Ted Haggard

[Jack Scribe]

The following thoughtful commentary is from Andrew Sullivan:

 

 

"There is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life," - pastor Ted Haggard, referring, I suppose, to his homosexual orientation.

 

For those who still - amazingly - believe that being gay is somehow a "choice," consider Haggard. If he could have chosen not to be gay, don't you think he would have? Even though he apparently believes being gay is "repulsive and dark" (while it is, in fact, just another wonderful way to be human), he still cannot prevail against it. It is integral to him. It has been "all of [his] adult life".

 

One day, he may realize, and I pray he does, that the only dark and repulsive thing is the closet, the betrayal of his wife and children, the destruction of a church, and the demonization of others in the same boat - all as a function of his own inability to face the truth. What is dark and repulsive is dishonesty.

 

There is no commandment not to be gay. There is a commandment not to bear false witness. Haggard bore false witness - to himself, to his wife, to his traumatized kids, to his fellow gay men and women. repeatedly, pathologically, self-destructively. The right response for Christians is compassion and forgiveness. But also hope: hope that this will help spread the truth about what being gay actually is.

 

Face it, Ted. Face the truth. It will set you - and so many others - free.

 

Here is the link to Mr. Sullivan's blog:

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/

[Jack Scribe]

Face it, Ted. Face the truth. It will set you - and so many others - free.

 

Here is a partial quote from one of ministers of the New Life Church from today's Denver Post.

 

"We are all born with different kinds of tendencies. A person might lean toward homosexuality, adultery, pornography, etc....(these) are what the Bible would call sins."

 

And this guy ministers to college-age people. Scary. Interesting to find out that my sinful, homosexual orientation is a "tendency."

[knotme]

As I recall, one of these "tendency" bozos managed to get a counseling position on Luka's story "The Ordinary Us". The poor kid seriously considered suicide. Note that homosexuality is lumped with adultery as a "tendency", along with, I presume, a tendency to solicit prostitutes and a tendency to buy drugs so you can throw them away.

[Chaz]

As I recall, one of these "tendency" bozos managed to get a counseling position on Luka's story "The Ordinary Us". The poor kid seriously considered suicide. Note that homosexuality is lumped with adultery as a "tendency", along with, I presume, a tendency to solicit prostitutes and a tendency to buy drugs so you can throw them away.

 

It amazes me the hypocracy and denial of some christian americans. Why couldn't he come out happily like Neil Patrick Harris and be like, hey I did a mistake and apologize with dignity. No He'd rather bash his own persuasion so he can later on like an idiot decide that he no longer can live his life like a straight man. We all know this will happen eventually. The sad part is that I find the prostitute more interesting than he is.

Edited November 8, 2006 by Chaz

[glomph]

Some years back I was visiting a friend and met his partner. The guy is pretty talkative anyway, but I guess was a little nervous about the situation and seemed to chatter almost incessantly. Not that I minded as such. It was all pretty interesting, and he's a nice guy, if a bit uncomfortable at the time.

 

After some mention of his possible interest in having a family, etc., he said something like, "but then I have these tendencies."

 

My friend said, "We've been in a relationship for nine years. I think that is more than a tendency."

 

I am reminded of that conversation any time someone mentions homosexual "tendencies."