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How Katie Holmes escaped Scientology

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
How Katie Holmes escaped Scientology
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes together with daughter Suri in December 2011.
Katie Holmes may have only been married to Tom Cruise for five years, but her impending divorce caps off a long-awaited, well-planned escape from him and Scientology.

Slowly easing herself away from her life as Mrs Tom Cruise and a life involved with the strict religion, Holmes reportedly spent years preparing for her divorce, with her main priority being that she gains full custody of the pair's six-year-old daughter, Suri.

Holmes, who filed for divorce on June 29 and is seeking sole legal custody and primary physical custody of Suri, relied heavily on her family to help her leave. With her father leading the way, Holmes and her family have gathered damning information about Cruise's life as a Scientologist to use in the divorce.

Former high-profile Scientology member Marty Rathbun, who left Scientology in 2004, says Tom's chances of gaining custody of Suri are very slim.

"Tom Cruise would be stupid to fight Katie Holmes for custody of Suri because of the information her family has about his ties to Scientology," he told Radar Online. "Katie's family has information that Tom probably wouldn't want released to the public."

Rathbun has been involved with Cruise's Scientology life, helping him run "audit sessions", a practice that Scientologists believe clears them of negative influences while heightening spiritual awareness and enhancing their potential. He says a personal friend has been helping Holmes' family gather information on Cruise.

"I did audit sessions with Tom Cruise from 2001 to 2004, and I can tell you that I have a friend that has been providing Katie Holmes' family information for years about the iron grip the Church of Scientology has on Tom Cruise's family and professional life," he told Radar Online.

"This has been going on for at least four years."

He says Holmes' father is the driving force behind the family's involvement in her escape from the religion.

"Katie's father is very involved in the divorce proceedings and working closely with Katie's lawyer," Rathbun said.

"Katie's father has truly been her rock in the last several months and she just doesn't know where she would be without him."

The former Dawson's Creek star put her escape plan into action more than 18 months ago when she stopped attending three-times-a-week Scientology classes and made a conscience effort to avoid Cruise's sister Lee Anne De Vette, a devoted Scientologist.

Her Scientology life consisted of punishing detoxes and while away on film sets Cruise would order Holmes to undergo Scientology audits and cleansing.

"Frankly Katie escaped," an unnamed source told Us Weekly.

The source also said that Holmes recently fired her team of mostly Scientology staff "so that she wouldn't be spied on".

Meanwhile, Cruise is currently filming a new movie in Iceland after wrapping up work on Rock of Ages, on which he worked almost non-stop. His preparations for that musical included spending five months rehearsing doing voice and dance training for 10 hours a day.

The time away from his family has certainly had an impact on Suri who has been spotted crying and throwing tantrums recently.

But it seems Holmes, who didn't agree with Cruise's strict Scientology parenting methods, is ready to bring up her little girl with a much more normal life and is determined that Suri doesn't end up like Cruise's other children, Isabella and Connor.

"Katie and Tom also have very different parenting views," a source told Us Weekly.

"Katie wants Suri to go to school with other children and have a grounded routine whereas Tom doesn't. He wants her schooled in the same manner Connor and Isabella were.

"Tom is nowhere near as strict as Katie is and doesn't believe in disciplining Suri, whereas Katie believes that is important."

Holmes was spotted today looking relaxed in New York without her wedding ring, but smiling as she attended the filming of Project Runway.



Related video: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise Divorce: Five New Developments.

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User comments
I don't think many know how cults work. Yes..Katie knew Tom was in Scientology before they married but I can guarantee you that she didn't know all the details before they married. If you walk into a cult, they are not going to give you all their secrets until they have you pulled into it deeper or until it is too late. Once Katie was hooked by the bait(marriage) then that was when she started to finally see what Scientology was all about and I'm sure it got even worse after she had Suri. Katie was smart and planned things slowly before she made her move, otherwise, she may have been in for a much nastier divorce, not to mention putting her child in a situation no child should be in. Suri is lucky to have Katie as a mother.
Sad for both that this marriage didn't work out, sadder for Suri. I am sure both parents will be sensible and put this darling little girl first in any decisions they make. She deserves both her parents and I can only hope that she will always be the priority with Tom Cruise vs Scientology. So far both have kept their personal lives very personal and this can only be of benefit to a little girl who's life has changed dramatically. Keep the focus on Suri feeling secure and happy and everything else will sort itself out.
I don't really have a lot of sympathy for Katie. She knew how involved he was with Scientology before they got married and before she had a baby with him. Surely she knew how Tom would be raising their child? Why did she plan it for so long and wait until Suri is nearly at school age? So many questions!
Well Done Katie. And Well Done, Mum and Dad for getting Katie and their granddaughter away from Tom Cruise and Scientology. As a mother whose daughter was 'recruited' into a 'cult' 15 years ago I can imagine how they felt to have 'lost' their daughter to Scientology. My daughter is free now, although still suffering mentally. I stay in touch with the support groups who helped me (FAIR) being the most helpful one and some of the good friends I made during those unhappy years. We still know many people who lost their loved ones to Scientology. I hope Katie, her daughter and her family recover.
Tom was a scientologist at the time Katie married to him. She didn’t mind it then. I find it disgusting that she was planning to do this for years. I think her behavior is more disturbing than Tom’s so called religion. If it is really true that she took years to leave, it means she really only stayed for the money. What is that makes her to be? And she is not even a good mother, raising Suri as she does, with all the make up, and not having play mates. I can’t understand why the media is so against Tom, could it be his divorce from Nic anything to do with this? I am sure Katie wasn’t made to do anything she didn’t want. She had all the freedom one needs. Maybe she should have listened to her parents, friends advice before she married Tom.
I agree with most people and am so glad that Katie is out of this relationship or is it an organisation. Maybe her beautiful child will starting seeing some normality in her life like other little children. I also agree that this Scientology is a cult not a religion and is like other cults very dangerous. Good on you Katie - hope to see you genuinely smiling more.
Ummm Tom Cruise didn't earn his money from being a scientlogist he earned it as an actor. From every thing I have heard about Scientology it charges it's member high fees. Something like 5% of their income so when Tom cruise earns 50,000,000 for a movie 5% goes to scientology. From what I am reading Tom wants to send Suri to a military type scientology boarding school at 6 years old (which is the straw that broke Katie's back) so even if he got custody she won't be living with him. Any "religion" that requires you to hand over part of your salary each year, harrasess people who leave, lock up their members and not let contact family who are not members is NOT a religion it is a CULT. No judge in their right mind will give sole custody to a cult member.
Good on Dad for helping Katie & Suri to get out. My money is on Lilo for the next Mrs Cruise!
Since when did religion require you to pay physical money for you to be accepted? Its a shrewd cult, open to the vulnerable or idiotic, it has been proven to keep people captive on ships and stalk and harass people for leaving it. Im sure Tom Cruise as a person has qualities that Katie adored, and as a person he might infact be lovely, but his judgement was clouded once he began to believe that a space-man from the sky created everything. Oh, and written by a comic book writer. I am a mother of two, and I dont know how Katie was made to endure a 'Vocally silent, drug-free' birth. I just can't fathom the logic behind the rules and regulations of Scientology. This 'religion' has no allowances of compassion, logic, medical science (yet hints at "SCIENCE" in its very name), and requires money in order to further unlock the 'levels' of belief, understanding and religious 'status'. They make a mockery of the word 'religion'. Handcuff that child to you Katie, and run like the wind!!!!
I remember the time when Tom filed to Divorce Nicole Kidman, it was only a short time after it was said she had a miscarriage.You got to love the Karma. Nicole met Keith & I hope Katie Holmes meets someone sane & stable also. Tom Cruise should see Dr Phil on a regular basis & please dont come back to Australia because we hate you.

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