Academy Award winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis is making a very public break with the Church of Scientology because of the cult's bigotry and homophobia. Haggis is the first person in more than half a century to win back-to-back Oscars for screenwriting (for "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash", the latter of which he also directed.)
Haggis said he was forced to speak out against the Church of Scientology because of its refusal to publicly condemn its San Diego branch for homophobic statements it made during last year's Prop 8 campaign to take away the rights of some Californians to marry. In a detailed letter dated August 19, 2009 to Co$ spokesman Tommy Davis, Haggis wrote:
"I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. You promised action. Ten months passed. No action."
He added: "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 ... I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology."
A spokesman for Haggis says the letter was meant to be private. Despite that, it got out and has been circulating on the web for weeks.
The last few days have been a difficult time for Tommy Davis. Last Friday he stormed off the set of "Nightline" when questions about the kooky cult started to get under his skin.
The Scientology spokesman was irked when interviewer Martin Bashir asked: "Do you believe that a galactic emperor called Xenu brought his people to earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes?"
Davis immediately bristled to hear Bashir make reference to part of a Scientology scripture derived from the writings of church founder L. Ron Hubbard. The church has reportedly attempted to keep the Xenu story secret from a non-Scientologist public, fearful it will serve to discredit the religion.
"OK, Martin, I am not going to discuss the disgusting perversions of Scientology beliefs that can be found commonly on the Internet and be put in the position of talking about things that are so fundamentally offensive to Scientologists a that's all," he said.
Bashir persisted, and Davis stormed out.
Wake up, dumb celebutards. Don't do like Haggis and wait 35 years before you realize what a sham this Scientology cult is.
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