Paul Haggis Renounces Church of Scientology in Blistering Letter

After that incident left a bad taste in his mouth, a curious Haggis found an online interview with Davis where the spokesman denied the claim that Scientologists practice a policy of "disconnection," in which members cut off contact with loved ones who forsake or advocate against the religion. Haggis knew better.

I was shocked. We all know this policy exists. I didn't have to search for verification - I didn't have to look any further than my own home.

You might recall that my wife was ordered to disconnect from her parents because of something absolutely trivial they supposedly did twenty-five years ago when they resigned from the church. This is a lovely retired couple, never said a negative word about Scientology to me or anyone else I know - hardly raving maniacs or enemies of the church. In fact it was they who introduced my wife to Scientology.

Although it caused her terrible personal pain, my wife broke off all contact with them. I refused to do so. I've never been good at following orders, especially when I find them morally reprehensible.

For a year and a half, despite her protestations, my wife did not speak to her parents and they had limited access to their grandchild. It was a terrible time. [...] To see you lie so easily, I am afraid I had to ask myself: what else are you lying about?

From there, Haggis's research intensified, and he came across a series of articles in the St. Petersburg Times that quoted many high-level defectors from the church of Scientology -- defectors like Amy Scobee, who had been subsequently smeared by church officials using sensitive information they'd learned during Scobee's audit sessions. Haggis was livid; it was the final straw.

How dare you use private information in order to label someone an "adulteress?" You took Amy Scobee's most intimate admissions about her sexual life and passed them onto the press and then smeared them all over the pages your newsletter! I do not know the woman, but no matter what she said or did, this is the woman who joined the Sea Org at 16! She ran the entire celebrity center network, and was a loyal senior executive of the church for what, 20 years? You want to rebut her accusations, do it, and do it in the strongest terms possible - but that kind of character assassination is unconscionable.

So, I am now painfully aware that you might see this an attack and just as easily use things I have confessed over the years to smear my name. Well, luckily I have never held myself up to be anyone's role model.

The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others. I have to believe that if they knew what I now know, they too would be horrified. But I know how easy it was for me to defend our organization and dismiss our critics, without ever truly looking at what was being said; I did it for thirty-five years. And so, after writing this letter, I am fully aware that some of my friends may choose to no longer associate with me, or in some cases work with me. I will always take their calls, as I always took yours. However, I have finally come to the conclusion that I can no longer be a part of this group. Frankly, I had to look no further than your refusal to denounce the church's anti-gay stance, and the indefensible actions, and inactions, of those who condone this behavior within the organization. I am only ashamed that I waited this many months to act. I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology.

Sincerely, Paul Haggis

A Very Important Letter [Moving On Up a Little Higher]

'Crash' Director Paul Haggis Ditches Scientology [Village Voice via Movie City News]

Pages: 1 2



Comments

  • Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told used to be a enjoyment account it.
    Look complex to far delivered agreeable from you! However, how can we keep up a correspondence?