology beliefs.

Since the very beginning of South Park, Isaac Hayes has been a part of the show. Also since the beginning, South Park has satirized and ridiculed religion, politics, and belief systems of all kinds. Hayes was OK with this, but that changed when South Park picked on his religion, Scientology.

After a 10 year legal battle, the Dutch Supreme Court has finally ruled against the Church of Scientology. Back in 1995, Scientologists sued XS4ALL, an internet service provider, and Karin Spaink for their publishing of internal Scientology material. The defendants argued their case on the basis of free speech and did so successfully.

In New Mexico is a Scientology base where L. Ron Hubbard's writings are archived. There is also a massive design etched into the ground. It's supposed to guide Scientologists back here after traveling the galaxy...

School officials in Los Angeles, California, were surprised to find that a school event was being organized by an group with close ties to the Church of Scientology. Why? Well, the group didn't reveal their ties - officials only found out when the Church of Scientology promoted their involvement with it.

Tom Cruise is a very public and outspoken representative for Scientology who, sometimes, has been known to act in movies. Or perhaps being a spokesman for Scientology is his main acting role, who knows? In fact, few people know much about how Cruise came to be involved in Scientology - but some details are coming out.

Tom Cruise is the most vocal, public, and famous spokesman for the Church of Scientology today. They almost lost him, however, when he found out the truth of their teachings about the cosmic dictator Xenu. Was he simply overwhelmed by the truth, or overwhelmed at the fact that he had devoted so much time and money to this group?

The Church of Scientology has a "detoxification" clinic in Manhattan which was originally set up to "help" the people working at the site of the World Trade Center collapse. The "detoxification" process has no basis in medical science and, according to one former employee, is a danger to those who use their services.

As the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard had an interesting life. Not as interesting as Scientologists try to portray it, but interesting nonetheless. Unfortunately, there are lots things that can justifiably be criticized about his life - things which Scientologists may prefer that weren't publicized too widely.

Scientology has been in the news a lot recently because of Tom Cruise. It's said that there's no such thing as bad publicity - anything that gets your product in the public's eye is ultimately beneficial - but there are rumors that Church of Scientology officials are getting worried that Tom Cruise is overdoing things a bit.

The terror bombings in London were terrible for the people who live there, but that wasn't a reason for Scientology to refrain from taking advantage of it. Evidently, Scientology representatives went around handing out cards and selling booklets designed to draw in converts.

The Church of Scientology doesn't like it when media organizations run stories about disgruntled former members and some of the ways they treat critics. Galmour magazine is running an expose based upon interviews with a former member, causing Scientology "emissaries" to leap into action.

The Belgian government officially recognizes just six religious groups: Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Anglicanism, Protestantism and Greek Orthodox. Official recognition means getting state subsidies and so others want in as well. Scientology applied, but was turned down.

Scientology has been around for quite a few years, but recent exposure with Tom Cruise has made it more well known than before. Few people have actually read one of its founding books, Dianetics. Maybe that's a good thing?

Apparently it's common for celebrities to be made honorary citizens of Paris when they make official visits, even movie stars, but Tom Cruise isn't getting the standard treatment. French officials object to his "militant" Scientology and so are snubbing him.

It appears the Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology are keeping a very, very tight leash on Katie Holmes. She continues to be accompanied by Scientology official Jessica Feshbach Rodriguez everywhere she goes, even media interviews, and Rodriguez feeds Holmes "appropriate" answers to simple questions.

The Church of Scientology has, for several years, been pursuing a copyright case against Dutch citizen Karin Spaink. She posted material on her web site from Scientology documents, material which revealed the truth of Scientology's teachings. The Church of Scientology suddenly withdrew from the case at the last minute, though.

There have been a lot of news stories reporting on Tom Cruise's ignorant comments about mental health, psychology, psychiatry, and pharmacology. The man probably doesn't even quality as an educated lay person in these areas, but that doesn't stop him from pretending to have something relevant to say.

Unbeknownst to most people, a central figure in Scientology is Xenu. Who is Xenu? Well, Xenu was a galactic overlord and 75 million years ago he brought billions of people to Earth to execute them. He put them around volcanoes and blew them up with nuclear weapons. Their souls stuck around, though, and continue to harm the living. This is the basis of Scientology.

Xenu was a galactic overlord who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth to execute them. Their souls stuck around, though, and continue to harm the living. This is the basis of Scientology. So why is Tom Cruise denying Xenu?

Is Tom Cruise engaged in an active effort to recruit young female stars to Scientology? If so, it seems to be with the blessings of leaders of the Church of Scientology. Reports indicate that Cruise took Johansson to a Scientology center where he showed her literature.

Everyone knows that there is a lot of criticism out there of Scientology - well, almost everyone. Tom Cruise doesn't seem to acknowledge that there are criticisms of Scientology. It's not that he disagrees with those criticisms; he seems willing to dispute their existence at all.

A few years ago, Reader's Digest was involved in a legal battle with the Church of Scientology: Scientologists tried to block international publication of excerpts of a Time magazine piece critical of Scientology. The Scientologists lost and bad blood resulted, but now RD has published a fawning interview with Tom Cruise. What changed?

One of the complaints about Scientology is their authoritarian treatment of members. A possible sign of that just may be evident in the relationship between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Why would he hire an official from the Church of Scientology to follow her around while she promotes her new movie "Batman Begins"?

One of the most disappointing things about much of the media in America is how little real journalism goes on. Reporters often act more like transcriptionists, dutifully writing down whatever they are told and never taking the time to investigate whether they are told the truth. They don't ask hard questions and they don't take politicians to task. Well, most don't.

Tom Cruise, the movie star who uses his fame to promote Scientology, recently slammed Brooke Shields because she reveals in her recent book that she took an anti-depressant medication to deal with post-partum depression. Cruise, lacking any medical training, assures her and everyone that vitamins would have worked.

Everyone knows that Tom Cruise is not only a devoted follower of Scientology, but also that he regularly promotes Scientology-related products. When was the last time you saw anyone in the American media actually challenge him and the things he says about Scientology?

Scientologists are fiercely opposed to psychiatry and the idea that mental illnesses have physical, biological causes. This is due to their religious doctrines and, now, it seems that they are trying to have those doctrines enshrined in how Florida public schools deal with mental illness.

Scientology has been resisting claims that it is anti-gay and, moreover, that some Scientologists like Tom Cruise and John Travolta have used Scientology to "cure" themselves of gay urges. L. Ron Hubbard was, it appears, very homophobic and the Church of Scientology today seems to avoid talking about the issue.

Scientology includes a lot of very strange beliefs - not only stranger than most people realize, but apparently stranger than many Scientologists even realize. Fr. Bryce Sibley recently went to a Scientology center to quiz people on what Scientology teaches and was met with dumfounded ignorance.

Tammy Bright claims that she was fired from a dentist's office because she was unhappy with being subjected to various tests and doctrines from the Church of Scientology. The dentist claims that she was simply a poor worker - though I wonder to what degree that judgment is derived from Scientology standards.

The Church of Scientology owns a huge amount of property in St. Petersburg - including a massive building that is supposed to become their world-wide headquarters. It has sat empty since 2002, despite being mostly completed. Why?

For some reason, Scientologists have started hitting the streets in New York City to recruit members. They've also been seen in the subway system, but apparently that's illegal and if they continue they'll be in trouble.

A Scientology detox program that has been providing its services free to those involved in the 9/11 rescue effort now wants to open their doors to everyone else - and charge a hefty fee. There is no medical evidence that the program does any good to anyone except, perhaps, Scientology itself.

As you may or may not know, Scientology's current headquarters are located in Clearwater, Florida. In fact, they own so much land in Clearwater that some are getting the feeling that they are practically taking over - and that has some concerned.

A little while ago I wrote about the growing controversy surrounding the introduction of the Narconon anti-drug program to public schools because Narconon is based on Scientology and involves a great deal of Scientology beliefs and concepts. Now, schools in Los Angeles are being told not to use Narconon.

Students as young as the third grade are being introduced to Scientology doctrines without even knowing it. How? Via a popular (and free) anti-drug program known as Narconon. Scientology language has been purged from the program, but all the Scientology basics are still there, obvious to anyone familiar with the group.

The musical A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant, which I wrote about more than once, has been honored with the Obie Award.

For seven years, the estate of Lisa McPherson has been pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. Scientologists have been fighting it as hard as possible - and, apparently, with some underhanded tactics at times, if some of the critics are to be believed. Suddenly, and surprisingly, the Church of Scientology has settled.

It's pretty common for mayors and other politicians to get requests that they proclaim a day, week, or month to commemorate some person, idea, or event. Unfortunately, those who agree don't always take a close look at what they are being asked to commemorate.

Some people are starting to take notice that the United States government has been giving Scientology a sweet deal not available to anyone else. Scientologists who pay large sums to the Church of Scientology for "auditing" and "training" can write all of that off on their taxes, but members of other religions can't write off their own education.

A few days ago I reported on how the Church of Scientology is suing Gerry Armstrong, once a researcher and archivist for Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who left the group in 1981 and become one of Scientology's most outspoken critics. Scientology accused him of breaching the agreement and a court has agreed, awarding them a USD $500,000 judgment that Armstrong has to pay.

Should people get tax deductions for the cost of religious education? Typically the government says "no" because payment for religious education is payment for services, not a charitable donation. Somehow, though, the Church of Scientology got the IRS to allow Scientologists to make tax deductions for the training they go through.

Tom Cruise is a big supporter of The Church of Scientology - and, in fact, his public support of Scientology has increased quite a bit in recent years. Associates are saying that Scientology had nothing to do with the split between him and Penelope Cruz, but others aren't so sure.

I reported recently about Tom Cruise's comments that psychiatry should be outlawed, a position that is a reflection of the standard complaints that the Church of Scientology has against psychiatry. Psychiatrists, however, aren't taking this lying down.

Apparently Christopher Reeve was approached by the Church of Scientology for recruitment; but unlike other Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise, Reeve exercised a bit of skepticism. He did his own tests on what they were doing and discovered that he was being fed nonsense - so he decided to stay away.

People familiar with Scientology may also be aware of reports about how they apparently engage in "dirty tricks" in order to smear and discredit both critics and those who leave the group. The existence of such underhanded tactics may be denied, but that will be hard to do because one of those formerly responsible for all this has left Scientology...

You may already know that Tom Cruise is a member of Scientology, but lately he has been pushing Scientology orthodoxy pretty hard.

Celebrities like Tom Cruise may speak out in favor of Scientology and even convert others, but there seem to be plenty of former Scientologists who are willing to speak out against the group. According to them, it's not all fun and games - some of what goes on is quite unpleasant.

As reported here earlier, Alex Timbers has created an "Off Off Broadway" show entitled "A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant." It's about the life of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, and Timbers calls it an "idiom of a Nativity pageant" with an all-children cast. The Church of Scientology is not pleased...

Tom Cruise seems to have quite an influence on the women in his life. His first wife, Nicole Kidman, got involved in Scientology because of him (and then left it again after their marriage ended). Now his new love, Penelope Cruz, is getting involved in Scientology as well.

Tom Cruise is an ardent Scientologist, although one has to wonder if he has been having doubts lately. Since his break-up with Nicole Kidman, he has had some trouble with his movies while she has been doing well - and she left Scientology. Well, he hasn't specifically voiced any doubts about Scientology.

Not only has he used scientology to cure his dyslexia, but Tom Cruise is also apparently blessed with amazing psychic powers. Will he be able to tell in advance which scripts will become great movies?

Beware of Xenu! Although there has been much press over the RIAA suing those who download music on the internet, the first group to pioneer lawsuits against individuals for online activities was the Church of Scientology. They sued people left and right for making public secret documents about what Scientology really thought and taught...

The parents of Marion Chauchreau wanted her to travel to Denmark to enrol at the Copenhagen Scientology school, but a French judge has imposed a travel ban upon her. The French government has long been at odds with Scientology, treating it more as a business scam at best and a dangerous cult at worst - but certainly not an honest religion...

Recently Tom Cruise was successful in getting in a few plugs for Scientology while being interviewed in People magazine - indeed, some have claimed that his doing the interview was conditioned on being permitted to promote Scientology. Whatever the case, Tom Cruise asserted that Scientology helped cure his dyslexia - but is there any substance to this?

According to the Washington Post, movie star Tom Cruise has been to Washington D.C. to lobby on behalf of Scientology...