Scientology has been present in Germany since 1970. German authorities estimate that there are 5,000–6,000 active Scientologists in Germany today; the Church of Scientology gives a membership figure of around 30,000. The Church of Scientology has encountered particular antagonism from the German press and government and occupies a precarious legal, social and cultural position in Germany.

German courts have so far not resolved whether Scientology should be accorded the legal status of a religious or worldview community, and different courts have reached contradictory conclusions. Its stated utopian aim is to "clear the planet", to bring about an enlightened age in which every individual has overcome their psychological limitations. Scientology teaches that the source of people's unhappiness lies in "engrams", psychological burdens acquired in the course of painful experiences, which can be cleared through a type of counselling called "auditing" made available by the Church of Scientology. Critics maintain that Scientology is "a business-driven, psychologically manipulative, totalitarian ideology with world-dominating aspirations",

The German government has said that it does not consider Scientology a religion, but a "commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism" whose "totalitarian structure and methods may pose a risk to Germany's democratic society". Scientology is similarly controversial in Belgium, Greece and the UK.

On the subject of Scientology's status as a religion, the German government has pointed to a 1995 decision by the Federal Labor Court of Germany. References in Scientology writings to the elimination of "parasites" and "antisocial" people who stand in the way of progress towards Scientology's utopian world "without insanity, without criminals and without war" evoke uncomfortable parallels with Nazism, and have led to Scientology being classified as an "extremist political movement".

To further justify its stance, the German government has also pointed to the long history of U.S. court cases involving Scientology, including the conviction of 11 top Scientologists in 1979 and 1980 for a conspiracy involving the infiltration of U.S. government agencies, wiretapping and the theft of government documents, a 1994 U.S. Supreme Court finding that Scientology practices took place in a "coercive environment", and Scientology's track record of pursuing its critics through malicious court cases and private investigators. By 2007, there were ten major centres ("Scientology Churches"), as well as fourteen minor centres ("Scientology Missions") in Germany. Following German re-unification, Scientology proved unable to gain significant numbers of followers in the territories of the former German Democratic Republic; most adherents are found in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and North-Rhine Westphalia.

Scientology is represented by a large number of independent associations or Vereine in Germany; their umbrella organisation is the Scientology Kirche Deutschland e.V. Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV, or Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution), estimates that there are between 5,000 and 6,000 Scientologists in Germany and reports that membership levels have remained stable for many years. The Church of Scientology reports around 30,000 members. Discrepancies in Scientology membership numbers arise because the Church of Scientology applies more inclusive criteria in establishing its figures, essentially including anyone who has purchased a book or participated in courses, regardless of their subsequent involvement. The number of contractually bound Scientology staff members working in German Scientology organizations is unlikely to exceed a few hundred.

Scientology formulated a "Clear Germany" strategy in 1994 – similar to equivalent strategies pursued by Scientology in other countries and regions of the world – with the long-term aim of transforming German society in line with the Scientological ideal: a non-pluralist society in which Scientology enjoys overriding influence. The programme sought to address Scientology's image problems in Germany, to identify weak points in Germany that could be exploited for political gain, such as Germany's national socialist history, and to increase both membership figures and political influence in German society, with a special emphasis on manoeuvring Scientologists into key positions in industry and government. The most prominent critics of these new religious movements were the "sect commissioners" (Sektenbeauftragte) of Germany's Protestant Churches, who were also active in promoting the establishment of private "initiatives of parents and concerned persons". Taking an activist stance, it warned people not to get involved with Scientology, filed successful lawsuits against the Church of Scientology over its proselytizing in public places, and published an influential book, The Sect of Scientology and its Front Organizations. Perceptions that Scientology had a totalitarian character were reinforced when Robert Vaughn Young, an American ex-Scientologist and former PR official in the Church of Scientology, visited German officials in late 1995 and wrote an article in Der Spiegel, a widely-read weekly magazine, describing Scientology as a totalitarian system operating a gulag – the Rehabilitation Project Force – for members of Scientology's Sea Org who had been found guilty of transgressions. From the mid-1990s onward, press articles, reports and essays on Scientology appeared on an almost daily basis, accompanied by books and TV programmes that reached a mass audience.

, Scientology and organized crime, published by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution]] As noted by the religious scholar Hubert Seiwert, Scientology came to be seen as a "serious political danger that not only threatened to turn individuals into will-less zombies, but was also conspiring to overthrow the democratic constitution of the state". Officials examining primary and secondary sources, legal documents, and the testimony of former members, concluded that the organization was "antithetical to a democratic state".

Government publications on the dangers of sects increased between 1996 and 1998, and a significant number of them dealt with the Church of Scientology. Attempts to infiltrate businesses have reportedly been most successful among small and medium-size companies, such as estate agents, management consultants and management training companies. An expensive commercial version of Scientology's Oxford Capacity Analysis, usually offered free as part of Scientology proselytizing in public places, temporarily entered some major German companies who were unaware of its provenance via such a management consultancy firm. These concerns arose because customers of around 20 after-school tutoring centres operated by Scientologists in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart and elsewhere might be unaware that their children were being taught by Scientologists, using Scientology methods. and the historian Guido Knopp both likened the Scientologist Hollywood actor Tom Cruise to Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister. Gandow and Knopp cited a leaked Scientology video in which Cruise was seen asking the audience whether Scientologists should "clean up" the world, the audience responding with enthusiastic cheers – cheers which Gandow and Knopp felt were reminiscent of the audience's response to Goebbels' famous question, "Do you want total war?"

German scholars such as Brigitte Schön and Gerald Willms have commented that public discourse around Scientology in Germany is dominated by rhetoric: in their view, efforts to "frame" information in such a way as to shape opinion have long been more important than the underlying realities.

Legal status

While there have been calls for Scientology to be banned, the Church of Scientology remains legal in Germany and is allowed to operate there. Its precise legal status however is unresolved. Two points are contested: first, whether or not the teachings of Scientology qualify as a "religion or worldview" (Religion or Weltanschauung; these are equal before German law), and secondly, whether or not these teachings are only used as a pretext for purely commercial activity; if the latter were the case, this would most likely imply that Scientology would not qualify for protection as a "religious or worldview community" (Religions- oder Weltanschauungsgemeinschaft) under Article 4 of the German constitution, which guarantees the freedom of belief, religion and worldview. In 2005, the Federal Administrative Court of Germany explicitly granted a Scientologist protection under Article 4.1 of the German Constitution, which declares the freedom of religion and worldview inviolate.

Many courts have declined to assess the religious status of Scientology, finding that the question was irrelevant to deciding the case at hand. The BfV domestic intelligence service (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, or Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) regards the aims of Scientology as running counter to Germany's free and democratic order, and has been monitoring Scientology since 1997, as have the Offices for the Protection of the Constitution in a number of German Länder. Minister for Family Policy Claudia Nolte instituted the surveillance, saying that the church had totalitarian tendencies and that she would oppose Scientology with all the means at her disposal.

The German Church of Scientology has repeatedly challenged the legality of this surveillance in court. In December 2001, the Administrative Court in Berlin ruled against the Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution and ordered it to stop the recruitment and deployment of staff and members of the Church of Scientology Berlin as paid informants. The court ruled that the use of informants was disproportionate. In 2003, the same court ruled that it was illegal for the Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution to include the activities of Scientology in its report, given that the report did not document any activities that were opposed to the constitution.

At the federal level, Scientology lost a complaint against continued surveillance by the BfV in November 2004. The federal court based its opinion on its judgment that the aims of Scientology, as outlined by L. Ron Hubbard in his writings, were incompatible with the German constitution. Lawyers acting for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution pointed out that Hubbard had written that civil rights, for example, should be restricted to Scientologists, and they asserted that the Scientology organization was taking systematic steps to infiltrate society and government institutions in order to prevent anti-Scientology legislation.

There is at least one example of surveillance of Scientology by the German intelligence services outside of Germany. In 1998, the Swiss government detained an agent of the German government, charging him with "carrying out illegal business for a foreign state, working for a political information service and falsifying identity documents". The German government posted bail for the agent. He was eventually given a 30-day suspended jail sentence for spying on Scientology, and the German government apologized to Switzerland for the incident.

"Sect filters"

speaking in 2008 at a Hamburg conference on Scientology]] A "sect filter", also known as a "protective declaration" (Schutzerklärung), is a document that requires a job applicant to acknowledge any association with a sect or new religious movement before being accepted for a position of employment. Such sect filters, primarily used to screen out Scientologist job applicants, have been drafted by German government agencies for use by businesses. Where companies are suspected of having Scientologist staff, prospective employees are alerted to this fact by government staff. Companies tendering for government contracts were likewise required to state they are not Scientologists; in 2001, this requirement was changed, and firms are now asked to sign a form stating that "the technology of L. Ron Hubbard will not be used in executing the contract". When it became known that Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system included a disk defragmenter developed by Executive Software International (a company headed by a Scientologist), this caused concern among German government officials and clergy over data security and the potential for espionage. Following letters of complaint about discrimination from Scientology lawyers, some American companies such as General Electric, IBM and Ford Motor Company instructed their German subsidiaries to cease the use of protective declarations.

The city of Hamburg set up a full-time office dedicated to opposing Scientology, the Scientology Task Force for the Hamburg Interior Authority, under the leadership of Ursula Caberta. In 2005, in a case brought by a Scientologist, the Federal Administrative Court of Germany ordered the city of Hamburg to cease recommending the use of protective declarations to its business community, finding that the practice infringed religious freedom.

Scientologists have been banned from joining major political parties in Germany such as the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Free Democratic Party. Existing Scientologist members of these parties have been "purged", according to Time Magazine. Thomas Gottschalk, a German TV presenter, was falsely accused in 1993 of having taken part in Scientology courses; Gottschalk responded by announcing that he had not, and that he would henceforth cease all contact with a friend who had links to Scientology. In 2007, Günther Oettinger, the Minister-President of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, expressed concern that Scientologist John Travolta was to appear on Gottschalk's programme, and asked the ZDF TV station to consider revoking the invitation; the ZDF said that uninviting Travolta would cause greater damage, and that Scientology was not going to be discussed in the programme.

Initiative to ban Scientology

and Chick Corea.]] In March 2007, it was reported that German authorities were increasing their efforts to monitor Scientology in response to the opening of a new Scientology headquarters in Berlin. On December 7, 2007, German federal and state interior ministers expressed the opinion that the Scientology organization was continuing to pursue anti-constitutional goals, restricting "essential basic and human rights like the dignity of man or the right to equal treatment", and asked Germany's domestic intelligence agencies to collect and evaluate the information required for a possible judicial inquiry aimed at banning the organization. Sabine Weber, president of the Church of Scientology in Berlin, called the accusations "unrealistic" and "absurd" and said that the German interior ministers' evaluation was based on "a few sentences out of 500,000 pages of Scientological literature".

warning of the dangers of Scientology in front of the Berlin headquarters; the courts later ordered the poster's removal.]] In November 2008, the government abandoned its attempts to ban Scientology, after finding insufficient evidence of illegal or unconstitutional activity. The report by the BfV cited knowledge gaps and noted several points that would make the success of any legal undertaking to ban Scientology doubtful. The second argument on which those proposing the ban had counted was Scientology's aggressive opposition to the constitution. The Church of Scientology expressed satisfaction with the decision, describing it as the "only one possible". The decision was upheld in July 2009 by the Upper Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg, which ruled that the poster violated Scientologists' basic religious rights.

Criticism of Germany's stance

is one of several Scientologist artists who have been subject to boycott calls in Germany.]]The United States media, while generally reporting negatively on Scientology in domestic news, has taken an at least partially supportive stance towards Scientology in relation to Germany. Richard Cohen for example, writing in the Washington Post, said in 1996: "Scientology might be one weird religion, but the German reaction to it is weirder still – not to mention disturbing."

The U.S. Department of State has repeatedly claimed that Germany's actions constitute government and societal discrimination against minority religious groups and expressed its concerns over the violation of Scientologists' individual rights posed by sect filters. The U.S. Department of State began to include the issue of Scientology in Germany in its annual human rights reports after the 1993 agreement between the Church of Scientology and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, through which Scientology gained the status of a tax-exempt religion in the United States. Past targets of such actions had included Scientologist actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, as well as jazz pianist Chick Corea. It echoed similar parallels drawn by the Church of Scientology itself, which until then had received scant notice,

U.S. Department of State spokesman Nicholas Burns rejected the Nazi comparisons in the open letter as "outrageous" and distanced the U.S. government from Nazi comparisons made by the Church of Scientology, saying, "We have criticized the Germans on this, but we aren't going to support the Scientologists' terror tactics against the German government."

In February 1997, a United States immigration court judge granted asylum to a German Scientologist who claimed she would be subject to religious persecution in her homeland. Travolta later said Clinton assured him that he would "really love to help" with the "issue over in Germany with Scientology".

In 2000, the German Stern magazine published the results of its investigation of the asylum case. On a 2000 visit to Clearwater, Florida, Ursula Caberta of the Scientology Task Force for the Hamburg Interior Authority likewise alleged that the asylum case had been part of an "orchestrated effort" by Scientology undertaken "for political gain", and "a spectacular abuse of the U.S. system". German expatriate Scientologists resident in Clearwater, in turn, accused Caberta of stoking a "hate campaign" in Germany that had "ruined the lives and fortunes of scores of Scientologists" and maintained that Scientologists had not "exaggerated their plight for political gain in the United States." Güntner concluded that "alarmism" had "triumphed" over science and noted an apparent lack of confidence in Germany's ability to engage in open public discourse on the matter.

The U.S. Department of State's most recent (2008) Human Rights Report on Germany stated that "Federal and some state authorities continued to classify Scientology as a potential threat to democratic order, resulting in discrimination against Scientologists in both the public and private sectors. Scientology members reported the use of so-called "sect filters" by many associations and organizations, where eligibility for membership is contingent upon applicants confirming that they do not belong to the Church of Scientology." The State Department's most recent (2009) report on religious freedom in Germany stated that the "U.S. Government expressed concern regarding infringement of individual rights because of affiliation with Scientology and other minority religious groups, and requested that the Government implement or encourage states to apply immediately all prior court rulings in favor of minority religious groups. For example, on March 18, 2009, Embassy representatives met with Berlin local government officials to address the Berlin district government's placement of an advertising pillar with two placards saying "Stop Scientology" directly in front of the Church's headquarters. Embassy representatives told the officials that the placards were discriminatory."

See also

Scientology status by country

Notes

References

Scholarly sources

/

Journalistic sources

Government and court documents

/

External links

Scientology.de "Scientology-Organisation" – Website of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Website of the Hamburg Scientology Task Force Menschenrechtsbuero.de – Human Rights website of the German Church of Scientology

Germany Category:Religion in Germany

Name	Tom Cruise
Caption	Cruise on MTV Live in December 2008
Birth name
Birth date	July 03, 1962
Birth place	Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Occupation	ActorProducerWriterDirector
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Mimi Rogers (1987–1990)Nicole Kidman (1990–2001)Katie Holmes (2006–present)
Website	TomCruise.com

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (; born July 3, 1962), better known by his screen name of Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and won three Golden Globe Awards. His first leading role was the 1983 film Risky Business, which has been described as "A Generation X classic, and a career-maker" for the actor. After playing the role of a heroic naval pilot in the popular and financially successful 1986 film Top Gun, Cruise continued in this vein, playing a secret agent in a series of action films in the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to these heroic roles, he has starred in a variety of other successful films such as Days of Thunder (1990), Jerry Maguire (1996), Magnolia (1999), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004) and War of the Worlds (2005).

In 2005, the Hollywood journalist, Edward Jay Epstein argued that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar movie franchise.

Early life

Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer), a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer. Cruise's surname originates from his great-grandfather, Thomas Cruise O'Mara, who was adopted by a Welsh immigrant and renamed "Thomas Cruise Mapother". Cruise is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. His oldest sister, Lee Anne, was born in his parents' native Louisville, Kentucky, while his older sister Marian was born in Syracuse, as were Tom and his younger sister, Cass.

Cruise attended Robert Hopkins Public School for grades three, four, and five. The Mapother family then moved to the suburb of Beacon Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, so Cruise's father could take a position as a defence consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces. There, Cruise completed grade six at Henry Munro Middle School, part of the Carleton Board of Education, where he was active in athletics, playing floor hockey almost every night, showing himself to be a ruthless player, and eventually chipping his front tooth. In the game British bulldogs, he then lost his newly capped tooth and hurt his knee. Henry Munro was also where Cruise became involved in drama, under the tutelage of George Steinburg. The first play he participated in was called IT, in which Cruise won the co-lead with Michael de Waal, one playing "Evil", the other playing "Good." The play met much acclaim, and toured with five other classmates to various schools around the Ottawa area, even being filmed at the local Ottawa TV station.

When Cruise was twelve, his mother left his father, taking Cruise and his sister Lee Anne with her.

In all, Cruise attended eight elementary schools and three high schools. He briefly attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati (on a church scholarship) and aspired to become a Catholic priest. In his senior year, he played football for the varsity team as a linebacker, but he was cut from the squad after getting caught drinking beer before a game.

Cruise said that he was bullied in school, and by his father who he said was "a merchant of chaos", and that he learned early on that his father was – and, by extension, some people were – not to be trusted: "I knew from being around my father that not everyone means me well."

2000s

In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of the Mission Impossible films, releasing . The film was directed by Hong Kong director John Woo and branded with his Gun fu Style, and it continued the series' blockbuster success at the box office, taking in almost $547M in worldwide figures, like its predecessor, being the third highest grossing film of the year. Cruise received an MTV Movie Award as Best Male Performance for this film. His next five films were major critical and commercial successes. The following year Cruise starred in the romantic thriller Vanilla Sky (2001) with Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. In 2002, Cruise starred in the dystopian science fiction thriller, Minority Report which was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick.

In 2003, he starred in the Edward Zwick's historical drama The Last Samurai, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as best actor. In 2006, he reprised his role as Ethan Hunt in the third installment of the Mission Impossible film series, . The film was more positively received by critics than its predecessor, and grossed nearly $400 million at the box office. Cruise's 2007 film Lions for Lambs was a rare commercial disappointment. In 2008, Cruise appeared in the hit comedy Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. This performance earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. Cruise's latest starring role is in the historical thriller Valkyrie, released on December 25, 2008 to box office success. As of 2009, Cruise's films have grossed over $6.5 billion worldwide.

In March 2010, Cruise completed filming the action-comedy Knight and Day, in which he re-teamed with former costar Cameron Diaz; the film was released on June 23, 2010. On February 9, 2010, Cruise confirmed that he will star in the fourth film, slated for release in December 2011.

Producing

Cruise partnered with his former talent agent Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993, and the company has since co-produced several of Cruise's films, the first being in 1996 which was also Cruise's first project as a producer.

Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative movie deals in Hollywood, and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economist Edward Jay Epstein as "one of the most powerful – and richest – forces in Hollywood." Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar movie franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruise's tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruise's exceptional commercial prowess.

Cruise/Wagner Productions, Cruise's film production company, is said to be developing a screenplay based on Erik Larson's New York Times bestseller, The Devil in the White City about a real life serial killer, H. H. Holmes, at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition. Kathryn Bigelow is attached to the project to produce and helm. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is also developing a film about Holmes and the World's Fair, in which DiCaprio will star.

Breakup with Paramount

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise. In the Wall Street Journal, chairman of Viacom (Paramount's parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views. Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount's announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms. Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount's discontent over Cruise/Wagner's exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Management of United Artists

In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over United Artists film studio. opening to unimpressive box office revenue and critical reception. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at United Artists; she retains her stake in UA, which combined with Cruise's share amounts to 30 percent of the studio.

Relationships and personal life

in May 2009]] Cruise married Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987; they divorced on February 4, 1990. He met his second wife, Nicole Kidman, on the set of their film Days of Thunder. The couple married on December 24, 1990. He and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella Jane (born December 1992) and Connor Antony (born January 1995).

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penélope Cruz, the lead actress in his film Vanilla Sky a relationship that ended in 2004. In April 2005, Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes, dubbed "TomKat" by the media, made their first public appearance together in Rome. A month later, Cruise declared his love for Holmes on the Oprah Winfrey show, famously jumping up and down on Oprah's couch during the show. On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child, and their daughter, Suri, was born in April 2006. On November 18, 2006, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy, in a Scientology ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars. The actors' publicist said the couple had "officialized" their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony. David Miscavige served as Cruise's best man.

Popularity

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list. as Cruise came in at number 13 on the magazine's 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor. The same year, Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity.

In August 2006, "a USA Today/Gallup poll in which half of those surveyed registered an 'unfavorable' opinion of the actor" was cited as a reason in addition to "unacceptable behavior" for Paramount's non-renewal of their production contract with Cruise. In addition, Marketing Evaluations reports that Cruise's Q score (which is a measure of the popularity of celebrities), had fallen 40 percent. It was also revealed that Cruise is the celebrity people would least like as their best friend. October 10, 2006 was declared "Tom Cruise Day" in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was awarded with a special day because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.

Controversy

Scientology

Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology; according to Andrew Morton's (2008), Cruise is the church's "second in command in all but name." He became involved with Scientology in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia. In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. He lobbied politicians in France and Germany, where the legal systems regard Scientology as a cult and business, respectively. In 2005 the Paris city council revealed that Cruise had lobbied officials Nicolas Sarkozy and Jean-Claude Gaudin, described him as a spokesman and militant for Scientology, and barred any further dealings with him. Cruise co-founded and raised donations for Downtown Medical to offer New York 9/11 rescue workers detoxification therapy based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. This drew criticism from the medical profession, as well as firefighters. For these activities and others, David Miscavige awarded Cruise Scientology's Freedom Medal of Valor in late 2004.

A controversy erupted in 2005 after he openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an anti-depressant to which Shields attributes her recovery from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, and that psychiatry is a form of pseudoscience. Shields replied that she would not take advice from anyone who believed in space aliens. This led to a heated argument with Matt Lauer on NBC's The Today Show on June 24, 2005. Medical authorities view Cruise's comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness. Shields herself called Cruise's comments "a disservice to mothers everywhere." In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for his comments. Scientology is well-known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry.

On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on YouTube, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him. The Church of Scientology said the video had been "pirated and edited," and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology. YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.

In May 2010, a former high-ranking member of the Church of Scientology, Mark Rathbun, said that Scientology leader David Miscavige had ordered that Cruise's Auditing sessions be secretly videotaped. Rathbun had himself been responsible for performing auditing counseling with Cruise.

Cruise's more open attitude to Scientology has been attributed to the departure of his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, in March 2004. He replaced her with his sister, fellow Scientologist Lee Anne DeVette, who served in that role until November 2005. He then replaced her with Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Such restructuring is seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the hard-sell of his relationship with Katie Holmes backfiring with the public.

Oprah Winfrey Show incident

.]] Cruise has made several expressions of his feelings for Holmes to the media, most notably the "couch incident" which took place on the popular The Oprah Winfrey Show of May 23, 2005. Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend." The phrase "jumping the couch", fashioned after "jumping the shark", is used to describe someone "going off the deep end" in public in a manner extreme enough to tarnish his or her reputation. It enjoyed a short-lived popularity, being chosen by the editors of the Historical Dictionary of American Slang as the "slang term of the year" in 2005 and by the nonprofit group Global Language Monitor as one of its top phrases for the year.

The "couch incident" was voted #1 of 2005's "Most Surprising Television Moments" on a countdown on E! and was the subject of numerous parodies, including the epilogue of Scary Movie 4, an episode of South Park, a short on Sesame Street, and an episode of Family Guy. Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Lesson learned: Tell, don't show."

In early May 2008, Cruise reappeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to celebrate 25 years in the film business. The feature was a two hour special, the first hour was Oprah spending the day with Cruise at his house in Telluride, Colorado on May 2.

Litigation

During his marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple endured public speculation about their sex life and rumors that Cruise was gay. In 1998, he successfully sued The Daily Express, a British tabloid, which alleged that his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality. In May 2001 he filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the celebrity magazine Actustar that he had had an affair with Cruise. Both Slater and Cruise denied this, and in August 2001 Slater was ordered to pay US$10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default. Cruise also sued Michael Davis, publisher of Bold Magazine, who alleged but never confirmed that he had video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.

After The Beast's publication of their 50 Most Loathsome People of 2004, which included Cruise, Cruise's lawyer Bertram Fields threatened to sue. Seeing the opportunity for nationwide exposure, The Beast actively encouraged the lawsuit. No lawsuit was ever filed and Cruise was included more prominently in the 2005 list. In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.

Filmography

See also

Tom Cruise (disambiguation)

Brat Pack (actors)

List of people from Louisville, Kentucky

List of Scientologists

Supercouple

(1998)

(2006)

Trapped in the Closet (South Park)

200 (South Park)

References

External links

Tom Cruise on Facebook

Transcript of the Matt Lauer interview

Rolling Stone Interview: "The Passion of the Cruise"; 08/11/04

Tom Cruise at Rotten Tomatoes

Category:1962 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American actors of English descent Category:American actors of German descent Category:American actors of Irish descent Category:American expatriates in Canada Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American Scientologists Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts from Roman Catholicism Category:Living people Category:Mission: Impossible Category:People from Syracuse, New York

Caption	Jason Beghe (May 2008)
Name	Jason Beghe
Birthdate	March 12, 1960
Birthplace	New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1985–present

Jason Beghe (born March 12, 1960) is an American film and television actor and critic of Scientology. As a young man he attended the Collegiate School in New York City, where he became best friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Duchovny. Beghe is married and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Beghe starred in the 1988 George A. Romero film Monkey Shines: An Experiment In Fear, playing a quadriplegic in a performance that was positively received. He appeared as a police officer in the film Thelma & Louise, and played Demi Moore's love interest in G.I. Jane. Beghe starred opposite Moira Kelly in the television series To Have & to Hold, and has had recurring roles on Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, American Dreams and Cane, as well as parts on numerous other television programs.

He began taking Scientology courses in 1994, and later appeared in a Church of Scientology advertising campaign and in promotional videos. According to Beghe, Church of Scientology head David Miscavige referred to him as "the poster boy for Scientology". Beghe left Scientology in 2007 and began publicly speaking out about his experiences within the church in April 2008. An on camera interview with Beghe about his experiences in Scientology conducted by Xenu TV founder and journalist Mark Bunker was published to the video site YouTube and later Vimeo. Marina Hyde of The Guardian newspaper called Beghe a Scientology celebrity whistleblower for his actions.

Early life

Beghe was born March 12, 1960 in New York City, While there, he became best friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Duchovny. Kennedy and Beghe often hung out together outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Central Park, and were monitored by Kennedy's Secret Service detail. As a teenager, Beghe attended summer camp with Erik Rush, now a conservative columnist and author.

Influenced by Beghe, Kennedy became involved in the theater program at Collegiate. Duchovny had planned to write and become a professor, but halfway through work on his Ph.D. dissertation, Beghe convinced him to audition for television commercials. He had his feature film debut in a 1985 film called Compromising Positions, and in 1986 had his first recurring role on television on the HBO situation comedy series 1st & Ten. He starred alongside O.J. Simpson and Sam J. Jones in HBO's sequel to 1st & Ten titled Training Camp: The Bulls Are Back, and John Voohees of The Seattle Times wrote: "The cast, which includes O.J. Simpson, Sam Jones and newcomer Jason Beghe, is first-rate."

In 1988, he starred in the film Monkey Shines: An Experiment In Fear, directed by George A. Romero. He portrayed Allan Mann, a law student made quadriplegic when hit by a truck in the opening credits of the film. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave a positive review of Beghe's performance in Monkey Shines: "Acting only with his face and voice, Jason Beghe is terrific at conveying the mounting anger and rage of an active man made passive". David Foil of The Advocate described Beghe's performance as "remarkable simply for meeting the demands of the character".

Beghe played an ice hockey star in the Perry Mason TV film The Case of the All-Star Assassin, an NBC-TV telefeature broadcast November 19, 1989. In 1991 he played a State Trooper in the film Thelma & Louise, and was Demi Moore's love interest in the 1997 film G.I. Jane. He had recurring roles on Picket Fences and Melrose Place, and became a cast member of Chicago Hope in 1997, portraying electrician Danny Blaines opposite romantic interest Dr. Austin played by Christine Lahti. In a 1997 interview in The Boston Herald, Beghe spoke about his respect for his fellow cast members in Chicago Hope: "I think it's the best cast assembled that I've ever seen. One for one, they're incredible. And to work with Christine Lahti? I'd drop a lot of things for that. She's so good and smart and dedicated. I've become a better actor just for working with her." Mike Duffy of The Detroit Free Press wrote: "There is an affectionate romantic sizzle between the ruggedly handsome Beghe ("G.I. Jane") and the dark-haired, unconventionally attractive Kelly ("Little Odessa")." Kinney Littlefield of The Orange County Register said that "Beghe and Kelly have charm."

Beghe appeared in acting roles on Numb3rs, , Everwood, Criminal Minds, Veronica Mars, and Cane. Beghe portrayed exorcist Ray Purvis in the 2008 horror film, One Missed Call. In 2009, Beghe had a guest-starring role on the television show Californication. He played the character novelist Richard Bates, a friend of character Hank Moody (played by David Duchovny). In October 2009, Beghe was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the filming of the movie The Next Three Days, directed by Paul Haggis. He appeared in Scientology promotional videos in 2005. In an interview with Fox News, Beghe told Roger Friedman that the head of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, referred to him as "the poster boy for Scientology". He reached the level of OT V within Scientology, and is a trained Auditor.

In 2007, Beghe made the decision to leave Scientology, and began to publicly criticize the Church of Scientology in April 2008. One of the first people he went to see after leaving Scientology was his friend David Duchovny. Beghe discussed the Xenu space opera with Duchovny, and both found the story to be funny.

Public criticism

, Mark Bunker, and Andreas Heldal-Lund (March 31, 2008)]] After leaving Scientology, Beghe contacted Andreas Heldal-Lund, founder of Operation Clambake, who convinced him to meet with journalist and Scientology critic Mark Bunker. Heldal-Lund and Bunker went to Beghe's house, where Beghe participated in an interview about his experiences as a Scientologist. The interview closes with Beghe stating, "I don't have an agenda. I'm just trying to help. [...] I have the luxury of having gotten into Scientology and after having been in it, been out. And that's a perspective that people who are still in and not out do not have."

When asked in an interview in The Village Voice if he thought his public criticism of Scientology would hurt his acting career, Beghe joked, "I’m probably not going to be doing any movies for United Artists any time soon.") Marina Hyde of The Guardian called Beghe a Scientology celebrity whistleblower.

's interview of Beghe (April 14, 2008)]] The video was taken down from YouTube on April 17, 2008 but was reposted by multiple other YouTube users shortly thereafter. By April 18, 2008, at least 45 users had reposted the video interview using their own YouTube accounts. Bunker's account was also canceled on April 17, and he believed this was due to copyright issues stemming from clips of The Colbert Report that he had uploaded to YouTube. Although the issues have since been resolved, Bunker initially thought that his account had been banned and the video made inaccessible due to pressure on YouTube staff from the Church of Scientology;

On April 28, 2008, Beghe posted online a letter to Church leader David Miscavige, requesting the confidential confessional files that Scientology compiles during Auditing sessions. In a message posted to the Operation Clambake website, Beghe wrote: "As the Church of Scientology carefully monitors all anti-scientology websites, I am posting the letter here, on xenu.net, to assure that it be received by the C of S." He had previously contacted the President's Office at The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International who "refused to directly respond" to his request, and a letter to David Miscavige sent through the Church communication system was also refused.

.]] A portion of Beghe's criticism of Scientology originally uploaded to YouTube by Mark Bunker was shown on Nightline in a piece about David Miscavige's niece, Jenna Miscavige Hill, and her criticism of Scientology. He addressed the 50 protesters gathered across the street from the Scientology building, and told them: "What you guys are doing means so much to me, and so much to these people ... It just kills me. It makes me want to cry. You don’t know what kind of good you’re doing." He had been invited by Germany’s Department of Interior Affairs to speak at a panel organized by Ursula Caberta on Scientology titled: "That is Scientology! Reports from the USA". Beghe suggested that governments put up a warning sign, similar to warnings placed on packs of cigarettes, and the next day a member of Germany's Interior Department told him such a sign was placed outside a Church of Scientology building in Berlin.

Beghe was a guest in May 2009 on the BBC World Service radio program , where he discussed his views on what he thought of Scientology when he first joined: "I thought that it was something that was going to deliver miracles, and that it was the most selfless group of people that were totally dedicated to helping mankind, and I wanted to be part of it." He was also critical of the Scientology organization leadership, including its head David Miscavige: "I think that there are probably things of Scientology that are valuable and that can help people - my main issue is not with Scientology per se, it is with Scientology the organization - it is a corrupt I believe and probably a criminal endeavor, and that has to do with people who are in charge of Scientology mainly David Miscavige..."

Personal life

Beghe's sister, Francesca Beghe, is a singer/songwriter who released a self-titled album in 1991 with SBK Records. Beghe married his wife Angie in 2000. Beghe and David Duchovny remain close friends, and he was best man at Duchovny's wedding to actress Tea Leoni.

Filmography

Film

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Director ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1985 | Compromising Positions | Cupcake |Frank Perry | Feature film debut |- | 1987 | Maid to Order | Bret |Amy Holden Jones | |- | 1988 | Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear | Allan Mann |George A. Romero | |- | 1991 | Thelma & Louise | State Trooper |Ridley Scott | |- | 1994 | Jimmy Hollywood | Detective |Barry Levinson | |- | 1997 | G.I. Jane | Royce |Ridley Scott | |- | 1998 | The X Files | FBI Man at Bomb Site |Rob Bowman | Uncredited |- | 2008 | One Missed Call | Ray Purvis |Eric Vallette | |- |rowspan="2"|2010 | The Next Three Days | Detective Quinn |Paul Haggis | |- |Tall Justice |Moretti |Matt Villines | |}

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | rowspan="2"|1986 | Dress Gray | Hank Beaumont | TV Movie |- | 1st & Ten | Tom Yinessa | First recurring role on television |- | 1987 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Glen | Ep. 1.11 |- | rowspan="5"|1989 | Alien Nation | Dr. Jim Trenner | Ep. 1.1 |- | Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin | Bobby Spencer | TV Movie |- | Christine Cromwell | Glen | Ep. 1.2 |- | Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders | Sammy Turner | TV Movie |- | Murder, She Wrote | Steve Chambers | Ep. 5.15 |- | rowspan="5"|1990 | The Operation | John Kopiak | TV Movie |- | Mancuso, FBI | | Ep. 1.17 |- | Quantum Leap | Roger Skaggs | Ep. 2.22 |- | Johnny Ryan | Steve Lombardi | TV Movie |- | Murder, She Wrote | Wayne Bennett | Ep. 7.6 |- | 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Franklin Patterson | Ep. 4.17 & 4.24 |- | rowspan="3"|1992 | Homefront | Paul | Ep. 1.16 |- | Intruders | Ray Brooks | TV Movie |- | Picket Fences | A.D.A. Petrovic | Ep. 1.8 |- | rowspan="5"|1993 | Picket Fences | A.D.A. Petrovic | Ep. 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.19 |- | In the Heat of the Night | Mark Meyers | Ep. 6.11 |- | L.A. Law | | Ep. 7.16 |- | Full Eclipse | Doug Crane | TV Movie |- | Matlock | Lt. Pat Rutledge | Ep. 7.5 |- | rowspan="3"|1994 | Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins | Robbie | TV Movie |- | The X Files | Larry Moore | Ep. 1.19 |- | Melrose Place | Lt. Jeffrey Lindley | Ep. 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.14, 3.15 |- | rowspan="3"|1995 | Matlock | Thomas Crighton | Ep. 9.14 |- | Courthouse | Russell Snow | Ep. 1.4 |- | NYPD Blue | Julian Kerbis | Ep. 3.3 |- | rowspan="3"|1996 | Good Company | Ron Nash | |- | Public Morals | Boyfriend | Ep. 1.2 |- | Suddenly | Joe Mulvey | TV Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1997 | Promised Land | Jeff | Ep. 1.13 |- | George & Leo | Ron | Ep. 1.4 |- | Chicago Hope | Danny Blaines | Ep. 4.5 & 4.7 |- | rowspan="4"|1998 | Chicago Hope | Danny Blaines | Ep. 4.14 & 4.16 |- | Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear | Matt | TV Movie |- | Cab to Canada | Mike Donahue | TV Movie |- | To Have & to Hold | Sean McGrail | Ep. 1.1 - 1.13 |- |1999 | Family Law | Don | Ep. 1.3 |- | rowspan="5"|2000 | Family Law | Don | Ep. 1.4, 1.5, 1.12 |- | Runaway Virus | Daniel Rothman | TV Movie |- | Dharma & Greg | Scott Kelley | Ep. 3.17 |- | Resurrection Blvd. | Eric Carter | Ep. 1.6 & 1.8 |- | When Andrew Came Home | Eddie | TV Movie |- | rowspan="3"|2001 | The Beast | Bill Hanson | Ep. 1.2 |- | Kristin | Peter Medavoy | Ep. 1.6 |- | Three Blind Mice | Carter Simmons | TV Movie |- | rowspan="3"|2002 | | Russ Bradley | Ep. 2.15 |- | Home Alone 4 | Peter McCallister | TV Movie |- | Judging Amy | Tim Powell | Ep. 4.11 |- | rowspan="2"|2003 | The District | Officer Terry, Donnelly | Ep. 3.20, 4.3 |- | The Lyon's Den | FBI Agent Vince Ryan | Ep. 1.6 |- | rowspan="4"|2004 | Pilot Season | Henry R. Duke | Television miniseries |- | JAG | Sgt. Maj. Thomas Elgart Ret. | Ep. 10.2 |- | American Dreams | Gunnery Staff Sgt. Finch | Ep. 2.10, 2.11, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 |- | Everwood | John Hayes | Ep. 3.5, 3.6, 3.8 |- |2005 | Everwood | John Hayes | Ep. 3.11, 3.14, 3.15 |- | rowspan="4"|2006 | Huff | Darren Hadlick | Ep. 2.5 & 2.6 |- | | Jack Butler | Ep. 2.22 |- | Veronica Mars | Cormac Fitzpatrick | Ep. 3.1 & 3.2 |- | Criminal Minds | Sheriff Yates | Ep. 2.7 |- | rowspan="2"|2007 | Numb3rs | Reid Sarasin | Ep. 3.13 |- | Cane | Vince Grasso | Ep. 1.1 - 1.5, 1.12, 1.13 |- |- | rowspan="2"|2008 | Ghost Whisperer | Mr. Kevin Keller | Ep. 4.5 |- | Eli Stone | Rick O'Malley | Ep. 2.5 |- | rowspan="3"|2009 | Life | John Flowers | Ep. 2.18 |- | Lie to Me | Captain Hoopes | Ep. 1.11 |- | Californication | Richard Bates | Ep. 3.1, 3.11 |- |rowspan="3"|2010 |Hawthorne |Richard Maxwell |Ep. 2.7 |- |Castle |Mike Royce |Ep. 3.3 |- |Medium |Frank Davenport |Ep. 7.8 |}

References

External links

Jason Beghe TVGuide.com

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Critics of Scientology Category:Former Scientologists Category:Pomona College alumni Category:The Collegiate School alumni