Church of Scientology
Tom Cruise’s religion debuted a new commercial during the 2017 Super Bowl. The controversial Church of Scientology’s commercial asked viewers if they were “Curious?” about the religion. Famously, Scientology enjoys tax exempt status as a religious or charitable organization. The commercial clocked in a 30 seconds meaning, judging by various reports, the church shelled out $5 million to Roger Goodell to their message on TV. The clip shows the church’s logo at Time’s Square and on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The ad ends with the words, “Curious? We thought so,” appearing on the screen.
Obviously, the presence of the ad amid commercials for cars and soft drinks caused quite a stir on Twitter:
That Scientology ad was the best!
For those tweeting about the Scientology commercials….they do it every year. Their tax-exempt money at work…which means you’re paying for it.
Fuck Scientology. Everyone avert your eyes!
Yes, 2018 makes sense now: Scientology commercial on during the #SuperBowl.
It’s 2018 and the Church of Scientology just paid millions of dollars to air a commercial during the Super Bowl
A Scientology commercial…next thing is going to be a Chinese food comercial…I can’t with 2018
In the immediate aftermath of the airing of the commercial, the church tweeted a quote from founder L. Ron Hubbard that reads, “No man is happy without a goal and no man can be happy without faith in his own ability to reach that goal.” Hubbard was a native of Tilden, Nebraska, so it’s unclear who he would be rooting for in a game between Boston and Philadelphia.
It has been a tough few years for the church with some high-profile defections coupled with former member Leah Remini’s documentary indictment of the religion. In late January, tabloids began reporting rumors that Tom Cruise was preparing to leave the church to be closer with his daughter, Suri. A source quoted by Hollywood Life said that Cruise had “reached the breaking point, and something has to give. If he wants her back, he’ll have to walk away from the church, which has been a huge part of his life, to say the least. Leaving Scientology would be the toughest decision he’ll ever have to make!”
