Religion. Tom Cruise and the Scientologists.

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If my increasing suspicion of religion needs any justification, one only needs to point to Scientology. Tom Cruise has probably done irreprable damage to his credibility within the last year for his zealous defence of the religion.
(Anyone who argues that Scientology isn't a real religion, then consider how Christianity, Judaism or Islam would have been regarded in their first fifty years of existence. Jews were enslaved for decades by the Ancient Pharoahs of Egypt, Christians were repeatedly thrown to the lions by the Romans, and a few hundred years later, Christians from England went half way across the known world to butcher Muslims in the Crusades. All these acts took place because a new religion was deemed crazy, and downright wrong).

In a career that was defined by constantly hitting the top of the box office, and promotional posters that only needed to include his face, Tom Cruise could do no wrong in Hollywood. In roles, such as The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, or The Last Samurai, he even showed he could act when he wanted to. He has had to bat off allegations that he is gay throughout his career, but that is probably to maintain his teenybopper fanbase (his sexuality is of no interest to me, whatsoever).

However, last year, he fired his publicist, prior to the release of The War of the Worlds.

Since then, he has constantly flouted his devotion to Scientology, starting by denouncing his friend, Brooke Shields, for using anti-depression medication to overcome post-natal depression.
He has since gone on to openly attempt to convert his new girlfriend, Katie Holmes to the ways of Scientology, and these have become increasingly dictatorial, by the sounds of things. He insisted they wed in a Scientology ceremony, despite Holmes' parents wishes to have a traditional Christian wedding (they are practising Catholics), and insisted the birth of their child be 'silent', meaning she has to endure excrutiating pain, without screaming.

Now, you may be wondering why I am using this to denounce religion. Well, Tom's stringent adherence to stupid practices, is no different than the numerous examples of stupidity exhibited by zealots in any religion.
Politicians in the Southern States of America who want to win the votes of the Christian conservatives support Christian anti-abortionists, who claim that God is the only person who can take a person's life, but yet are also advocates of the death penalty.
In the Phillipines, they practice traditional Catholicism, not the watered-down version we in the West are accustomed to, which entails an Easter Ritual complete with repeatedly whipping yourself in order to repent for any sins.
If a baby had died before being baptised in medievil Britain/Ireland, it would be buried outside the cemetery (in fact, this practice went on up until the 20s in some places) because it had not been cleansed of The Original Sin (which, by definition, renders inaccurate any claim that babies are 'innocent'), and the same punishment applied to children born out of wedlock.
Taliban regimes would stone a woman to death, if she got raped, because she had presented the temptation to the man.
Judaism believes that defacing a child's penis (circumcision) somehow brings them closer to God, (I have actually been having trouble finding the spiritual function of circumcision, which may prove its fallacy).

Faith is very important to a lot of people, and I do not have a problem with that. However, Religion stifles faith, and sets limits on faith. Who can say that by not having sex before getting married will give you a free pass to Heaven. How do we know that the Rastafarians are not correct in saying that smoking cannabis brings one spiritually closer to and Higher Being?

If everyone was encouraged to believe in what they think is spiritually accurate, as opposed to being indoctrinated into one absolute belief, and encouraged to believe everything else is wrong, the world would be a considerably more peaceful place.