So this whole thing happened in Colorado but I'm pretty sure it's been national news. Ted Haggard, a pastor in the Denver area, had been having an affair with a male prostitute, Mike Jones, and apparently was buying meth off of him as well. This went on for about three years, but suddenly Jones decided he was going to break the news to the media. Why? Colorado is one of the many states with the gay civil union ballot on it. Jones thought that the news of a male pastor having sex with a male prostitute would sway the moderate voters to the left out of distaste for hypocrisy. Jones also says he is sorry for hurting Ted Haggard and his family but it had to be done.
With all due respect, GIVE ME A BREAK!!! First of all, yes, he did say gay civil unions are wrong, but I really believe he is honest about it and not just running with the crowd. Everybody falls into things they don't want to do, even pastors. But anyway, my main point is he is just one man. It's not as though his entire church or the entire Christian community is having affairs with gay prostitutes. On a final note I would like to point out that Haggard's church forgives him for lying and they still love him even though he had homosexual relations! If the moderates are really paying attention, I would say Mike Jones' plan probably backfired.
I personally think Jones was right for ousting (sp?) Haggard. It's hypocrisy plain and simple to get up there and preach day after day about what an abomination gay marriage or gay relationships are when the reality is that you've been doing the same thing for three years. Those that followed Haggard and took his word for law (and believe me, many did), had a right to know that they were being misled by a liar. Yeah, he might have felt guilty or been ashamed... that still doesn't give him the right to be a hypocritical ass. I don't think Jones did this to get his church members to hate him, but merely to tell them to wake the heck up and stop idolizing a hypocrite.
"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." -Marcel Proust
I'm glad he was caught too. I don't excuse him for doing this. He was a hypocrite plain and simple. But if his congregation is reading their Bibles like they should, they can see for themselves that homosexuality is stated as a sin. One man isn't supposed to have the power to sway thousands of voters either way.
I see where you are trying to go with this;however, I find Ted a hypocrite for many reasons, not just for his sexual releationship or drug habit. When asked of his "sins" he first lied about it. What kind of example does this set for the human race. When the going gets tough-lie. Oh and when the lie catches up with you, thats when you finally tell the truth and promise that you are getting help for whatever "demon" you are facing. I think I would have thought twice before calling him a disgrace to the christian population if he in fact would have fessed up when asked the first time.
Peace n Bike Grease~Sara
Mike Jones ousting Haggard wasn't a political ploy. He said he brought the story to the attention of the media when he found out who Haggard was, being that Haggard was vocally anti-gay marriage and had substantial ties to the white house, giving his opinion on religious/political issues some sway. Essentially Jones said he did it because Haggard was being a hypocrite and it deserved to be known. Yes, Haggard did fess up (mostly, he still denies some of the allegations, although he won't say which ones), but not before saying he had no relationship with Mike Jones whatsoever.
Anyway, I think you're right in that Haggard's actions shouldn't be seen as representative of his whole church. It's actually very sad to me that Haggard said he knew about his homo or bi sexuality most of his adult life, but because of his faith and who he was he tried to control it and keep it secret, leading up to the scandal. I'm glad his church still accepts him, and even though he was being hypocritical, it's not very different (apart from the drugs) from what happened with New Jersey's governor not too long ago.
Anyway, I don't think Jones intended anything political from the scandal, but the worst thing Haggard did was lie to himself and everyone else. I don't see his homo or bisexuality as making him bad or corrupt, but he should have been honest about it in the first place. Personally, from what I've seen of Ted Haggard through interviews and documentaries, he seemed somewhat arrogant and a stereotypical right-wing evangelical, neither of which appealed to me very much. Nonetheless, the real shame of the scandal is what he did to himself and his community through dishonesty.