Germany imposes ban on Tom Cruise

[Papa Schlumpf]

BBC News posted:

Germany imposes ban on Tom Cruise
Germany has banned the makers of Tom Cruise's new movie from filming at military sites in the country because the actor is a Scientologist.
The German defence ministry said Cruise has "publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult".
Scientology masquerades as a religion to make money, Germany said, but leaders of the church reject this.
Cruise's producing partner Paula Wagner said the star's own convictions had no relation to the film's content.
"Personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on the movie's plot or themes," she said.

'Heroic and principled'
Scientology has been monitored in Germany in the belief that its activities are "directed against the free democratic order" in the country.
Its status there as a commercial enterprise has prompted repeated protests from the organisation.
Cruise will play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in Valkyrie, leader of the 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler using a bomb hidden in a briefcase, scheduled for release next year.
German defence ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said that Germany's military "has a special interest in the serious and authentic portrayal of the events of July 20, 1944 and Stauffenberg's person".
Wagner said Cruise's portrayal in the film would be as a "heroic and principled figure", while "Germany is the only place we can truly do the story justice".
"We believe the film will go a long way toward reminding the world that even within the ranks of the German military, there was real resistance to the Nazi regime," she added.
Stauffenberg's son Berthold told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper earlier this week that he objected to Cruise taking the role because of his involvement with Scientology.
"He should keep his hands off my father," Mr von Stauffenberg said.
Mr Kammerbauer, meanwhile, said that official requests for filming in the country had yet to be received.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6240312.stm

Well, this should be an interesting development.

[Target]

I just have to say, Well Done Germany!!

[Black Baron]

Hmm, question to the moderators- Will discussions of scientology be banned due to moratorium?

I will comment more after i will know the answer.

[Lord of Alcohol]

Originally posted by Black Baron: Hmm, question to the moderators- Will discussions of scientology be banned due to moratorium? I will comment more after i will know the answer.

Only Xenu knows

[johnny]

Nah, it's okay, scientology is not a religeon, it's an idiocy.

[Larry_OHF]

Let's not discuss the religion or what it is or is not.

Instead, the topic should ask the question as to why a country would have a prejudice against a personal belief. Would he be proselyting? I would not think so. Too busy working on the scenes, I'd assume. Would it make Germans want to learn more of his faith? I don't know how much time an actor spends in local establishments hanging out with the "commoners" because Cruise is one of Hollywood's "royal A-Class".

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

A hardy "Amen"!

Edit: And a hardy welcome to Papa Smurf! ..for them what cannot translate. I will be going home to Germany in August. It's only been 32 short years!

[ 06-26-2007, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Variol (Farseer) Elmwood ]

[Jaradu]

Though I'd usually be the last person to play devil's advocate for Scientology, even if it is "directed against the free democratic order", surely banning it is exactly that?

[Black Baron]

Jaradu-sometimes democrasy has to defend itself.
I will refrain from mentioning some known facts about scientology (and especially its founder), due to moratorium.

I trust your imagination to fill up the gaps.

[Iron Greasel]

Scientologists are kinda odd, but I'm not sure you should ban them. And I'm worried that Germany will try to spread this to the rest of the European Union. They're already on a crusade against anything in any way related to Hitler.