December 30, 2005 -- WAS Tom Cruise's baby-mama-to-be, Katie Holmes, the gay son of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in a past life? That's the bizarre tale making the rounds among some former high-ranking members of the sci-fi faith, which subscribes to the notion that believers are "born again into the flesh of another body." The Post's Philip Recchia reports that the ridiculous rumor was posted anonymously on a Web site accessible only to ex-lifetime church members. The story could cause problems, as Hubbard's son, Quentin, died in Las Vegas in 1976 at 22 after being found comatose in his car with the engine running. Conspiracy theorists claim he was bumped off because of his alleged homosexuality - which daddy L. Ron called an "illness" - and the fact that he was planning to leave the church. The Holmes reincarnation theory is even weirder considering that Cruise is sometimes thought to be the incarnation of Hubbard himself - which would make his relationship with Holmes incestuous. But former church members say the tale could have been posted on the site by current Scientologists as a lure to trick them "into spreading it - and so discredit us," said Chuck Beatty, who left Scientology in 2003 after 27 years.