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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 | Reason : In the News | print version Print | Comments |

Document Paul Haggis

by Moving On Up a Little Higher

Thanks to Lucas for the link. Several people have sent in links to articles. The blog post below has links to a number of them.
http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/paul-haggis/

The Paul Haggis news has gone viral. A few U.S. news links that have picked it up and commented on the matter are given below. I have posted the entire letter below the links for easy reference in once place. Paul Haggis is no joke.

New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/10/paul_haggis_ditches_scientolog.html

Village Voice: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/10/crash_director.php
Movieline: http://www.movieline.com/2009/10/paul-haggis-renounces-scientology.php

The Hollywood Reporter: http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/paul-haggis-breaks-with-scientology/

Radar Online: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/10/oscar-winner-paul-haggis-stunning-departure-scientology-accuses-leader-tommy

Gawker: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/10/oscar-winner-paul-haggis-stunning-departure-scientology-accuses-leader-tommy

The letter:
...
Continue reading
http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/paul-haggis/

______________________________________________________________
PZ has also posted on this
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/10/what_took_him_so_long.php

Paul Haggis, a Hollywood bigwig, has publicly renounced and rebuked $cientology. His reasons: they lie, they disregard basic ethical concerns, they smear their critics. Hasn't everyone known this all along? The anti-reality field at those scientology centers must be very strong.

Now let's see a few more celebrities ditch the nonsense, and they'll have nothing left to prop them up.
...
Continue reading
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/10/what_took_him_so_long.php
________________________________________________________________
[UPDATE] A few more links

Former Scientologists Level Accusations
Ex-Members Say Leader David Miscavige Hit Subordinates; Church Denies Accusations


http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/scientologists-level-accusations/story?id=8792417&cid=yahoo_pitchlist

Scientologists convicted of fraud in France

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091027/ts_afp/francetrialscientology;_ylt=AqZjAvrmlruXp_JF6XIohROs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTM5YWkwZm1pBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDA5MTAyNy9mcmFuY2V0cmlhbHNjaWVudG9sb2d5BGNwb3MDOARwb3MDNQRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA3NjaWVudG9sb2dpcw--

Comments 1 - 20 of 20 |

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1. Comment #427300 by popeye on October 27, 2009 at 3:40 pm

I would like to know if he is going to join another religion or call it quits. If he is against bigotry there are not many places he can look. Hopefully he sheds religion all together, but I kind of doubt that.

Either way it is good to see someone who has been in a church for so long finally have enough of its discrimination.

Other Comments by popeye

2. Comment #427304 by Sally Luxmoore on October 27, 2009 at 3:45 pm

 avatarHow long will it be before the scientology trolls arrive on this thread?

Other Comments by Sally Luxmoore

3. Comment #427315 by Tintern on October 27, 2009 at 4:27 pm

It took him a while and it's a strange reason to leave an alien-worshipping cult but better late than never. However, the real story is the French ruling and the most interesting part of the backstory is how the law was quietly changed shortly before the trial to prevent a guilty party been banned. How totally convenient. Although I'm pleased to note that it is likely to be amended, it is screamingly obvious they still have low friends in high places.

Other Comments by Tintern

4. Comment #427318 by DocWebster on October 27, 2009 at 4:32 pm

 avatarWhen I was a kid I pumped gas in my home town. It was a boring job but I met all kinds of interesting people doing it. One customer gave me a book called Dianetics, He said his brother in law had gotten it from a friend but wasn't a science fiction fan so it trickled to me because I was known to be. Imagine his surprise to find out what it really was. I will always remember that absolutely terrified and embarrassed look on his face when he realized he had promoted a religion that was not his own to me and the anger he stated to feel towards his brother in law for putting him in this awful mess. I never saw him again, he was too mortified to talk to I guess.

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5. Comment #427323 by crookedshoes on October 27, 2009 at 4:42 pm

 avatarI read Dianetics a couple of years ago. My initial impression was "what a load of shit"...So i gave it it's fair due and read the whole thing. Afterwards my impression was "what a load of shit".

Other Comments by crookedshoes

6. Comment #427331 by mitch_486 on October 27, 2009 at 4:47 pm

 avatarI posted this on PZ's site but I feel it's relevant here, as well.

There's a church of scientology across the street from my office. Every time I walk by it, I feel disgusted, offended and confused.
On the weekend, I made my feelings public by walking up to a man handing out pamphlets outside of this ridiculous establishment. I simply called him an idiot, a liar and a pathetic money laundering space cadet. He didn't like this, and he ran into the church where I'm sure he was told xenu would comfort him.
The nice part about this is that most of the people around me were laughing in agreement, making my day that much better! I must say, though, that this little episode put me straight into the doghouse with the gf. Apparently, I'm insensitive......I then showed her all the cases against scientology and the people affected by it, you could say it was a day of scientology hating, but she saw the passion and let it be.
Anyway, it may have been a bit over the top, but I feel that this is the sort of thing that has to be done, publicly, to get any kind of point across. I find it very difficult to do so in a polite way - As if they're on the same wavelength.

Other Comments by mitch_486

7. Comment #427347 by keddaw on October 27, 2009 at 5:09 pm

 avatarThere's a church of scientology across the street from my office too. I am tempted to go in when I have an hour to waste and have an IQ test. Mine happens to be quite high on standard scales (over 85 at least) so I'd be interested how the CoS would rate me. I also want them to show me that in spite of what I think I am actually not happy and that I have a Xenu shaped hole that needs filling to make me whole.

Other Comments by keddaw

8. Comment #427352 by Lucas on October 27, 2009 at 5:15 pm

 avatarmitch - My buddy likes to snatch the pamphlets out of their hands in Times Square, then toss them into the gutter and berate the people handing them out for being lying scumbag conmen. I don't exactly go that far myself, but I'm not sure he's wrong to do that. It's one thing to hold a personal belief, it's another to actively rape people's minds for their bank accounts.

Tintern - I'm just going to post a portion of your comment again with emphasis, because I don't want anyone to miss it: "However, the real story is the French ruling and the most interesting part of the backstory is how the law was quietly changed shortly before the trial to prevent a guilty party been banned. How totally convenient. Although I'm pleased to note that it is likely to be amended, it is screamingly obvious they still have low friends in high places."

Other Comments by Lucas

9. Comment #427353 by crookedshoes on October 27, 2009 at 5:15 pm

 avatarKeddaw,
Do not, under any circumstances show your Xenu shaped hole to a catholic priest. And never utter the words "that needs filling"...

Other Comments by crookedshoes

10. Comment #427354 by Sally Luxmoore on October 27, 2009 at 5:16 pm

 avatarComment #427347 by keddaw

I'm puzzled. I thought the mid score (average) on an IQ scale was 100?

Other Comments by Sally Luxmoore

11. Comment #427365 by TIKI AL on October 27, 2009 at 5:54 pm

mitch @ 6:
The knights of Columbus tried to hit me up for money at the entrance to the grocery store yesterday. I asked them if they needed to bail a paedophile priest out of jail, and the people around us were also laughing.

Then I told them I was still mad about the knights of Columbus making Eisenhower put "under God" in the pledge, and that this was a grocery store, NOT a Catholic church.

Other Comments by TIKI AL

12. Comment #427368 by jgravelle on October 27, 2009 at 6:16 pm

Our friends at the Onion are covering the fallout from Scientology's "mass" exodus:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/31006?utm_source=onion_rss_daily


-jjg

Other Comments by jgravelle

13. Comment #427376 by Thelonious on October 27, 2009 at 6:40 pm

 avatarCould someone clarify the following quote? Should "been" be "being"?
...how the law was quietly changed shortly before the trial to prevent a guilty party been banned.


Other Comments by Thelonious

14. Comment #427383 by alaskansee on October 27, 2009 at 7:04 pm

@ Tiki and Mitch

Good job, I think we need to keep the pressure up on these people who just assume they are "doing good" because they are doing it in the name of faith. NO YOU ARE NOT.

Plus I'm good at being rude.

Having said that I'm to chicken to berate either the "christian book nook" lady (with a Ray Comfort quote in the window for us atheists) or the fairy and angel reading lady ALL in my little office building! I'll look for someone I don't share a building with to be rude to but it will only take a small indiscretion from either of them.

Other Comments by alaskansee

15. Comment #427406 by locutus7 on October 27, 2009 at 8:37 pm

 avatarI thought it was the Mormons who came from xenu. Do all these religions claim to hail from another planet?

Other Comments by locutus7

16. Comment #427410 by amuck on October 27, 2009 at 8:42 pm

Many years ago, I passed by a church of scientology cult headquarters and was invited to come in to take an "IQ test" by one of those eyes focused on infinity, rictus smile on face, acolytes.

My response was, "If I come in to take the test, doesn't that mean I've failed ?".

I must say that he came down from the rarefied heights of thetan bliss in a most satisfactory manner.

Other Comments by amuck

17. Comment #427486 by Border Collie on October 28, 2009 at 1:35 am

 avatarjgravelle ... Good Onion!

Other Comments by Border Collie

18. Comment #427563 by stephensmith on October 28, 2009 at 11:03 am

 avatarThis sounds like it's supposed to be a big deal, but I have no idea who Paul Haggis is or why he's newsworthy. Guess I'm off to go Googling now ...!

Other Comments by stephensmith

19. Comment #427578 by Flapjack on October 28, 2009 at 12:09 pm

 avatarStephensmith
Fair enough... FYO, Paul Haggis was the writer, Director behind the TV series "Due South" and the movie "Crash" as well as the latest version of "Casino Royale".
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0353673/
You'd think a director with those credits would be able to distinguish facts from BS. I've worked in animation jobs before and being a movie Director is possibly THE most demanding job.
You have to live on your wits 24/7, answer everyone's questions at once and be able to analyse an actor's motivation for any given scene, but apparently it's taken 35 years for the penny to drop, and for him to recognise the banquet of bullshit he's been fed.

Other Comments by Flapjack

20. Comment #427583 by Follow Peter Egan on October 28, 2009 at 12:25 pm

 avatarNice to see Haggis now has both legs at the same length all the better for progressing in a logical straight line; unlike the mythical Haggis in The Ancestor's Tale, doomed to walk in circles around the hills of the Scottish Highlands, owing to one leg being longer than the other.

Other Comments by Follow Peter Egan
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