"Million Dollar Baby" Director Leaves Scientology Over Group's Anti Gay Marriage Stance

Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis has had enough of Scientology, and he enumerated his reasons for abandoning the celebrity-riddled religion in a scathing letter to Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre leader Tommy Davis. Roger Friedman of The Hollywood Reporter broke the story, pointing to the main cause of Haggis' angry departure: Scientology's support of Proposition 8 in California banning gay marriage. In the letter to Davis - published in full on the blog of former Scientologist Marty Rathbun - Haggis wrote, "I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated ... 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. Ten months passed. No action was forthcoming." The 'Million Dollar Baby' director 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." Full Story from Pop Eater: http://www.popeater.com/2009/10/26/paul-haggis-renounces-scientology-in-scathing-letter/

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