Sometimes it’s hard work to find humor in everyday situations.  And sometimes the humor just jumps into your lap like Tom Cruise onto Oprah’s couch.

Did anyone happen to read last week that apparently some leaders of the Church of Scientology  have decided that Tom Cruise is going to become the new “Christ” of their religion?  According to news reports, Cruise has been chosen to spread the word of Scientology and, as one leader said, “like Jesus Christ, he’s been criticized for his views.  But future generations will realize he was right.” 

Oh my God, where do I begin???

    Tom Cruise gets the news
      that he is the next Jesus

Let’s begin by explaining what Scientology is, for those unfamiliar with this “religion” (some would call it a cult, others a self-help philosophy).  Scientology was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, an American science fiction author, in 1952, and claims to offer “an exact methodology” to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and to become more effective in the physical world.  The ultimate goal of Scientology’s teaching is to get a person’s soul (known as a thetan) back to its native state of total freedom (Operating Thetan), where a person can have control over matter, energy, space, time, thoughts, form, and life.  All this is another way of saying that, according to Hubbard, humans are by nature good people whose freedom is corrupted by painful circumstances of life, but through his methods can regain their full spiritual and physical potential as humans.  Scientology’s proponents claim that Hubbard’s teachings have saved them from many problems and helped them realize their highest potential as a person and in business.  Its detractors, however, claim that the Church of Scientology is an elaborate moneymaking enterprise promoting a pseudo-science that exploits it members (especially financially) and harasses its critics (in fact, a 1980 Reader’s Digest issue had a quote from Hubbard – whose authenticity is disputed by Scientologists, of course – where he said “Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous.  If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.”)

  A Scientology Center in
    Hollywood, California

Scientology has come to the forefront in recent years as a result of a few bizarre episodes.  The first was a truly awful science-fiction movie released in 2000 called Battlefield Earth, based on a book by Hubbard and financed by prominent Scientologist John Travolta, who also starred in it.  Rottentomatoes.com, which compiles reviews from numerous print and web-based movie critics, gave it a 3% approval rating (3 out of 115 recommended seeing it), with Roger Ebert saying “Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It’s not merely bad; it’s unpleasant in a hostile way.”  A second episode was a 2005 interview with Tom Cruise where he criticized actress Brooke Shields for using anti-depressants to deal with her post-partum depression, spreading the Scientologist tenet that psychology and psychiatry are evil (and horrifying women everywhere in the process).  A third recent event was the cancellation by Comedy Central of a March 2006 South Park episode that would have made fun of Scientology, followed by the quitting of Scientologist Isaac Hayes (who played Chef) from the show because of so-called “religious intolerance” (even though he had no problem with the show’s numerous offensive jabs at Christianity).  The South Park incident supported the depiction of Scientologists as antagonistic to any critics of their beliefs.  Finally, there was the recent “silent birth” of the baby of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, based on the Scientologist belief that the delivery room should be as silent as possible to prevent any words spoken during the delivery from being reassociated later in life with the traumatic birth experience.

Through it all, Scientology has gained prominence not because many people in America are members of this church (55,000 Americans in 2001 would have called themselves Scientologists, according to a City University of New York poll), but because the church has targeted celebrities with great success, recruiting figures such as Travolta, Cruise, Hayes, Holmes, Kirstie Alley, and Beck to become church members. 

And now, apparently, they have found their Messiah in Tom Cruise.

  Tom is psyched about
       the promotion

The announcement that Tom Cruise has achieved Jesus-level status in his religion brought to mind a passage in Mark’s gospel where Jesus is telling his disciples what it will be like in the last days:  “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.  For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect– if that were possible.  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” (Mark 13:21-23)  Now, I’m pretty sure when Jesus said this he didn’t have Tom Cruise in mind.  But it is instructive to see how Jesus foretold that all sorts of people would rise up, some with even the ability to perform miracles, and draw people away from the only true Messiah.  Take heed to Jesus’ warning – there will be many out there who will deceive you into thinking that they are greater than Jesus, and not all will be as ridiculous to believe as Tom Cruise.  
 
The truth of this story is that if all it takes to be a “Messiah” is to believe strongly in a cause or religion and advocate it for on a large-scale level, even in the face of criticism, then there have been lots of Messiahs in recent memory.  Hitler was a Messiah, believing strongly in Nazi Germany and spreading that message despite (just a little) criticism.  Osama Bin Laden is a Messiah for radical Islam, spreading his message despite criticism.  Just because Tom Cruise believes something strongly and is spreading that message in the face of severe criticism does not make him worthy of respect or admiration, any more than Hitler or Bin Laden deserve a pat on the back for their efforts.  What matters is whether or not he is advocating the truth.

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