Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography pdfdrive com

for Lambs, actor Michael Pena, composer Mark Isham, cameramen, musical
technicians, and other production staff were Scientologists.
Within weeks of meeting Miscavige, Markert, sometime Scientology

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bookseller, intelligence officer, and church minister, wanted out and was helped
to escape by a former Sea Org member before flying to Germany. His defection,
as he anticipated, brought the wrath of the movement on his head, with Markert
accused of being a con man, a convicted criminal, a “plant” by German security
forces, someone who was only briefly in the organization and, bizarrely, a
psychiatrist. The efforts of Scientology and its front group, Religious Freedom
Watch, were partly successful, in that a German broadcasting station concluded
that his story was contradictory and not entirely credible. However, the ferocity
and extent of the attempts to discredit him could be seen as evidence of his
previous value to the group, prompting Ursula Caberta to ask him if he was
hiding vital information about the group.
Here the story becomes as murky as any when trying to penetrate the
labyrinthine world of Scientology and the mind-set of its followers. When I
formally asked a lawyer acting for Scientology why they had devoted so many
resources to vilifying someone they claimed had only been a member for a brief
period of time, his response was intriguing. In a written reply, he categorically
stated: “Christian Markert has never met with or spoken with Mr. Miscavige and
has never been to Golden Era Productions’ facilities. The first time he set foot in
a Scientology church was when he joined staff at the Church of Scientology of
Buffalo at the beginning of April 2007, claiming he had a desire to enlighten
people about Scientology. He was hired to become that church’s bookstore
clerk.”
Yet a letter, dated March 9, 2007, which originates from the Church of
Scientology’s own legal office in Buffalo, directly contradicts that assertion. The
letter was in support of Markert’s application for a visa as a temporary religious
worker: “Mr. Markert is fully qualified to receive an R-1 Visa as he has been a
Scientologist for about ten years and in the past three years has demonstrated his
high skill in the field of Dianetics. His knowledge and skill in Church scriptures
is very much needed by the Church in Buffalo to assist as a minister at the
church.”
A church minister or con man? Ursula Caberta believes that the fuss
surrounding Markert stems directly from Tom’s friend David Miscavige. Under
Scientology policy it is a high crime for a church member to fail to write a
“knowledge report” about anyone they suspect of being about to leave or “blow”
the organization. It would be inconceivable for Miscavige to be seen to be
associated with a renegade so soon before his departure. Technically, he would
be failing in his duty and would have to be punished. Hence the vigorous
attempts to discredit the hapless Markert.
If he was in fact a practitioner of Scientology’s dark arts, Markert saw into the

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heart of the organization. “Scientology is not about money,” he said. “It is not a
religion; it is an extreme political organization. All Hubbard wanted was world
power. He wanted to run the planet.” Tom Cruise’s work in spreading the word
about his faith gave what Markert now considers to be a “dangerous and
criminal cult” a spurious legitimacy. “He makes Scientology seem innocent and
safe, especially to the young. After seeing what I have seen, I have no hesitation
in saying that Tom Cruise is one of the most dangerous celebrities in the world.”
While this is a statement by a disillusioned defector, it is by no means an
isolated or maverick opinion. Perhaps a fairer assessment is that Tom Cruise
achieves his power and influence by cleverly exploiting the fact that we live in a
sound-bite media society and worship at the temple of celebrity. He is a leading
member of a modern breed of celebrity advocates who use their star status to
gain access to the corridors of power, the TV studio, and the cover story.
Just as Bob Geldof and Bono have effectively used their contacts and celebrity
to fight against Third World poverty, so Tom Cruise has campaigned for his
controversial religion. The difference is that Bono and Geldof want to change
the world, while Tom is part of an organization that wants to conquer the planet.
Whereas Geldof and Bono’s mission is out in the open, Tom’s organization
operates by disguise, hiding behind focused campaigns against specific drugs
like Ritalin or antidepressants when its true purpose is the “global obliteration”
of psychiatrists and other health-care professionals.
Unlike politicians, celebrity advocates like Tom Cruise are able to avoid
detailed scrutiny of their policies or positions. Media outlets are simply delighted
to have them in front of the camera or on the magazine cover. As long as Tom’s
presence or picture boosts ratings and sales, journalists are prepared to jump
through any hoop, such as attending Scientology courses, in order to gain access.
For that matter, as then White House aide Scooter Libby demonstrated,
politicians love to feel the warm glow generated by a Hollywood star in their
midst. In this sycophantic climate, Tom has become the master of the sound bite,
promoting his controversial cause by assertion rather than argument, offering
slogans instead of intellectual substance. For instance, how many politicians
could have stated unchallenged, as Tom did during a TV interview on