MEDIA WATCH | THE GUARDIAN

The New Trend Is Tolerance and Understanding—You Should Try It

Religion is a deeply personal thing. Don’t trash another’s, for it opens wide the doors for others to trash what you value.

July 10, 2018

Hadley Freeman
The Guardian

Dear Ms. Freeman,

I read your very interesting selection of Tom Cruise’s top 20 movies. In reading through them I had no real disagreement with any of your selections other than that you skipped over “The Last Samurai” which I found one of his most majestic.

However my purpose for writing is that in your article you inserted two slights about Tom Cruise’s religion, which are misplaced, unnecessary and snide. Scientology is also my religion.

Injecting these slights lowers the quality of your analysis and writing to the level of tabloid titter. The large majority of thinking public resent bigoted and hurtful remarks, which are at best a regurgitation of someone else’s malice.

Would you say, “Catholic bullshittery” or “Hindu weirdness”? Unlikely. Well, it is the same thing here.

I’d also venture to say that you’ve never set foot in a Scientology Church nor watched scientology.tv, our 24/7 television network channel. Assuming these to be true, that would make you a bigot, at least on this subject.

Religion is a deeply personal thing. Don’t trash another’s, for it opens wide the doors for others to trash what you value.

Our world needs more tolerance and understanding. You, with your influence, can add to the positives religion holds for people.

Sincerely,

Alicia Selverson
New York, NY