The Church of Scientology is a religion that gets criticized often. One of the main beliefs of scientology is the urge or impulses that people have in order to survive. It seems that Scientology has a negative connotation because people view it as a cult. That people are lured into this church and they have a difficult time leaving. Also, people feel that the rules set forth by the church are too strict and require too much from someone.
Celebrities are often heard speaking about scientology. This may explain why people might hate Cruise because he is a Scientologist, but it is difficult to judge a religion when you have not experienced it yet. After divorcing, some tabloids claimed that Katie Holmes divorced him due to his religion.