Why ‘Superman’ Christopher Reeve Lost Faith in Scientology
On what would’ve been Christopher Reeve’s 69th birthday in 2021, Google honored the late Superman actor with a Doodle on its search page.
Appreciative of the gesture, his family noted Reeve’s courage, optimism, and achievement of impossible goals. No mention was made of Reeve’s involvement with the Church of Scientology or why he lost faith in the controversial religion.
A brief bio of Christopher Reeve
Born Christopher D’Olier Reeve in New York City on September 25, 1952, Reeve honed his acting skills at Cornell University. He moved on to the prestigious Juilliard School and various European stages before turning his talent and good looks to the American soap opera Love of Life.
Reeve started working on the New York-based soap in 1975. According to his autobiography, Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life, ’75 was the same year he looked into (and lost interest in) Scientology.
Reeve’s five-episode role as Ben Harper in the daytime drama didn’t exactly make him a household name. His 1978 film debut in Gray Lady Down didn’t either. Bulking up and donning the tights and cape of Superman for a five-film run firmly embedded Reeve in the pantheon of true movie stars.
Despite — or perhaps because of — the fame of Superman, Reeve made a concerted effort to take on a range of different roles, including Richard Collier in the romance fantasy, Somewhere in Time, Clifford Anderson in the comedic whodunit, Death Trap, and Blaine Bingham in the 1998 crime mystery, Changing Channels, explains Britannica.
Three years after a 1995 equestrian incident left the six-foot-four actor paralyzed from the neck down, Reeve’s first memoir, Still Me, revealed that in his anguished post-accident state, he considered ending his own life. Still, his wife “talked him back from the metaphorical edge.”
Before the turn of the 21st century, the stricken actor and his wife established the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Reeve appeared in a 1998 remake of the Hitchcock classic Rear Window.
According to his official website, Reeve died from cardiac arrest on October 10, 2004. Reeve’s widow, Dana, was diagnosed with cancer the following year and died in March 2006.
How Christopher Reeve got into and out of Scientology
As he explained in Nothing is Impossible, Reeve was 22 years old and living in Manhattan when he encountered a young man with a sign offering a no-obligation, free personality test.
Reeve accepted the offer. He made his way to the sixth-floor headquarters of the Church of Scientology. He provided his name, social security number, mother’s maiden name, and other personal info.
Reeve took the test before being told there was no score, merely an assessment, and that his personality test showed the actor to be deeply depressed and carrying “heavy baggage” from previous lives. Scientology assessors recommended that Reeve begin Scientology “training” immediately. According to Nothing is Impossible excerpts published by DataLounge, Reeve returned the next day.
A big part of Scientology involves a process called auditing. An auditing session may be conducted one-on-one or in a group. During a session, the Scientology novice, or “pre-clear,” is asked questions designed to help them confront their existence, reports the Scientology website.
During an auditing session, Reeve disclosed a past life “story” that was actually a modified accounting of a Greek myth. Trained to listen without expressing emotion, the auditor appeared to be moved by Reeve’s tall tale. This did not register on the Scientology “E-meter” as a lie. The actor explained:
“I didn’t expect my auditor to be familiar with Greek mythology; I was simply relying on her ability, assisted by the E-Meter, to discern the truth. The fact that I got away with a blatant fabrication completely devalued my belief in the process.”
Other celebs who have lost faith in Scientology
Reeve never got as deeply into Scientology as celebs Tom Cruise, Juliette Lewis, and Kirstie Alley. It didn’t take him as long to break ties with the religion as former Scientologist Leah Remini.
The erstwhile King of Queens star was an adamant supporter of Scientology. However, Remini began to resent how the church disallowed questions regarding Scientology doctrine in 2006. She is no longer associated with the organization, reported Rolling Stone.
According to Ex-Scientology Kids, persons who leave Scientology may lose contact with their families due to the church’s “disconnection policy.” Nonetheless, a lot of people have managed to get away.
Celebs who successfully fled Scientology include Demi Moore and her G.I. Jane co-star, Jason Beghe, late actor Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, Mimi Rogers, says E News Online.
