Scientology and Tom Cruise -
- By: Tammy Potts-O’Kelley - June
29, 2005
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Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once said that the easiest way to make money
was through religion. And then he quit writing science fiction novels and
started his own religion. Hm…interesting! Scientology was born in 1953. L. Ron
Hubbard died in 1986 but not before recruiting a few Hollywood types, i.e. Tom
Cruise, Kirstie Alley, John & Kelly Travolta.
Voila! You’ve got a contingent to raise - what? - Money for your new religion!!
Then cut to Tom Cruise’s recent rants on Entertainment Tonight and the Today
Show while supposedly there to promote his new movie WAR OF THE WORLDS.
A guy who - as far as I know - quit high school to move to New York to pursue
his acting career. He becomes a Scientologist because, in his own words,”
When I was about seven years old, I had been labeled dyslexic. I would go blank;
feel anxious, nervous, bored, frustrated, and dumb. All through school and well
into my career, I felt like I had a secret. I was introduced to the writings of
L. Ron Hubbard. And everything fell into place.”
What a miracle! But judging from how he acts, he seems to me like a man who has
and still needs help. I think we all know what that little secret is!
The reality is that people look up to Tom Cruise. He’s God-like to people
….people who are troubled......because if they were normal, they wouldn’t put so
much stock in what he says. And some of those people take medication -
medication that they need. But because Tom Cruise has pooh pooh’d Psychiatry on
an international level - they’re gonna stop taking their medications and wait
for ‘everything to fall into place’ but that’s not going to happen. And lives
are going to be ruined ….people will die and families will be torn
apart. All because a man who wanted to make more money than he was making
writing fiction and a stupid movie star told them that if they would just
believe everything would fall into place.
I know a guy who a little over a year ago, thought that if he took some vitamins
instead of his prescribed medication everything would fall into place. He’s in a
state mental facility for the duration of his natural life because in a
psychotic rage, he choked and killed his mother. A mother who had cared for and
advocated for him for many, many years. A woman he loved! And it’s nothing
short of a miracle that a legal system that rarely accepts the legitimacy of
mental illness agreed that this man should be hospitalized
-because they normally throw these people in jail forever. It happens every
day. Remember Andrea Yates? A woman who after having several psychotic episodes
that were being treated successfully with Haldol injections, quit taking her
medication at the urging of her husband because he wanted her to get pregnant -
again! A woman who at the end of 1999 - with the aid of medication - was baking
cookies and happily taking care of her children. She quits her meds and ends up
drowning all of them. Everything fell into place for her didn’t it?
Unfortunately where it fell was into five little graves.
The American Psychiatric Association, the National Alliance for the Mentally
Ill and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) issued a joint statement
last week: “Mental illnesses are real medical conditions that affect millions of
Americans. It is irresponsible for Mr. (Tom) Cruise to use his movie publicity
tour to promote his own ideological views and deter people with mental illness
from getting the care they need.”
I doubt that joint statement will shut Tom Cruise up - so the dirty work is left
to the doctors, nurses, therapists, ER staffers, etc. to right the wrongs that
Tom Cruise has perpetuated on our society. And it’s not going to be easy,
because they aren’t on the same playing field as Mr. Cruise. They’re not movie
stars - they’re highly educated people…. mental health professionals, with real
degrees and legitimate research that backs up
proven facts. Unfortunately, I fear the damage by Scientologists is irreparable
and these professionals are battling their way out of a hole that is getting
deeper every day. Nothing is falling into place for anyone except for Tom
Cruise and the “Church of Scientology”….and they’re laughing all the way to the
bank.
By: Tammy Potts-O’Kelley - June 29, 2005
