Conner Cruise Rebelling Against Scientology

Conner Cruise is rebelling against his father Tom Cruise's views on religion.

Most kids spend their childhood under their parents’ thumbs — it kind of goes with the territory. But a family friend says that Tom has been unusually strict, and that Connor is finally getting sick of it. “He’s starting to rebel against his father and the other components in their life, maybe even Scientology,” the friend says. Connor was raised in Tom’s controversial religion, but he has recently been seen wearing Christian symbols, like crosses and a Jesus pendant. “He wants to be independent,” the friend says, “but Tom doesn’t want to give up control over his son.”

From the outside, Connor Cruise looks like one of the luckiest kids on the planet: His parents and stepparents are world-famous entertainers and — materially, at least — he wants for nothing. But the truth is tragically more complicated. As a source close to him tells In Touch, “Connor has always had a difficult relationship with his parents, and it has definitely affected him. He has broken down crying about it.”

The 16-year-old (as well as his sister, Isabella, 18) was adopted by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman when he was a newborn. And he has long strugged with insecurity about his place in the family. “When he was young,” the source says, “Tom was always off doing his thing, working like a mandman. He traveled all the time, and was totally focused on his career. When he came home, he didn’t always have much left to give.” While Tom’s rep unsurprisingly denies the story, as a result, the source claims Tom, 49, and Connor’s relationship became strange and cold. “Tom is a very difficult man to get to know on a deep level. It’s almost like he treats Connor like a business associate rather than a son.”

Unfortuantely, Connor’s relationship with Nicole isn’t any better. “She wasn’t the best mom to him and Isabella,” the source says. His parents divorced in 2001, when Connor was just 6. And though, for a time, Nicole made an effort to stay involved in her kids’ lives, she had a miscarriage after Tom started the divorce proceedings, and it was hard for her to cope. “She forgot so many things, like school pickups and projects; she was a wreck, and probably had trouble giving them the affection they needed from her,” the source says.

Eventually, Nicole moved back to Australia. The source thinks Connor had been dealing with abandonment issues as a result o being adopted, and it was possibly the worst thing that could have happened. Until, that is, his half-siblings were born and he saw how differently their lives are from his.

On one hand, yes, Suri — Tom’s daughter with Katie Holmes — has a strange, sheltered life. But her parents also unabashedly lavish the 5-year-old with attention, fancy family trips and essentially whateve her heart desires materially. And Connor has had to watch jealously from the wings as his icy father grows warmer and warmer to his half-sister. “Connor loves Suri,” the source says. “But he also thinks she gets a lot more of Tom’s time and attention than they ever got.” The same goes for Nicole’s daughters with her husband, Keith Urban.

Now, the family friend says, “Connor is at a crossroads in his life. He’s been pushing for more freedom — he wants to drive a car and date whomever he chooses.” And this could spark a major war at home with his control-freak dad, who’s so notoriously stubborn about his beliefs. But ultimately, Connor’s move to separate himself from the family could be a good thing. And ironically, it may just be the best way to finally get Tom’s attention.

[From In Touch, print edition, November 21, 2011]

Jacked from Cele|Bitchy