Tom Cruise Champions Scientology in Video
Jan. 15, 2008 — -- As an unauthorized biography about Tom Cruise debuts in bookstores today, what appear to be videos of the actor championing his commitment to Scientology are appearing and disappearing all over the Internet.
The source of the clips is unclear. Some outlets say they're church promotional videos taped in 2004, others claim they're from a 2006 Scientology awards ceremony where Cruise accepted the IAS Freedom Medal of Valor.
Neither Cruise's publicist nor the Church of Scientology have responded to ABCNEWS.com's requests for comment.
In the videos, Cruise says it's the responsibility of Scientologists to "educate, to create that new reality" and "bring peace and unite cultures" because they're the only ones "that can really help." He talks about how the religion changed his life, how "there is nothing better than going out there and fighting the fight."
The blog Gawker.com posted one video Tuesday morning, saying it had "been passed around privately by reporters and writers investigating Cruise's ties with Scientology" and noting that a similar clip previously posted on YouTube "is no longer available, most likely after the Church of Scientology sent in a copyright infringement notice."
In the video, Cruise appears to be talking to an interviewer, and there are a handful of edits: questions seem to be cut out and Cruise's comments sometimes end abruptly. A stripped-down version of the "Mission Impossible" theme song plays in the background.
In the first moments of the video, Cruise says, "Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it's not like anyone else. As you drive past, you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help."
He continues to discuss the responsibilities of Scientologists: "Traveling the world and meeting the people that I've met and talking with these leaders in various fields … they want help. They are depending on people who know and who can be effective and do it. And that's us. That is our responsibility to do that."
