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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What I am hearing is this:
Haggis has been taking heat for being a Scientologist for a while now. It's never all that shocking or feels like much of an intellectual loss to hear which moron actor was snookered, but when it comes to writer-directors no one loves gambling fifty million dollars on the personal worldview of a lunatic.
So, "Nightline" has pounced, the "church" is on the ropes, and hey, knowing when the coast was suddenly clear to send a falling bigwig a (oxymoron alert) "courageous email" sure didn't hurt Joe Esterhaus.
And look, gays! What cover could be more perfect? Everybody feels sorry for them lately. I suppose it is a bit convenient and unlikely that my conscience kicking in a year late caused me to seek out long-available information, but I've spun worse into Oscar!
I guess that year the Academy was dead set on honoring straights who uncomfortably exploit gays in the name of celebrating them.
That was my first thought. What in the hell took him so long? Good that he came up for air. I hope it allows many current members to get out as well as maybe keep others from ever drinking the Kool-Aid in the first place.
I'd consider this a revelation
Wow... so all you have to do to break some people from the grip of this absurd cult which is talking about 800,000 year old aliens, quack medical "cures", and the general lunacy that is the hallmark of any cult and religion is come out against gay marriage(?) and suddenly the scales fall from the eyes and all the OTHER SERIOUS.. REAL bullcrap that Scientology has done and brainwashes people into believing becomes a problem? I don't know what is worse.. being a rabid nutty scientologist or being so head up your ass to the gay affirmation movement that this is the only issue you can get upset about in the same way that some people only have room in their heads to deal with the clubbing of baby seals but have no trouble with the clubbing of 1000 protesting students!
Whenever a "religion" demands that members disconnect with others that do not follow this religion,
it's a huge red flag that it is a hurtful, bigoted, relationship destroyer, and has nothing to do with
helping the planet or it's inhabitants. What took you so long to figure that out Paul? Guess you
are a little slow. Tom Cruise is obviously a nutcase that is intolerant of anyone not like him.
I will never forget what he said about Brooke Sheilds. What an ignorant soul he is, not too
bright either. He has been married 3 times and walks around giving others advice about how to
live their lives. It seems Scientologist are a bunch of narrcisists with blinders on. It's just
another sad case of organized religion.
I am sure this is why Tom dumped Nicole, she probably was due for a disconnect. And Katie Holmes, how sad is that?
Scientology is a cult constructed in response to a dare. It is a joke. With the cult's long history of explicitly documented abuses and irrationalities, it is a little sad that it took this public outrage over ugly and irrational support of Prop.8 to turn around the long-standing affiliation of this brilliant director. Mr. Haggis should do a careful audit of the power that the use of his name gave to the Church of Scientology's ability to hustle and abuse suckers for 35 years.
After having weaned himself of the support of his adopted cult, I would like Mr. Haggis to write another letter --- say in six months --- on his retrospective views of the utterly preposterous nonsense that is the core of the Scientology scam. We'll see...
35 years?
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Yeah, yeah... this still doesn't make up for Quantum of Solace.
The exposing of a woman's private life is part of the cult's tactics for keeping members in. And as for homosexuality, it's banned by the cult yet several famous Johns have been known to Cruise for gay sex yet publicly refute themselves being gay.
When one enters the cult, the victims go through a debriefing session that "takes out N-grams" which are your dirty personal secrets given in a sort of "confession". The person tells *everything*, nothing is hidden, because you have to get the "negative energies" out.
Then of course, if you try to leave the cult, your dirty secrets are bared to the world. It's blackmail, pure and simple, and is also how some members, especially celbrities, are forced to donate huge sums of money to the cult or do bad movies that the cult profits from, e.g. "Battlefield Earth".
Read "Operation Clambake" for more of the cult's dirty secrets, how they operate, and the suspicious deaths (read: murders) of former members and those who tried to quit.
http://www.xenu.net
Nicole Kidman paid the ultimate price--custody of her two children Connor an Isabella, to get free from Tom and his cult. If she did not agree to give hime primary custody then her 'personal audit' sessions would be 'somehow diclosed' to the public. SOMEBODY tell me is there anyother religion that blackmails you into staying???
Scientology serves a useful purpose, quite similar to the inquisitions of the dark ages. (The old 'You won't quit swimming in poo until you've really wallowed in it' effect.) This especially applies to their upper echelon. While it is sad that they sting, brainwash and delude so many, the end process, the wake up call, for those that recover from their tactics, as Paul Haggis, is more effective than pointing out all the skulduggery that goes on.
Well, there goes his Hollywood career...
That letter was pure Stick-It-To-The-Man. The smear campaigns backfired; who in sanity would join a religion that asks for the most intimate personal details and can use them against you any time your faith wavers?
*snnnnrk* I did a double-take on it too, I admit.
Davis won't respond until he goes through all Haggis' audit files for the worst of the worst confessions. They are absolutely without conscience; it makes me nauseous to think about it.
All religions are cults. If only we had a Paul Haggis speaking out from each of the Big Three, this world might finally get on the track to peace.
Oh, that more people would wake up to the harm that organized religions (not just Scientology) do to the world through their systematic, institutional mind-control.
Well, now he is a prime candidate for a membership with Anonymous.
Good for you, Paul Haggis!
And for any other celeb - or ANYBODY, for that matter.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR SECRETS! The world doesn't care! But the world DOES care if you are being blackmailed and exploited into staying in a situation that you know is wrong.
Gee, those religions believe in strange stuff - aliens and thetans, men rising from the dead, nutjobs getting a crack at virgins in fairyland, humans drinking wine and eating bread that is magically transformed into the actual substance of some guy who supposedly lived 2000 years ago. If only we could manufacture enough psychiatrists...
Thank goodness! Haggis is another $cientologist I can take off my boycott list! For many years I have refused to pay one cent for any movie or book (or whatever) with a $cientologist in it, or written or produced by one. No way will I support anyone who is a member of this creepy criminal cult. Luckily, it seems like the $cientology ship is sinking fast. Tick tock...it`s just a matter of time. The lawsuits are coming....Government investigations and raids are on the way...It`s about time!
Yea Paul! Welcome back. I am always glad to see principle trump the market of organized religion.
OK. I understand that COS' core theology (Klatu/Nanu alien SF junk) is utter BS. I don't have a problem with that - all theologies are based in the same. Following COS is just another SYMPTOM of our society.
If people are gullible enough to believe this BS, are those that sell it really evil? If you know for a fact that you can sell people ANYTHING and they will happily and willingly buy into it, who wouldn't be tempted to profit from said gullibility? The COS does it, the Pope does it, the government does it, the globalist bankers do it and the public laps it up like fine champagne. Hell, Oprah does it.
We are a nation of proud morons and the COS is just another 21st century badge of idiocy worn by its proud members instead of a dunce cap. I find it humorous that Haggis' letter is being touted as some kind of revelation. Anyone who has looked at COS knows it for what it is and it is not a cult. It is a business - designed to control and impoverish its adherents. Haggis bought into this BS for 35 years and the fact he awakened one morning to find the Easter Bunny didn't exist doesn't bide well for his cognitive abilities. Soon as he found out the Easter Bunny was homophobic, he bailed out. Now he is in a new and growing cult, gay apologetics. Makes my head spin backwards.
I am having a hard time imagining what electronic incident a squirrel could be involved in. The fact that they don't have thumbs is a big hindrance, isn't it?
Is it just one voice in your head or are you hearing many voices? Call a psychiatrist.
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