New York: Scientologists are planning their defense strategy in the wake of Tom Cruise`s split from Katie Holmes.
Leaders of the controversial church group sent a hastily-penned email to their members on Thursday morning giving them tips on how to handle the barrage of negative media the high-profile divorce has already generated.
“When people start to bring our religion into the middle and a bunch of uninformed people start to spread false datum, rumors and defame our religion it became a matter that does affect my Dynamics and I believe that affects yours as well,” the New York Daily News quoted Scientologist Daniele Lattanzi as writing in the e-mail.
“I am not somebody that I am going to simply stand and watch a bunch of uninformed people putting my religion under the carpet,” Lattanzi wrote.
The full email has been posted on a blog by Marty Rathbun, a former Scientologist who exiled himself from the church which many liken to a cult.
The mail was distributed by the Office of Special Affairs, which Rathbun describes as the “dirty tricks and propaganda arm of Scientology Inc.”
In it, recipients had been given details of ways to take action against derogatory online messages which have flooded cyberspace since Cruise, a passionate Scientologist, discovered his wife was leaving him.
Members have been urged to scour the Internet for offensive statements and report them to website monitors with a note explaining that the comments are in violation of the code of conduct.
“If [there] is only one person (me) reporting these issues, the moderator at Microsoft will not take the comment off,” Lattanzi wrote.
“If you start to have 10 or 20 people reporting it, they are going to take this down,” he added.
The attempt to control Scientology’s public image comes amid rumors that the 33-year-old actress was fearful of the influence the religion was having on Suri, her 6-year-old daughter with Cruise.
Sources close to the 50-year-old actor have claimed that the couple’s split did not stem from religious differences.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.