 Tom Cruise, Scientology-Video [Medal of Valor], 2008 The Church of Scientology bases its activities on the book Dianetics (1950) by its founder L. Ron Hubbard, the cult figure in his own strategic design for a religion. How scientology denotes its practices, like, Auditing, Processing or Clear, is reminiscent of technical functions, such as, for example, of a video or tape recorder. This demonstrates how close scientology's understanding of human beings as a medium is to techniques in media and in psychology. The video to be shown is an internal training video, in which the actor Tom Cruise advocates the "knowledge about knowledge" [etymological for scientology] to the rhythm of the music for his film hit Mission Impossible. It did the rounds in the internet at the beginning of 2008 and, however, generated anti-propaganda by dint of such a context outside of the sect. A further video from the scientologists shows the actor at the awarding of a "Medal of Valor" by the sect. Cruise harangues his audience in a frenetic speech of thanks. Using popularity for advertising products and ideologies is not new, but these videos do show particularly clearly how these areas are becoming increasingly blurred – the person of the actor, his film roles and his religious convictions are inextricably interwoven: the actor becomes the medium for his faith.  Tom Cruise, Scientology-Video [Medal of Valor], 2008 Tom Cruise, Scientology-Video [Monologue], 2004 video (colour, sound) 0:53 min. and 9:35 min., loop http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=H-C-wupe76E&feature=related (15.10.2008) http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0 (15.10.2008)
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