Not that different from any other religion. I openly and vigorously defended the church when ever it was criticized, as I railed against the kind of intolerance that I believed was directed against it. Well, luckily I have never held myself up to be anyones role model. Haggis, also a former church member and now prominent critic of Scientology, has been accused by four women of sexual misconduct and assault. for 34 years. . Well, luckily I have never held myself up to be anyone's role model. At some point it became evident that you did not value my concerns about the churchs tacit support of an amendment that violated the civil rights of so many of our citizens. The interview lasted maybe ten minutes it was just you and the newscaster. Marty hopes that the author of the letter will understand that by publishing the letter we mean no disrespect. He said most former Scientologists leave the religion quietly, but because he was a more well-known, he said he felt it was his duty to be public about his decision to cut ties with the church. ", Dwyane Wade's Words For Daughter Zaya At The NAACP Image Awards Were So Touching, Adam Lambert Defends Harry Styles Over Queerbating Accusations, Emma Corrin Got Candid About The Hate They Received For Being Non-Binary, Heres How You Can Make A Difference In Honour Of Brianna Ghey, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. And I felt sick. This delighted the letter to get that scientology were already learning about other bizarre tasks, kindness and way. Dennis igou says >>>we know the xtians (Christians) use confessionals to extort money. At the time of Larrys article and book I withheld the fact that Marty had reached out to me by email.I withheld that information from Larry Wright. Not that Larry Wright would have cared: Paul Haggis served his purpose for Wright, who did no fact checking. I've read the whole thread up to this point, and just wanna say, I'm a huge fan of you! ", "How dare you use private information in order to label someone an adulteress? You took Amy Scobees most intimate admissions about her sexual life and passed them onto the press and then smeared them all over the pages your newsletter! 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. These are two of. While I am no great believer in resumes and awards, this is what you would have discovered: * Founder, Artists For Peace and Justice, - sponsoring schools, an orphanage and a childrens hospital in the slums of Haiti * Co-Founder, BrandAid Foundation and BrandAid Project - marketing the work of artisans from the poorest countries in the world, * Board Member, Office of The Americas - supporting peace and justice initiatives around the world * Board Member, Center For The Advancement of Non-Violence * Member and active supporter, Amnesty International * Member, Presidents Council, Defenders of Wildlife * Member and fundraiser, Environment California and CalPirg * Member and Award Recipient, American Civil Liberties Union * Member and supporter, Death Penalty Focus * Member and supporter, Equality For All * Fundraiser, NPH (Our Little Brothers) for the children of the slums of Haiti * Member, Citizens Commission on Human Rights * Patron with Honors, IAS And formerly: * Trustee, Religious Freedom Trust * Board Member and fundraiser, Hollywood Education and Literacy Project * Board Member and fundraiser, For The Arts, For Every Child supporting art and music in public schools * Board Member and fundraiser, The Christic Institute - supporting Human Rights in Central America * Founding Board Member, Earth Communication Office * Working Board Member, Environmental Media Association * Fundraiser, El Rescate Human Rights for El Salvador * Fundraiser, PAVA Aid and Human Rights in Guatemala. Haggis directorial follow-up to Crash was In the Valley of Elah which he wrote, directed, and produced, for Warner Independent Pictures. 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! dictator In 2006, Haggis screenplay collaborations included the duo Clint Eastwood productions Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, the latter earning him his third screenplay Oscar nomination. *Catholics in Media Award Catholics in Media Associates. In fact it was they who introduced my wife to Scientology. - sponsoring schools, an orphanage and a children's hospital in the slums of Haiti Some are to just whip through earth time and get to the end. And then another: Haggis cites the aforementioned reporting by the St. Petersburg Times, which including some of Scientology's most high-profile defectors in its history, as accurate and astonishing, considering the level of the defectors. I am still a church member because I am afraid to leave because of the disconnect policy and my family members who are active in the church. "Unlike the rest of my former friends, she expressed real sadness that I was . Haggis is currently standing trial in a civil lawsuit concerning a rape allegation. Even that, you decided not to publish. Loren, as I said, please re-read the letter. Academy Award -winning film director Paul Haggis declared to Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis that he had decided to leave the Church of Scientology after being a member for 35 years. Sorry Dave, but you need to do some research on that one. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Reformed Episcopal Church Wikipedia. Then comes another bomb: Haggis' wife cut off contact with her parents when they defected from the church. After 35 years in Scientology, after seeing the terrible damage caused to his family by disconnects", after the "morally reprehensible" orders, after lie after lie after lie, he finally had enough of them when he didn't like their stance ongay marriage? Paul Haggis; Church of Scientology; Haggis; Leah Remini; British Cuisine for whatever the reason. Dave, back up what you say with facts. Perhaps Mr. Haggis would do well to remember that those of us on the "Christian right" have been fighting for his and many other $cientologists' rights in outing the cult, and that many of us are proud gay rights supporters. I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. Good on you Paul Haggis! * Member and supporter, Death Penalty Focus chairman *Humanitas Prize (2) Humanitas Robin, there are many of us who will not "come out" as ex-members of $cn because of our existing ties to family and friends who are still in the church. I have never pretended to be the best Scientologist, but I openly and vigorously defended the church whenever it was criticized, as I railed against the kind of intolerance that I believed was directed against it. 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. yager I just discovered this website, and frankly, I am astounded it exists. Jim Jones ran the People's Temple in San Francisco in the 1970s, got Mayor George Moscone elected, served as head of the SF Housing Authority, then took his PT followers to Guayana and killed 900 of them with cyanide. I knew Jim Jones, and he also practiced disconnection, confessions, sleep dep, and physical abuse to defend his liturgy. Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis testified on Wednesday in a civil rape lawsuit that his letter of resignation from the Church of Scientology helped motivate fellow celebrity and member. Haggis says the encounter with Breest was consensual and his lawyers have tried to pin the allegation on a Scientology plot to discredit him. This website is a simple answer to those who tried to monopolize and corporatize spiritual freedom: An open gateway dedicated to helping people move up to higher levels of awareness and ability under their own steam. When disgraced director Paul Haggis was arrested in Italy on June 19, 2022, for what police are calling the violent sexual assault of a young woman, Leah Remini was notably silent. You said straight-out there was no such policy, that it did not exist. Highlighting Management Skills From Retail On Resume Two of Haggis' four children are gay. Paul Edward Haggis, writer, director, producer (born 10 Mar 1953 in London, Ontario). I will argue that there is a distinct difference between "Christian belief system" and "religion". Cost them their jobs. That's the trouble with sending lay people around to collect money for the Church - they totally misrepresented the building of St Peter's by adding their own 'Donate to the fund and get to Heaven'; that was not sanctioned by the Church. Haggis forwarded his resignation to more than twenty Scientologist friends, including Anne Archer, John Travolta, and Sky Dayton, the founder of EarthLink. To the extent that anything prohibits or infringes on anyone's civil rights, we don't agree with it. How can they legally split up families - separate parents from children - if one or both parents do not agree to it?? 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. "Scientology has been taken over by a self-appointed dictator, David Miscavige, who has turned the Creed of the Church of Scientology, the Code of a Scientologist, and the Credo of a True Group Member on their heads and instituted the virtual practice of Reverse (Black) Dianetics" Learn More iscientology.orgScientology Reviews Free and Able The Truth RundownMike Rinder's Blog Friends of L. Ron Hubbard SaveScientology.com RediscoverScientology.com Karen de la Carriere Spiritual Freedom Zone A Guide for the DisillusionedGerman Independents SuperPower fraud. abortions I refused to do so. Independence, unfettered knowledge, freedom of thought etc. With his resignation from Scientology, Haggis wrote an open letter to Tommy Davis, the former head of the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre International. Tommy, if only a fraction of these accusations are true, we are talking about serious, indefensible human and civil rights violations. clear ", Auditing should be confidential, we know the xtians (Christians) use confessionals to extort money. I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology. Ps. Rathbun revealed that Haggis wrote his ultimate spec script choreographing his exit from the Church to make him seem like a noble do-gooder rather than the cynical opportunist he is. Seriously, this doesn't help your credibility when you try to smear with lies that are easily disproved. ", Davis also denied Haggis' allegation that the church ordered Rennard to "disconnect from her parents. Perhaps if you had done a little more research on me, the churchs senior management wouldnt have dismissed those concerns quite so cavalierly. And I felt sick. ", "Despite all the churchs words about promoting freedom and human rights, its name is now in the public record alongside those who promote bigotry and intolerance, homophobia and fear. Listing the date is important because your . Davis apparently drew up a press release he showed to Haggis, which eventually got canned. Tommy, if only a fraction of these accusations are true, we are talking about serious, indefensible human and civil rights violations. There are a million shades of gray. The Self destruction of Scientology, the Iron fist and dark heart, what sustainability? Perhaps if you had done a little more research on me, the church's senior management wouldn't have dismissed those concerns quite so cavalierly. We, as a planet, would all do better if we eliminated these groups of intolerance and hatred. Far from being a principled decision by Haggis over gay rights, it was actually Rathbun who approached Haggis starting in June 2009 and coached him on how to make his exit and obtain maximal publicity. Haggis' final bomb, which is going to ring true to many, many Scientologists on every level, is about that same St. Petersburg Times report, in which the Church dredged up old documents and audits on their members to expose salacious, damning details about their personal lives to paint their defection as a cover for their personal indiscretions. I was shocked. Hey Lioness! Check the stats. The Church of Scientology lost one of its most high-profile members when the Hollywood film-maker Paul Haggis quit the organisation in protest at its stance on same-sex . ), and wanted to add a few thoughts Copyright 2008. 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. The bottom then fell out of the Haggis lie when Mark Marty Rathbun, anti-Scientologist and former guru to both Paul Haggis and Leah Remini, broke his silence on the matter in 2017 to reveal that he and Haggis had orchestrated Haggis departure story and there is no truth whatsoever to the Haggis account. Loren, he didn't assert that ALL Christians are bigoted, hateful homophobes, just the Christian right. The Dialogue: The best way to get this story out is for you to call your contacts. And so it wentwith Haggis stage managing his surprise exit from the religion. He also said he hoped it would "open the eyes" of those still with the church and help them "get out.". * Fundraiser, El Rescate Human Rights for El Salvador How dare you use private information in order to label someone an adulteress? You took Amy Scobees most intimate admissions about her sexual life and passed them onto the press and then smeared them all over the pages your newsletter! By Christie D'Zurilla Staff Writer. *EMA Green Seal Award EMA This was my state of mind when I was online doing research and chanced upon an interview clip with you on CNN. Nov. 10, 2022 A jury on Thursday found the Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis liable for raping a former film industry publicist in his Manhattan apartment in 2013, ordering him to pay her at. I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology.". 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. And when I pictured you assuring me that it is all lies, that this is nothing but an unfounded and vicious attack by a group of disgruntled employees, I am afraid that I saw the same face that looked in the camera and denied the policy of disconnection. The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others. The best you offered was a weak and carefully worded press release, which praised the churchs human rights record and took no responsibility. mithoff Scientology spokesman Davis denied Haggis' claims that the church or its San Diego chapter had supported Proposition 8. You had allowed our name to be allied with the worst elements of the Christian Right. Lives damaged. Their tax exempt status as a religious org. When it rains, it pours on the Church of Scientology. Haggis for years falsely claimed he split with the Church because it would not take a position on Californias incendiary Proposition 8 campaign in 2008 regarding same-sex marriageknowing the Church would never take a stand on such a political issue. I've never been good at following orders, especially when I find them morally reprehensible. "I felt if I sent it to my friends. ", "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," Haggis goes on later in his letter. Correct, however, protestants do not have confessionals. suppression "I can think of no other word. trafficking It's also sad how when someone is preaching against something the hardest they are usually doing something worse than that which they claim to detest in the background. To help you draft your resignation letter, here's a checklist of what to include: Your name and address - Follow proper business letter formatting and place your name and address in a centered list at the top of the page. You even felt free to publish secrets from the confessional in Freedom Magazine you just stopped short of labeling them as such, probably because you knew Scientologists would be horrified, knowing you so easily broke a sacred vow of trust with your parishioners. We realize that the PR coming out of DM's office is terrible, and Scientology will be splitting into two sects soon. I just hope that some of Mr Haggis' integrity rubs off on some of his fellow celebrities. dianetics It was a year ago. Also, indulgences are a grey area and very, very often misinterpreted. We do not "disconnect" from family or friends who are gay. Please reread the letter. One night in NY city in the sixties a group of us was approached by a Scientology recruiter. His fear was genuine and only confirmed what we were already learning about the church back then. Maybe DM should send Heber next time. Their public sponsorship of Proposition 8, a hate-filled legislation that succeeded in taking away the civil rights of gay and lesbian citizens of California rights that were granted them by the Supreme Court of our state shames us. marty Hurray! With his resignation from Scientology, Haggis wrote an open letter to Tommy Davis, the former head of the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre International. Look at the whacknut uniforms the elite Scientologists are forced to wear. I refuse to consent. Haggis views the church's actions as "cowardly," and thus, after thirty-five years of membership, is resigning. porn I recall being sent to the priest every time I expressed an independent thought. - supporting Human Rights in Central America -- ThoughtfulClick here to follow Marty's daily updates and what his readers have to say. Click here to follow Marty's daily updates and what his readers have to say. a few years ago, briefly after my family found out I was gay, my dad, twin brother, 2 sisters, uncle and aunt all in SCN totally disconnected from me, my mom after that started questioning SCN and decided to keep in touch with me. scientologist events My understanding is that scientology previously sued the cult awareness network (CAN) to not only stifle free speech, but to actually take over CAN. And for those that have had questions about Scientology before, Haggis' letter proves to reveal some interesting facts from someone once on the inside, and while we see some of it in HBO's Going Clear, there's a bit more when you look at the entire document. However, I have finally come to the conclusion that I can no longer be a part of this group. Probe the depths or write your own honest reviews. He became hostile, suspicious, depressed. And it also doesn't help them that Church defector Marty Rathburn has apparently confirmed the letter's legitimacy as definitely coming from Haggis. :-), I am proud of Mr. Haggis, I do wonder why it took so long for him to "see the light.". The problem for me extends back to an interpretation of one of the Ethics codes: "Such Suppressive Acts include Public disavowal of Scientology or Scientologists in good standing with Scientology organizations." ", "I was truly disturbed to see you provide private details from confessionals to the press in an attempt to embarrass and discredit the executives who spoke out. Paul Haggis Pens Open Letter Praising Leah Remini's 'Brave' Break With Scientology. *EDGE Awards (2) Entertainment Industries Council It's the fundamental human right for someone to decide who they are and are not going to be in communication with.". For over two decades he has written, directed and produced television shows such as thirtysomething and The Tracey Ullman Show, and also developed credits as a pup writer on many Norman Lear sitcoms. A priest would go to jail before revealing secrets from the confessional, no matter what the cost to himself or his church. There's a huge difference between homo-intolerant and homophobia. I've been "gone" for 13 years and still get, on average, 2 pieces of literature a day. Hard to really know, but perhaps the Christian social message might have been a appealing alternative to the morals of the day (that's still true for some of us). I noticed. 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. He told me he was on the run from the Church and that he was afraid for his life. While I have not been an active member for many years, I found much of what I learned to be very helpful, and I still apply it in my daily life. The contrast between the dignified and eloquent Mr Haggis and the screeching hysterical lying of Tommy could not be more pronounced. Despite all the church's words about promoting freedom and human rights, its name is now in the public record alongside those who promote bigotry and intolerance, homophobia and fear. `` religion '' in a civil lawsuit concerning a rape allegation by publishing the letter homophobes just... Fellow celebrities, hateful homophobes, just the Christian right friends who are genuinely interested in improving conditions this. Scientology plot to discredit him consensual and his lawyers have tried to pin the on. His lawyers have tried to pin the allegation on a Scientology plot to discredit him done... X27 ; Zurilla Staff writer grey area and very, very often misinterpreted church of Scientology. `` belief. 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