Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? Disgraced Pastor Ted Haggard and his counselors say he is “completely heterosexual.” In fact, they say, he never was gay.
Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with sexual allegations, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur told The Denver Post for a story in Tuesday’s edition.
“He is completely heterosexual,” Ralph said. “That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn’t a constant thing.”
Given his church’s position on homosexuality, his “acting out” seems to me to be akin to a death wish. Haggard and his wife say they are leaving Colorado Springs to pursue masters degrees in pyschology. Hopefully there he will gain some insights he might have missed in his three weeks of intensive counseling.
Posted 2/6/2007 at 9:48 am by Jeralyn Merritt
General :: Permalink :: Comments (4)
A declaration like that is begging for a very public “relapse.” I’m sure that it will come after the book deal and Diane Sawyers interview where Haggard will surely hold the hand of his wife.
This will be making national news. MSNBC’s Nora O’Donnell will discuss it at 11:40 am. (Unfortunately, I’m busy and couldn’t do the segment.)
It doesn’t speak well that Denver is so gleeful to hear of Haggard’s foibles. The saracasm of what is “hoped for” for him is bitter and ugly. Just let this guy go; practice good karma and stop the ugliness.
Why are christians so obsessed with other peoples sexuality..so obsessed with sex, gender and genitals…really, don’t they worry about real stuff , like poverty, famine, environmental degradation, war and pestilence, the rich gettting richer and the poor getting more destitute.
Why do they get so obessed with homosexuals, claiming it is a threat to the family ..HOW? if your husband runs off with the hussy next door, how can it be the fault of gays/lesbians? How can gays/lesbians be responsible for 50% divorce rate ( incidentally highest divorce are in the bible belt ha ha ).
If your son does drug and your daughter gets laid while on booze – how is that the fault of gays/lesbians. Christians historically sought out scape-goats..they used to blame Jews, then blacks, then gypsies , then women and now since it is no longer fashionable to blame jews or blacks etc, they have to pick on vulnerable minorities like gays and lesbians.
Hitler did not kill 6 million jews in a vacuum. Centuries of marginalization and denigration and demonizing of jews as Jesus killer enable common german citizens to exercise false moral authority in killing jews. In like fashion centuries of demonizing and denigration of homosexuals embolden wicked and otherwise morally bankrupt ‘straight’ bigots to descrimiaate and do violence to gay and lesbian and other sexual minorities .
Furthermore picking on a scape-goat makes christians feel superior and ‘saved’. Denigrating others is easier than exercising love,charity and compassion which is actually the most basic teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Sadly Christians hardly practise the most important commandemt of Jesus ie. Love God then immediately love your neighbour as yourself ( be he/she gay or staight).
It is AMAZING HOW MANY PEOPLE CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS WHEN THEY IN FACT DO NOT PRACTISE THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT OF JESUS !!! THEY WOULD RATHER BE HYPOCRITES AND BE LIKE THE PHARASEES OF OLD DUUUH !
mikhail – a child of the Universe