Tom Cruise’s world has come crashing down, as his Scientology religion is rocked by a deluge of shocking new claims from church defectors.

The mounting scandal – including allegations of violence and ludicrous rituals –comes as Katie Holmes’ worried parents are providing much needed support to their daughter, who is said to be increasingly disenchanted with her husband’s strange beliefs.

The shell shocked actor’s carefully crafted image has taken a severe beating after claims from a string of former Scientologists, including Marc Headley, author of a new book about his life in the church called Blown For Good: Behind The Iron Curtain Of Scientology. Among the latest allegations: Tom yelled at books, bottles and doorknobs during training, members are made to watch propaganda videos, with Tom as “quasi-religious” figurehead, disobedient members were allegedly beaten at a facility known as “The Hole”, records are kept of members’ confessions, which could be used against them, high ranking members of the religion allegedly auditioned a string of actresses to be Tom’s girlfriend after Penelope Cruz.

The recent criticisms haven’t just rocked Tom’s image, but the religion itself.

While the group insists it has a global following in the millions, its membership has taken a severe hit, with the American Religious Identification Survey finding that its membership fell from 55,000 in 2001 to 25,000 in 2008.

“When you have dozens of people speaking out, it’s no longer credible to say they are all malcontents and criminals,” says former member Jeff Hawkins.

“The church is either going to reform or collapse, and I think it’s going to be the latter because they are incapable of admitting any wrongdoing.”