I'm not surprised that Harkus would automatically defend the Church. There is more to humanity than "them" and "us." If they are the "clear" ones -- do you really want to be "clear"? I got out form the S.O. Thank you Paul for standing up for what you believe in. "During my twenties and early thirties, I studied and received a great deal of counseling. There are a million shades of gray. . 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." Even that, you decided not to publish. "If you do away with ALL religion, you do away with concern and charity for those you don't know. I remember after the poor sap who was sued (the former CAN owner) had to give up CAN to the scientologist nutbags, CAN then became a new scientology tool. The film, which starred Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, was a suspense drama of a fathers search for his missing son, who is reported AWOL after returning from Iraq. There will always be divisions over policy, but the human rights violations he mentions are real, and they simply must stop. Although it caused her terrible personal pain, my wife broke off all contact with them. Paul Edward Haggis, writer, director, producer (born 10 Mar 1953 in London, Ontario). We all know this policy exists. -- ThoughtfulClick here to follow Marty's daily updates and what his readers have to say. - marketing the work of artisans from the poorest countries in the world, It was a year ago. dictator * Co-Founder, BrandAid Foundation and BrandAid Project Lives damaged. 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. I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology. He is married, the father of four children, and splits his time between residences in Los Angeles and New York. The fact that most scientologists working in the org are recruited right out of high school is the problem. By Christie D'Zurilla Staff Writer. P.S. I find that scientologists are VERY ignorant about other religions and condemn other religions without knowing any facts. In January 2018, Haggis was . chairman Congrats. The best you offered was a weak and carefully worded press release, which praised the churchs human rights record and took no responsibility. I knew Jim Jones, and he also practiced disconnection, confessions, sleep dep, and physical abuse to defend his liturgy. The director's former publicist, Haleigh Breest, said he raped her in December 2013, which led to a $9 million lawsuit against the "Crash" director. Priests have gone to prison to defend the secrecy of the Confessional. Good on you Paul Haggis! The Catholic church is consistent, and failures in society do not change truth. *Creative Integrity Award Multicultural Motion Picture Association Paul Haggis renounces, secret-spills on Scientology In an email to Showbiz 411 published Sunday, the Oscar winner confirmed that he met Boniadi three years ago while he was looking. Christians don't have confessionals, as they don't believe you need to confess to anyone other than God himself. Paul Haggis is pictured on June 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. *Ethel Levitt Award for Humanitarian Service Levitt & Quinn Check the stats. Sorry Dave, but you need to do some research on that one. * Patron with Honors, IAS * Fundraiser, NPH (Our Little Brothers) for the children of the slums of Haiti Church Board Member Resignation Letter Church Board Member Resignation Letter Form of Government Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The contrast between the dignified and eloquent Mr Haggis and the screeching hysterical lying of Tommy could not be more pronounced. Sadly, for humanity at large to embrace this simple truth would be like expecting intellectual discourse from a field mouse. Haggis' publicist, Ziggy Kozlowski, confirmed to ABCNews.com today that the letter posted on scientology-cult.com Friday was indeed written by the director in August. I feel very sorry for him, especially with such an unsupportive mother. resignation from Scientology, Haggis wrote an open letter, Haggis spoke on her departure in a letter, calling her exit "brave. 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! 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 carefully read all of your rebuttals, I watched every video where you presented the churchs position, I listened to all your arguments ever word. ", Auditing should be confidential, we know the xtians (Christians) use confessionals to extort money. She ran the entire celebrity center network, and was a loyal senior executive of the church for what, 20 years? Even that, you decided not to publish. The best thing that the "mens club" known as The United Nations could do would be to outlaw ALL religions and make a brand new start for the world. It's a policy that's been well documented in the press, but especially by the reporting done by the St. Petersburg Times, who've chronicled many members who were once forced to "disconnect" people from their lives. In order to contain a potential PR flap you allowed our sponsorship of Proposition 8 to stand. financial 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. However, I have finally come to the conclusion that I can no longer be a part of this group. You want to rebut her accusations, do it, and do it in the strongest terms possible but that kind of character assassination is unconscionable. The sleep deprivation and other abuses. cult Ah Shelama - Myths are such irresitably fat squishy targets, aren't they? Staff. How absurd that anyone would even consider the concept of using confessionals to extort money. ", "But I reached a point several weeks ago where I no longer knew what to think," he continues. Some are to just whip through earth time and get to the end. He became hostile, suspicious, depressed. It sounds like a place that takes advantage of its members and doesn't allow for any disagreement. Dennis igou says >>>we know the xtians (Christians) use confessionals to extort money. Paul Haggis' resignation letter, which was leaked to the press, denounced the church's support for Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. He's currently filming "The Next Three Days" with former Scientologist actor Jason Beghe, along with Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson. 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. Over time, I think you will find a new sense of strength and solidity for having taken such a strong and public stand on your moral convictions, and for having stayed true to yourself. Doing good works, from a Christian perspective, is to be done anonymously, according to the Bible - with no fan fare, no pats on the back.. nothing. 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! as well as other partner offers and accept our. But I don't think that redefining 'marriage' to mean something else is the answer. And it's incredibly damning to them. I have wondered over and over if David Miscavige humiliated and hazed Tommy Davis while Tommy was working with him. They had him on the corner of Salmon and Broadway all day, every day, in all kinds of weather like a robot for Scientology. Scientology cult Core Secrets and the Bait and Switch into Exorcism, Scientology, celebrities, & children: why people stay, & why they leave - with Karen De La Carriere, The Life and Death of Alexander Jentzsch, 27, born in the cult of Scientology. The church doesn't do that," he said. His fear was genuine and only confirmed what we were already learning about the church back then. As for the issue of homosexuality - yes, the Bible states that it is forbidden. I was shocked. His letter . And for our side at least, "Civil" is used in the most eloquent, non-violent sense of the word. These were not the claims made by outsiders looking to dig up dirt against us. While I admire Mr. Haggis' stance against hypocrisy in the Scientology Church, I must "out" some blatant hypocrisy of his own. How can they legally split up families - separate parents from children - if one or both parents do not agree to it?? "the same face that denied the policy of disconnection". "I can't . I'm a bit of an interloper, since I only happened upon this site accidentally via the "images of Paul Haggis" dealie. I think the other reasons Mr Haggis gives make more sense as to why one would leave any church or organization. 0:00. Power corrupts, even in a kindergarten class room (ever talk to a preschool teacher?) The screenwriter, who left the church in 2009, writes that he was surprised how quickly "Leah was attacked . And you could laugh at the question as if it was a joke? Really? That people could fanatically embrace the Christian Myth, based on the Jewish life and Roman death of the historical Jesus from Nazareth, makes it not so far-fetched to understand how they could fall for the L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology myths. I was left feeling outraged, and frankly, more than a little stupid. As a former zombie, I would welcome that. donations *ALMA Award National Council of Latino Civil Rights It's the whole bad apple in the bunch theory - not all priests or churches "extort" via confessional, but some do. I've never been good at following orders, especially when I find them morally reprehensible. I'm glad Paul finally broke through his personal haze to see the light!!!!!!!!! . Haggis' publicist said the director does not plan to comment further on the matter. Must be very satisfying. No action was forthcoming. Representatives for Remini did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. Four other women testified with similar allegations of sexual misconduct against Haggis during the trial. You had allowed our name to be allied with the worst elements of the Christian Right. "for bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere" 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. 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