--- title: Cruise-Holmes Divorce: Is It About Scientology Parenting? description: The announcement on Friday that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Tom Cruise didn’t come as a surprise to many who’ve questioned the relationship... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-07-03T18:09:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T10:23:19.430Z article:section: Health og:title: Cruise-Holmes Divorce: Is It About Scientology Parenting? og:description: The announcement on Friday that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Tom Cruise didn’t come as a surprise to many who’ve questioned the relationship... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt407f20e087493a92/698a936e18689216c56ce3dd/128802287-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 128802287.resize og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cruise-Holmes Divorce: Is It About Scientology Parenting? twitter:description: The announcement on Friday that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Tom Cruise didn’t come as a surprise to many who’ve questioned the relationship... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt407f20e087493a92/698a936e18689216c56ce3dd/128802287-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Scientology Parenting: Do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Disagree on Religion for Suri? by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jul 3, 2012 6:09 PM UTC  James Devaney/Contributor / WireImage / Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jul 3, 2012 6:09 PM UTC The announcement on Friday that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from [Tom Cruise](http://topics.time.com/tom-cruise/) didn’t come as a surprise to many who’ve questioned the relationship from its early [Oprah-couch-bouncing](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/tom-cruise-couch-jumping-for-katie-holmes-16680590) days. The revelation that she’s seeking sole legal custody and primary residential custody of their 6-year-old daughter Suri? Now that’s news. Unless a parent feels that a child is in danger, sole custody in divorce proceedings can be a pretty steep uphill battle. Holmes’ filing means she wants to take control of her daughter’s health, education and religion, and that she believes she and Cruise won’t see eye to eye on these crucial decisions. If the chatter is to believed, Cruise’s devotion to [Scientology](http://www.scientology.org/) is driving her concerns. Celebrity websites, including [TMZ](http://www.tmz.com/2012/07/02/tom-cruise-katie-holmes-divorce-suri-scientology-sea-org/), are reporting that Holmes was worried that Cruise would spirit their daughter away to join the Sea Organization, a.k.a. Sea Org — a fraternal order of [Scientology](http://topics.time.com/scientology/)’s crème de la crème, its most ardent acolytes. Other websites, like PerezHilton.com, said Cruise wanted to board Suri on _Freewinds_, the Scientology cruise ship that once hosted his birthday bash. The speculation reached fever pitch [here](http://perezhilton.com/2012-07-02-katie-did-not-want-suri-sent-on-some-scientology-cruise#.T%5FIRc-0rpeQ): --- > “” --- Alas, the real story is likely not quite as juicy. _Freewinds_ is not a floating boarding school; it’s a pricey destination for Scientologists who want to learn more about their religion. Children are said to be rarely allowed on board. As for Sea Org, although it’s true that its devotees make a [1 billion-year pledge](http://www.scientology.org/faq/church-management/is-it-true-that-people-in-the-sea-org-sign-a-billion-year-contract.html) as a sign of “their eternal commitment to the religion,” [children under 14](http://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-in-society/are-young-children-permitted-in-the-sea-org.html) are not accepted. The pledge is symbolic, but joining Sea Org is still a huge step, perhaps akin to entering a monastery. In the ultimate proof of devotion to the church, active Sea Org members are not allowed to have children. (**MORE:** [Study: Narcissism and Religion an Unethical Mix](http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/13/study-narcissism-and-religion-an-unethical-mix/)) For other Scientologists who do have kids, however, their religion has some pretty specific beliefs about how to raise them. On the website [Scientology Parent](http://www.scientologyparent.com/), there are plenty of articles on child rearing; some don’t appear to differ much from those on any number of mommy blogs — posts on au pairs and raising physically fit kids, for example. But scroll down — you’ll find a [recipe for homemade infant barley formula](http://www.scientologyparent.com/regarding-barley-formula/) — and it’s clear this isn’t for your ordinary frazzled mom or pop wondering how to get their kid to stop grumbling and do his chores. In one post, “[Why Parent-Child Relationships Go Sour](http://www.scientologyparent.com/parent-child-relationships-sour/),” blogger Tad Reeves talks about the principle of “exchange” — in which children give back to their family — and quotes Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard: “Parental-child relationships are sour, really, only for one good reason. And that is because the child cannot contribute equally to the parent contributions. This demonstrates the child to be much less powerful than the parents; it makes him — puts him in a bad way.” In another post, Reeves rails against the prescription of psychiatric drugs to children, warning that _“_if someone ever, ever attempts to label the _normal_ behavior of my children and push them onto mind-destroying drugs — Lord help them.” His comments echo the against-the-grain [statements that Cruise made](http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/8343367/ns/today-entertainment/t/im-passionate-about-life/#.T%5FJD5u0rpeQ) in 2005 about actress Brooke Shields’ postpartum [depression](http://topics.time.com/depression/), which she treated with Paxil. In a contentious interview, Cruise told _Today_ show host Matt Lauer that “there’s no such thing as a chemical imbalance” and that antidepressants only “mask the problem.” Shields, Cruise went on, should have used vitamins and exercise to heal herself: --- > “” --- It’s possible that Holmes, who was raised Catholic, first started getting cold feet as Suri’s due date approached. Cruise reportedly wanted Holmes to have a “silent birth” — a Scientologist’s ideal way to deliver a child. According to Scientology Newsroom, the church’s official media resource center, founder Hubbard [stated](http://www.scientologynews.org/faq/what-is-silent-birth.html) that “particularly during birth, absolute silence must be maintained” by everyone around the mother (the no-words rule doesn’t apply to the mother herself; the site notes that “it is doubtful that any woman could give birth without making any noise at all.” For sure, there’s little to argue with in that statement). Scientology Newsroom explains: --- > “” --- (**MORE:** [Losing Your Religion? Analytic Thinking Weakens Religious Belief](http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/27/losing-your-religion-analytic-thinking-weakens-religious-belief/)) Practices like silent birth, along with adherence to other strict moral and practical guidelines, have prompted critics to label Scientology a cult. “Scientology is a potentially unsafe, if not dangerous, organization,” Rick Ross, a New Jersey–based expert on cults and controversial movements who has served as an expert witness in court cases, [told](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/03/entertainment-us-tomcruise-katieholmes-idUSBRE85S16M20120703) Reuters. “I’ve received complaint after complaint over the years from former members.” Children raised according to the tenets of Scientology are given a tremendous amount of responsibility and are allowed to make significant decisions; some are even able to decide when to start formal schooling. If finances permit, they attend one of about 50 Scientology schools in the U.S. or receive religious tutoring that supplements public-school education. In theory, parents help construct a self-contained world for children, so all their teachers — including dance instructors and soccer coaches — ideally practice Scientology. Author Janet Reitman has more insight than most into the beliefs of Scientologists. She wrote [_Inside Scientology_](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb%5Fsb%5Fss%5Fi%5F0%5F12?url=search-alias%3daps&field-keywords=inside+scientology&sprefix=inside+scien%2caps%2c232), which was published last July and based in part on her 2006 [article in _Rolling Stone_](http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/inside-scientology-20110208) that focused on the experience of young Scientologists. In this excerpt from the article, she talks about Natalie Walet, whom Reitman met when Walet was a 17-year-old practitioner: --- > “” --- Tensions in the Cruise-Holmes household had reportedly been simmering for a while over how central a role Scientology should play in Suri’s life. Apparently, Holmes is not a big fan of bubbles. **MORE:** [Study: Religious Folks Have a Sunnier Outlook](http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/11/study-religious-folks-have-a-sunnier-outlook/) Cruise-Holmes Divorce: Is It About Scientology Parenting? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/"},"headline":"Scientology Parenting: Do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Disagree on Religion for Suri?","datePublished":"2012-07-03T18:09:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T10:23:19.430Z","description":"The announcement on Friday that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Tom Cruise didn’t come as a surprise to many who’ve questioned the relationship...","url":"https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/","keywords":["Divorce"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt407f20e087493a92/698a936e18689216c56ce3dd/128802287-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt407f20e087493a92/698a936e18689216c56ce3dd/128802287-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"128802287.resize","caption":"","creditText":"James Devaney/Contributor / WireImage / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7138150/scientology-parenting-do-tom-cruise-and-katie-holmes-disagree-on-religion-for-suri/","name":"Scientology Parenting: Do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Disagree on Religion for Suri?"}}]}] ```