Katie Holmes, you know the name! She’s the brown eyed, addictively adorable, Catholic girl from Ohio who is best known for her work on the hit TV series Dawson’s Creek. Okay, maybe you know her best from her roles in films such as Go, Batman Begins, or Thank You for Smoking. Or maybe, just maybe, all that has been thrown to the wayside, and we now tend to see her as that girl who married Tom Cruise and subsequently converted to Scientology.
Recently we’ve been hearing a lot of commotion about Scientology in the media and how it seems to have taken a hold of Hollywood. Just drive down Hollywood Blvd and you’ll notice four to five Scientology churches within a one mile stretch of road. Somehow this belief system has managed to acquire some pretty well known devotees. Some of Scientology’s more famous believers include John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and of course, good ol’ “TomKatâ€. So what is it about Scientology that is so controversial? What is it that seems to attract the Hollywood elite and few others, in particular, Katie Holmes?
Scientology was founded in 1954 and is based off the teachings of a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard. The religion is fundamentally based off of the best selling book; “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Healthâ€, which is said to be a patchwork of teachings from different areas of thought such as hypnosis, Freudian theory, and Buddhism. The practical application of the religion focuses on identifying and correcting negative habits by a process called “auditing†which is designed to control the reactive mind using a machine called an “E-meterâ€. Within the organization there is a series of “ranks†that one strives to advance through in order to become “fully awareâ€. It is said that some of the most “advanced†ranks are privy to sacred information involving aliens and evil spirits (but that is a story for another time). I’ll try to stay on topic.
Scientology has long been concerned with the recruiting of celebrities. In fact, it has been a driving force in their expansion. Their philosophy being, that you can reach the most people by recruiting policy makers and other influential members of society. Celebrities certainly fit these criteria. There is even a “celebrity center†located in Hollywood where the most elite members of Scientology get to pamper themselves in a country club-like environment. This explains a lot as to why Scientology has the image it does and to why so many tinsel-town elites make their way there.
To talk about the bad publicity and questionable behavior that Scientology has been associated with would move well beyond the scope of this article, and honestly I just don’t have the energy. But the information is available if you want to find it. As for now, let’s focus on Katie.
Katie Holmes met long time Scientologist, Tom Cruise, in 2005; and after a whirl-wind romance, Tom proposed on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Shortly after, they were married in a “traditional†Scientology wedding in Italy and then legally married in Los Angeles, CA. It is said that Scientologists are to have little tolerance for non-scientologists, which means for Katie; marriage and Scientology went hand-in-hand.
In public the couple appear to be happy and healthy, however information about Katie’s pregnancy regimen caused some concerns as to the health of the star and her now, four-year-old child, Suri. This controversial pregnancy protocol was said to include intense auditing sessions, written confessions to Tom, herbal supplements (concocted by L Ron himself), and of course a silent birth…which I’m told can be a bit of a struggle. J
Currently, it’s still up for debate as to whether the star is a full-blown believer or just being nudged enough by her husband to fit the profile. Regardless, she has been repeatedly seen with her “Scientologist chaperoneâ€; Jessica Rodriquez, and may be preparing for her 2nd child as she has been reported to be attending more and more auditing sessions at the Hollywood Scientology Center. But who knows for sure, with celebrity gossip being the big business it is, its hard to tell if she’s there for the relaxation and isolation or if she just really likes the kool-aid.
