Quitting Scientology Because of Homophobia

categories: Gay Rights and Religion, Religion and LGBT Rights

Published October 26, 2009 @ 07:21AM PT

Scientology

Hollywood director Paul Haggis, whose film "Crash" won best picture several years ago (over "Brokeback Mountain," no less) has penned a heartfelt and poignant letter to the leaders of the Church of Scientology, breaking with the religion over what Haggis sees as homophobic actions in the debate over California's Proposition 8 -- the ballot measure passed last year that rescinded the rights of gays and lesbians to marry in the state.

Haggis writes in his letter that in the lead up to Prop 8, and in the wake of its passage, the director urged the official church to distance itself from the discriminatory ballot measure, and issue a statement saying that it respected the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. After almost a year of run-around from church officials, Haggis made his resignation from the body official with a letter to the church's spokesperson, Tommy Davis.

"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...I refuse to consent," Haggis wrote. "I have finally come to the conclusion that I can no longer be a part of this group. Frankly, I had to look no further than your refusal to denounce the church’s anti-gay stance, and the indefensible actions, and inactions, of those who condone this behavior within the organization."

You can read Haggis' full letter here. It couples nicely with a statement that Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote a few weeks ago, pretty much taking mainstream Christian denominations to task for their support of the anti-LGBT movement. Bishop Spong challenged the biblical ignorance that led conservative religious folks to denounce homosexuality.

Haggis, more or less, is challenging the same thing -- religious intolerance and ignorance that leads people down a path of homophobia.

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Comments (5)

Numerous religions preach a message of tolerance, while simultaneously supporting doctrines of hate. If these individual religious organizations continue that path, they should realize their own end in the coming of actual tolerance. When we finally achieve a society willing to accept people for who they are, these messages of hate and those groups that espouse them will no longer have a foothold and will naturally atrophy and pass on.

That is the world we are working towards. A world where education and understanding have overtaken the darkness of fear and ignorance.

Posted by Fred Frankenberg on 10/26/2009 @ 08:26AM PT
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It's good that Paul Haggis has written a letter over the Church of Scientology's silence over the unfortunate passage of the intolerant Proposition 8. Paul Higgins is correct in that silence towards which intolerant conservatives spew is giving consent to homophobia, however LGBT rights trumps the intolerance which many conservatives spew. It's also good that Bishop John Shelby Spong is also condemning homophobia by getting churches to agree to tolerance.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 10/26/2009 @ 04:07PM PT
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Way to go Paul Haggis! Good for him!

Posted by Sarah McConnaughey on 10/26/2009 @ 07:26PM PT
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I find it ironic that a religious organisation with the word science as part of their title would ignore the real science that helps to prove that homosexuality is just a variant on the sexual orientation theme...

2 Thumbs up to mr. haggis.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/26/2009 @ 08:48PM PT
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Good for him.I am glad someone is speaking up for us.

Posted by Martin Martinez on 10/28/2009 @ 04:31AM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.