Scientology's Top Gun

I was riveted by this story in the Los Angeles Times about Tom Cruise's role in scientology. By far, the craziest thing about this crazy "religion" is the seemingly lucid celebrities it has attracted, like Beck and Jenna Elfman. I once tried to figure out what scientology was about online, and found the experience rather unsatisfying, so I was especially grateful for this little nugget, which seems to sum it all up.

In his own spiritual life, Cruise has continued to climb the "Bridge to Total Freedom," Scientology's path to enlightenment. International Scientology News, a church magazine, reported last year that the actor had embarked on one of the highest levels of training, "OT VII" — for Operating Thetan VII.

At these higher levels — and at a potential cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars — Scientologists learn Hubbard's secret theory of human suffering, which he traces to a galactic battle waged 75 million years ago by an evil tyrant named Xenu.

According to court documents made public by The Times in the 1980s, Hubbard espoused the belief that Xenu captured the souls, or thetans, of enemies and electronically implanted false concepts in them to keep them confused about his dirty work. The goal of these advanced courses is to become aware of the trauma and free of its effects.