Former Scientologist Claims Tom Cruise Threatened To Beat Disobedient Church Members

Hmm, this is a little messy.

Here's the situation: Former Scientologist official Marty Rathbun - a trusted lieutenant to church leader David Miscavige - is making claims about the way three insubordinate officials, Marc Yager, Guillaume Leserve and Ray Mithoff, were treated.

Rathbun alleges in a letter that Miscavige demanded some 80-100 managers at an incarcerated facility known as The Hole to be harsher when eliciting confessions from the three insubordinate officials...

Rathbun then writes: "Miscavige said that Tom [Cruise] had vowed to come to The Hole and personally 'beat the living sh*t' out of Yager, Leserve and Mithoff if the managers failed to do so themselves. In response, the mob rushed at the three targeted gentlemen and continued to pound until each had two black eyes."

Of course, Cruise's lawyer Bert Fields and church spokesperson Tommy Davis completely deny this claim, even calling Rathbun "an admitted liar." Still, it's all pretty graphic!