Scientology isn't our idea of a religion, but to 'Crash' Director Paul Haggis, it was. He resigned in a blistering four-part letter [1, 2, 3, 4] at the blog of Marty Rathbun, a former high-level Scientology official who left the church and is a critic of it.
New York Magazine's Adam K. Raymond writes:
It all started when a San Diego church publicly supported Prop 8. Haggis asked [Scientology national spokesman Tommy] Davis to denounce its actions but Davis never went through with it. Then the already-pissed Haggis read an interview in which Davis denied Scientology's practice of "disconnection" (forcing members to cut off communication with loved ones who oppose Scientology). But Haggis knew disconnection first-hand. His wife was forced to cut ties with her parents. The last straw came when Haggis read about the smear tactics Scientology used against its former members. That's when he knew it was time to go.
Though it has lost the author of Million Dollar Baby and Flags of Our Fathers, it is still the church of Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Jenna Elfman.
For now. Even a cult has to adapt to shifting views of gay rights and repair key internal contradictions, or pay in lost members.
A recent letter from Legionaries of Christ fathers Julio Martà and Scott Reilly to the lay organization Regnum Christi is in denial that the founder, Marcial Maciel, was disciplined by the Holy See amid charges which included sexually molesting minors.
In a paragraph about measures taken to preclude further abuse, the letter says:
One of the questions that come to mind refers to the “safe environment and child protection” measures in our communities and apostolates. Our Constitutions, other norms and many elements of our discipline have always helped us to be particularly careful in the dealing with minors.
More recently, it has become clear that Maciel fathered several children and Legion of Christ superiors knew about the children at least 15 years ago.
Cassandra has developed an enlightening timeline [scroll down the left-hand column] of events from the beginning.
Instead of dealing with events, however, the letter moves right along to focus on pursuit of new credentials that are intended to be reassuring:
More recently we are in the process of accreditation by Praesidium, a risk management organization now helping a great number of religious institutions in North America. Praesidium is conducting a full review of our internal rules and policies, as well as our training of all those who deal with minors. They will shortly be conducting on-site visitation of several of our institutions to verify that what is on paper is being applied. There are twenty-five accreditation standards to meet, covering the areas of prevention, response and supervision.
What are the standards?
They don't say, so we turned to the recently published Congregation of St. Basil Praesidium Accreditation Final Report, which documents their meeting the same standards.
That's so nice that it seems reasonable to wonder if the good fathers are trying to damp action by the Papal Visitation currently under way by appearing to have already done part of its work for it. This is, remember, a visitation with which it is rumored they are not being altogether cooperative.
Indeed, the good fathers report they have set up a review board whose membership and governance are not disclosed:
Here in the U.S. we have also set up an external review board so that in the event of allegations of sexual abuse, we have the advantage of “outside eyes” to weigh the evidence, issues and provide us with recommendations. Praesidium accreditation is being promoted by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, which links all the male religious orders in this country.
It is also true that the letter extended “a special apology on behalf of the Legion” to victims of their founder’s sexual misconduct."
While, as you see, tending to deny the scope of the order's problems.
Addendum:
Members of Legionaries of Christ/Regnum Christi wishing to contact the apostolic visitor for the United States and Canada -- Archbishop Charles Chaput -- can do so via email. American Papist recommends:
To contact Abp. Chaput, send an email with the subject line "PRIVATE" to "shepherd [at] archden.org" (without the brackets and spaces). Emails ought to be VERY SHORT and to the point. Every email will be read eventually.
Buster writes:
Do you remember, or does one of you remember, what you called your abuser?
Daddy?
Mommy?
Read the entire entry.
"Batholics in Bohemia, or when your pastor enquires of you" is a Czeck cartoon which was inspired by Tony Cartledge's May 20, 2005, blog "Baptists or Batholics?"
I am informed that the caption translates, "Did you vote for Christian democratic party, Civic democratic party or social democrats? According to the new SBC instruction no. 214/09 we cannot accept liberal voters."
A few days after a Baptist minister called the Roman Catholic Church a cult comes word that the pope himself is sending mixed signals about the worth of interfaith dialogue.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote in a letter to an author that “an interreligious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible” according to a report in the New York Times. In theological terms, the pope said, “a true dialogue is not possible without putting one’s faith in parentheses.”
The news comes after Jim Smyrl, the executive pastor of education at the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, called the Catholic Church a "cult" in one of his church’s official blogs.
But it’s important to note that the pope also said “intercultural dialogue which deepens the cultural consequences of basic religious ideas” is important and called for confronting “in a public forum the cultural consequences of basic religious decisions.” A Vatican spokesman seemed to walk back the pope’s comments even further, saying the comments were not meant to cast doubt on the Vatican’s many continuing interreligious dialogues.
We expect some good would result if Jim Smyrl had an audience with the pope.
Pastor Smyrl is, after all, a Batholic, is he not?
Southern Baptists are seldom shy about calling other religious groups cults. The Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board even has an apologetics and interfaith web site with a section devoted to “New Religions and Cults.”
A minister at a prominent Southern Baptist church in Florida has taken the label to a new height, or perhaps we should say a new low in declaring the Catholic Church to be a cult. Jim Smyrl, the executive pastor of education at the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, made the accusation on one the church’s official blogs.
Smyrl says he expects to be questioned about his stance, but that the Bible and history are on his side. He compares his position to strong stands made by John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and others.
Smyrl goes on to say he wants to “ultimately see a reformation of the Catholic Church that is not just a schism but a harvest of Catholics coming to Christ alone for salvation.”
In a way, Smyrl’s position might be seen as the next logical step for Southern Baptists.
For years, some Southern Baptists have given out tracts stressing the need for Catholics to be saved. And in a Baptist Press article about the similarities and differences between the two groups, a Southern Baptist “interfaith coordinator” tells how Baptists can “share the Gospel – as they know it” with Catholics.
Smyrl’s blog can also be seen as a departure from a Baptist willingness to dialogue with Catholics.
The Southern Baptist Convention and the Roman Catholic Church had 30 years of official doctrinal talks until the SBC broke them off in 2001. The Baptist World Alliance has continued discussions with the latest talks being in December of last year when a group of Baptists met the Pope.
It's our view that such civil discussions are more productive than name calling.
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