Paul Haggis Renounces Church of Scientology in Blistering Letter
The Church of Scientology has long claimed many of Hollywood's most elite talents amongst its members, but now, one famous Scientologist is leaving the church, and he's not going quietly. In a candid, confrontational letter to Scientology top brass that's just been published online, Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis (Crash) details the abuses and cover-ups that have forced him to to leave Scientology after 35 years. It's a must-read.
The letter was originally published in four parts on the blog of ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun, and it's directed at Scientology's current national spokesman, Tommy Davis. In it, Haggis takes Davis to task for doing nothing after the church's San Diego branch publicly sponsored the anti-gay Proposition 8.
As you know, for ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church of Scientology of San Diego. [...] I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated.
In that first conversation, back at the end of October of last year, you told me you were horrified, that you would get to the bottom of it and "heads would roll." You promised action. Ten months passed. No action was forthcoming. The best you offered was a weak and carefully worded press release, which praised the church's human rights record and took no responsibility. Even that, you decided not to publish.
The church's refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.
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Comments
Holy shit.
Oh my god. What a powerful letter.
I didn't know the Church had that stance against Prop 8. I knew of the isolation tactics, but I can't believe he had to go through that in his own family. So sick.
I disliked how Crash won the Oscar over Brokeback Mountain, but now I'm the biggest Crash and Paul Haggis fan. And he's Canadian to boot!
This better me all over the news soon. And so soon after the Nightline special on Scientology. Juicy! But it must be terrifying for him. The secrets they have on him.
Maybe that's why high profile celebrity members don't leave. The Secrets!
Wow. Wonder what the Cruiser's response will be to that.
But does he still believe we're clusters of bug-people? BUT DOES HE STILL BELIEVE WE'RE ALL CLUSTERS OF BUG-PEOPLE??
So called screenwriter and director Paul Haggis's claims about the Church of Scientology are absolutely ridiculous. They are so offensive as to be not worth responding to. In fact, I am not responding to them, right now. The insinuation that the Church of Scientology would ever use private information to smear it's critics is offensive and vulgar. Why would we need to smear them when they are obviously child molesters? This is a man who, I have it on good authority, poos in his pants. Is that someone we should take seriously? While he is off raping grandma's the CoS is saving lives and ensuring human rights. I once caught a fish so big that Aerosmith asked me to hang out backstage with them, and the suggestion that I did not is profoundly and inescapably homosexual.
Okay, Paul, you asked for it. Don't be surprised when you are startled awake at 3am in the morning by a shadowy Tom Cruise shaped figure sitting just outside your property line and laughing manically.
Wow, major cognitive dissonance - my deep dislike of Crash vs. the pleasure of finally seeing a HW "name" have the balls to call out CoS. I didn't even know that CoS supported Prop 8; just one more strike against an already scary organization (Psychiatry kills? Really?).
GOOD FOR HAGGIS! SCIENTOLOGY IS AN EVIL CULT WHOSE CREATOR, L. RON HUBBARD, WAS AS MANICALLY INSANE AND WICKED AS HITLER.
Hurray! Maybe if Paul digs deep enough, he can turn Russell Miller's book about Hubbard, "Bare-Faced Messiah" into a movie.
Meanwhile, if this news can reach some of the Hollywood dupes who are in this abusive money-sucking cult of space cadets, and they read about the disconnection, prison camp, and the dictator Slappy Miscavige beating up the underlings. Come on, get a clue!
I'm surprised it took him 35 years to realize it was a cult. Or does he even now realize it?
It is a straight up evil, destructive cult.
Scientology puts celebrities on a different track where they get all the special treatment. They get much better treatment then the run of the mill sucker that joins.
f-ing brilliant. hahaha!
Well!! The reply from Tommy Davis shows a lack of intelligence and morals, and as such, backs up Haggis's stand against CoS.
What a great writer. Powerful, well-written truth -- good on you and may your honesty inspire othesr to move into the light and out of fear.
Good for him, but more needs to be done.
This letter does nothing to further expose the insane beliefs of this destructive cult.
We must get their nonprofit status stripped, their financial center needs to be attacked.
Satire detection systems in need of repair.
One less talent in the clutches of the cult.
Scientology is not a church. Misnomer. It is a cult, a club anything else you can think of calling it, but it is not a Church. Hubbard wrote science fiction novels and brought this one to life.
Powerful stuff. What is interesting is the process he's gone through that compelled him to search, read, ponder and act on material and information that has been openly available for some time.
Finally, Scientology is going down. After all that they have been doing with Travolta, is good to see that hollywood people are finally waking up.
Are you really surprised, Mr. Haggis? The poster child for Scientology is Tom Cruise, the biggest homophobe in the world. Please read Bronson Pinchot's comments about him:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/21/bronson-pinchot-bette-mid_n_328319.html
And remember that poster children are ALWAYS sick, sick, sick.
I too am surprised that after 35 years he did not recognize the cancer that was the core of Scientology teachings. Perhaps this underlines the idea that celebrities are not required to undergo the slavish indoctrination that ordinary members have to endure.
Mr Haggis is in the position to become a great humanist from this experience, to examine the racist and oppressive teachings that make up L Ron's doctrine, and ensure that he stands up against it publicly.
For instance, why did Tom Cruise call people "squirrels stuck in an electronic incident" earlier this week? That is what is called "loaded language." It is a cult indoctrination tool. Scientology is full of loaded language. It is impossible to follow Scientology and still be a free thinker.
'"Loading the language" is another common theme in a cultic setting. A special jargon that gives the members a feeling of exclusiveness and that they possess some esoteric knowledge. This "loaded language" helps build solidarity amongst an elite group that speak the same cultic verbiage/lingo."
http://www.rickross.com/reference/general/general431.html
SEE! This kind of drama is the only thing religion is good for!
I saw a British film a few months ago of a person who infiltrated a COS in England. They made this woman write down all of the sex partners she had ever had, wanted all of the minute details of her encounters, wanted to know about anything that she had done in her life that would be deemed offensive and/or illegal by the authorities. When she asked why they wanted that kind of personal info she was told so the COS could help her rid herself of negativity and become a more evolved being. She was unknowingly filmed everytime she was on the COS premises and discovered this fact when she was left alone in a room where there were papers out in the open on a desk. When she attempted to take some of them to the restroom to read and then return them she was promptly accused of theft, lead through the halls of the building and vilified by other members who worked there and forcefully escorted from the premises. IF this is what happens to members of the COS then that is a very great manipulating tool to keep people quiet and in line. Blackmail is an ugly word. It would seem to be synonymous with COS.
Have you seen his movies? The things that man considers believable would make you seasick.
If people in a cult could figure out they're in a cult, then they wouldn't be in the cult in the first place, would they?
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