Shel Belinkoff wrote:
I would agree that, if everything that has been said here is true and
factual, TC may be an overly impassioned zealot wrt Scientology. To call
him weird is, IMO, subjective, especially wrt to his appearance on the
Oprah show and some of his other personal actions. But then, I'm a bit
eccentric and out of the mainstream myself, so seeing a man jump up and
down on a couch on national TV doesn't strike me as being at all odd.
Having the same person sit there and calmly and intellectually explain his
feelings of love, or any of another of his passions, would strike me as
somewhat odd behavior.
I don't care if he likes to give interviews sitting in a bath of
warm custard with a lampshade on his head.
That would be weird, but harmless.
Scientology is weird BUT NOT harmless. The organisation harrasses
and hounds critics very vigorously.
The religion/cult/philosophy [take your pick; I'm not going to
argue about it 8-)] -- by denying modern medicine, particularly
psychiatry -- has the potential to harm its followers; and
certainly HAS done in specific cases.
By promoting scientology -- and specifically by criticising
modern psychiatry from a position of ignorance -- Tom Cruise is
potentially harming people.
Now, the cynical side of me is inclined to say that anyone who
takes health advice from an actor/celebrity deserves what they
get (i.e. bad advice).
The not-so-cynical side, realises that people with major physical
or psychological problems may NOT make entirely rational or
informed judgements.
Tom Cruise is perfectly entitled to state his opinions.
Others are perfectly entitled to "bag him" when he strays from
his area of expertise -- the art of make believe -- and makes
statements which are ignorant, misinformed or wrong; especially
when such statements have the potential to cause harm.
Keith McG
PS I like so of his movies too.
