Tom Cruise, a long-time and sometimes outspoken member of Scientology, may be ready to finally split from the church. According to a report by Star magazine, his lack of relationship with his daughter Suri is pushing him to make this decision.

A recent phone call with his daughter made Cruise realize that he needed to change things.

According to an insider:

She was going on and on about her ballet class and how much she loves it. That’s when Tom realized he’s never seen her perform ballet and he started to tear up…It hit him that she’s growing up before his eyes and he’s not there to witness most of it. They talk on the phone and video chat, but it’s not the same.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes share joint custody with Suri, but the church is putting pressure on Cruise over the arrangement.

The insider add:

Tom has been under tremendous pressure where Suri and Katie are concerned because the church doesn’t want him close to them. They can’t stand that their own poster boy isn’t raising his child in the church…If they label Suri a suppressive person (a Scientology term for an enemy of the church), as they’ve been known to do with dissenters, that would make it hard for Tom to have a relationship with her. He’s between a rock and a hard place, but he’s finally making a choice to put his daughter first.

Former high-ranking church member Chris Shelton said if Cruise truly wants to leave the church, he is in for real battle. he told Hollywood Life that those leaving Scientology come under intense pressure from the church.

“For anyone who leaves the church of Scientology, there would be massive consequences. There are always consequences for leaving the church. The church has demonstrated that they have no qualms whatsoever about releasing so called confidential audits of members who leave. These audits are supposed to be confidential, but have been used against members, who are considered ‘suppressive people’ because they left the church. You have to remember — Tom has been part of the church since the 1980’s. That’s a long time. He has surrounded himself with Scientologists. If he left the church, he would have to ‘disconnect’ from the rest of his family who are in the church. That includes his older children, too.”

Cruise, 53, has long defended Scientology and the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. When the documentary “Going Clear” came out exposing many questionable practices that go on in Scientology, he called it “a one-sided false diatribe” from “bitter, vengeful apostates.”









