Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sarah Green: What Does Tom Cruise Stand For?

What Does Tom Cruise Stand For?

By Sarah Green

Until I read Danielle Berrin’s excellent blog post a couple of weeks ago (”Should the Simon Wiesenthal Center Honor Tom Cruise?”), I only knew that Scientology was a rather kooky celebrity “religion.” I was amazed at what I read in Ms. Berrin’s post. Under FBI investigation for human trafficking? This led me to read the New Yorker article she references; then I discovered that there is an enormous amount of evidence available to show that Scientology is a highly manipulative, very crass organization whose primary goals are to make money and to achieve good “PR” by presenting themselves as worldwide “humanitarians.” Through this phony “humanitarian,” cynical “human rights” schtick, Scientology is able to recruit more paying converts.

Scientology’s ethos is very far from humanitarian, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center should not collude with this “church” in advancing that agenda. For Scientology, this award would be more than just something nice: It would be an incredible victory and moneymaking opportunity.


In the past two weeks, I discovered many, many press releases and Scientology Web sites in which the organization’s late founder, L. Ron Hubbard, is described as a humanitarian on a par with Rev. Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. But on the many other Web sites dedicated to exposing Scientology’s vicious, racist, illegal and immoral beliefs and activities, I learned that Scientologists take the sayings and writings of their founder to be absolute, infallible, inflexible dogma. Many of Hubbard’s views were remarkably Hitlerian.

Let me give you a small sample:

“There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale [e.g. gays and lesbians, who Hubbard is describing here], neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the Tone Scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow.” — Hubbard, “Science of Survival”

“The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the Tone Scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered.” — Hubbard, “Science of Survival”

“A Venezuelan dictator once decided to stop leprosy. He saw that most lepers in his country were also beggars. By the simple expedient of collecting and destroying all the beggars in Venezuela an end was put to leprosy in that country.” — Hubbard, “Science of Survival”

“A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable.” — Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 1 March 1965, HCO (Division 1) “Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists”

“Psychiatry” and “psychiatrist” are easily redefined to mean “an anti-social enemy of the people.” This takes the kill-crazy psychiatrist off the preferred list of professions. ...The redefinition of words is done by associating different emotions and symbols with the word than were intended ... — L. Ron Hubbard, HCO PL, 5 October 1971, PR Series 12, “Propaganda by Redefinition of Words”

There are many, many other examples of such hateful ideas being promoted by the organization’s founder.

It is true what Rabbi Hier says about “guilt by association.” However, the beliefs of Scientology are utterly repugnant. Jews of all people should be highly attuned to the dangers of such beliefs, and critical of anyone who would not immediately reject and repudiate such beliefs. It way well be that Tom Cruise is a nice guy who has given away a lot of money. As a Scientologist, however, he must embrace Hubbard’s views without the slightest question. Any deviation from those views is seen in Scientology as a “high crime.”

Perhaps Tom Cruise should be given the award. First, however, I would ask that he give a “yes” or “no” answer to this question — without any equivocation or evasion: “Tom, do you reject these statements of L. Ron Hubbard’s?” (followed by a selection of hateful writings such as those presented above).

It would be interesting to hear his response.

Note: This excellent piece by Sarah Green is a letter to the editor published by the Jewish Journal. Like many she thought Scientology "kooky" but harmless. Thanks to Danielle Berrin's article she now knows better.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's good to see another person informed about the true face of Scientology. There is a wealth of information to wade through, each story worse than the last.

Regarding Tom Cruise and 'guilt by association;' there is a video of him on Gawker, chortling about the eradication of "SPs," Scientology's enemies, the Suppressive Persons."

What's 2% of 7 billion people? For that 2% is the "dispose of quietly, and without sorrow" crowd that Hubbard claimed were opposed to Scientology.

"Some day we'll only read about SPs in history books," Cruise muses, before breaking into a braying, toothy cackle that suggests a little psychiatric help might benefit him.

No, he does not deserve any humanitarian award. What has he ever done to gain the title, 'humanitarian?' Used in the same sense as 'vegetarian,' it makes more sense.

Anonymous said...

Terrific article, Sarah :) Please keep up the good work!

It chills me to think that Tom Cruise can just write a check and get such a tilkted award, expecially knowing that it is being done to make inroads for Scientology ( per Div 6 policy)

I did notice that no one seemed to mention that the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project, which Cruise is mentioned to contribute to and receive award from in the Jewish Journal article, is in fact a scientology funded front group. Here is a link to the facts
http://www.xenu-directory.net/news/library.php?t=Hollywood+Education+and+Literacy+Project+(HELP)

Mary McConnell

HAYLEY said...

I am so happy to see the word is spreading about this horrible group of people. Soon everyone will know what is really going on in that cult!!!!!!!!! Go bloggers go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to see the word is spreading about this horrible group of people. Soon everyone will know what is really going on in that cult!!!!!!!!! Go bloggers go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ennish said...

Greeat blog