Canadian director, Paul Haggis, has left the Church of Scientology after being a member for 35 years, in protest against its opposition to gay marriage and for not condemning violence against gays. Haggis directed the acclaimed film, Crash.

UK Telegraph reports:
The letter was addressed to the church's official spokesman Tommy Davis, accusing him of failing to act on promises to distance the organisation from homophobic statements made by its San Diego branch during debates over Proposition 8 last year. "I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions," he wrote. "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."

The director went on to lament his own failure to challenge the church hierarchy earlier in his membership. "The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others," he wrote. "I have to believe that if they knew what I now know, they too would be horrified. But I know how easy it was for me to defend our organisation and dismiss our critics, without ever truly looking at what was being said; I did it for thirty-five years." READ MORE