John Patrick Shanley, director of the movie and playwright of Doubt, conducted an interview with Christianity Today, in which he discussed faith and his relationship with the Catholic Church:
Shanley: …I never had any particular beef with the Catholic Church. The Sisters of Charity gave me a very solid education, and with the Christian Brothers, our differences were not theological. Our differences were testosteronic. It was really about educational philosophy.
The Sisters of Charity were a little bit more laissez faire. It was evident from the way that they talked that they were not engaged in a popularity contest; they were not trying to charm their students, and they were not interested in being adored. That’s something I saw a great deal of later on in various educational settings, where the teacher wanted to be loved. It takes a real adult to teach the way that the Sisters of Charity taught, which was very selfless. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about getting the work done.
What’s the difference between being angry at the church and being angry at God?
Shanley: Well, I think if you’re angry at God you’re not going to get anywhere, are you? You’re going to have a pretty tough time. But I’m sure we all do at one point or another, even if it’s when you bend over to pick up a glass and you stand up and smash your head on the cupboard and curse, who are you cursing? Your own stupidity? I always think you’re angry at somebody when you get mad. People say, “I’m angry at myself.” I don’t really believe that. But I don’t think we would have been given a temper if it was a bad thing to get angry. Even Christ yelled at his Father from time to time.
Read the full interview here.