LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Katie Holmes faces two strong adversaries in her legal fight for sole custody of 6-year-old daughter, Suri, as she battles estranged husband Tom Cruise and his Scientology religion, experts said on Monday.
The "Dawson's Creek" actress, 33, made headlines last week when she filed for divorce from "Mission: Impossible" actor Cruise after nearly six years of marriage and one child.
While Holmes, Cruise and representatives for both have remained quiet about the reasons for the high-profile split, speculation in the media is that Suri, now at the age when she begins a formal education, and the Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a key member, are central to the breakup.
"What's interesting is that there's three players in this case - the mother, the father and this very controversial concept of Scientology," said New York-based divorce lawyer Lubov Stark. "The daughter is in the middle of this whole divorce. She seems to have been raised in Scientology up to this age, so if the judge comes in and gives custody to Katie Holmes, she can change (Suri's) religion," Stark said.
The Church of Scientology was founded by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard (above right), and it describes its practices as a religion. The organization believes man is an immortal being whose experience extends beyond one lifetime, and it has attracted followers including Cruise and John Travolta. But some observers - including media mogul Rupert Murdoch - liken it to a cult. Critics think the group coerces followers to think like they do, and they accuse Scientologists of harassing people who seek to quit.
PS - I met Hubbard in the late 50's, very charismatic. Then, he was promoting his theory of Dianetics, which later evolved into Scientoloty. I know very little about Scientology, and not sure how Dianetics worked into the present "religion." As I recall, he left the country, went to England, and some time later, resurfaced in this country with another "idea" which later became Scientology. His thoughts were somewhat radical, and his "clear" of Dianetics followed much of Adolph Hitler's concept on how to create his "Superman." Clear the brain of "engrams," which increases brainpower, and thus, the German Superman. Same concept. When I heard him speak in Reno, he insinuated that he had acquired some of those teachings, and they were somewhat the basis for Dianetics. His book on Dianetics is still available, an interesting read, and some insights into basic psychology.
