So now we have the good Rev. Ted Haggard confessing to his lifelong sexual problem.
Did you catch the emphasis there - LIFE LONG, people.
Okay, I know people who live in glass houses and black pots and all that but seriously. This guy who has lived as a REVEREND is now confessing to having a lifelong sexual problem. He confesses to paying a male prostitute for sex. I'm assuming that this sex was paid for with money that Haggard was paid from his church for being their Godly spiritual advisor.
Am I being totally unreasonable here? Is there an angle I am not taking into consideration? Because I have a REAL problem with someone in a leadership position of a church having a lifelong problem with a particular vice. To me, that problem should be saying to him, "Hey, buddy, we got a situation here and it pretty much precludes us from being any type of leader in a religious setting for the time being. We need to address and deal with our own little demon right here in our house first."
Case in point: many of you know by now that my husband is a Sheriff. As such, he (and the people who elected him) holds himself to a certain standard legally and morally. My husband is an above-board kind of guy. Even though he doesn't get paid squat in this county and my little salary is almost laughable in 2006, we make it work and we keep our personal vehicles registered and inspected. We keep insurance on them. Because it's the law. When we go out socializing and he has a beer or two, I do the driving (only one of us gets to drink at social functions). He does not drive when he has been drinking alcohol. Because it's the law.
You get where I am going with this.
My husband chose to go into a line of work where he is expected EVERY DAY to uphold the laws both national, state, and local. He does not break the law because that is what makes him who he is. He is a law enforcement officer. Not only does he enforce the laws but he obeys the laws. Call him crazy but he has a real problem with hypocrits. "Do as I say, not as I do."
When Haggard first "realized" (which wasn't lask week, I'm betting) that he had a problem, and I'm thinking had to be pretty apparent given his employment, he should have stepped down.
And at this point in the game, I really don't give a crap about Haggard. Where my anger comes in is on behalf of his congregation. Not only did this dipwad lie to his own family but he was lying to a whole congregation of people who looked to him for spiritual guidance. Being an active member of my church and being a congregant who looks to my pastor for real guidance with my faith journey, I can only imagine the depth of that congregation's feeling of loss and betrayal. Not only was their advisor not what he proclaimed to be, but was his Christian guidance of them sincere or just his own way of trying to justify what he knew about himself?
I don't claim to be some great Christian. Heck, I don't even claim to be a good one. I work hard every day to be the person I know God wants me to be and trust me, most days I don't accomplish it.
I know the Christian thing to say would be,"Pray for him as he goes through this difficult time." And I will.
But my strongest prayers are going to be for his former church's members. They are going to be paying an emotional debt they didn't incur.
About Me
- jLow
- Seminole, Texas, United States
- "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
3 comments:
My, it's a busy day for the soapboxes.
I couldn't agree with you more. Heck, it's even scriptural. St. Paul spends a bit of time on the subject of living one's life within a consistent moral framework if one is in a position of authority.
Unfortunately, Christian leaders are as susceptible to power trips as any other leader. Of course it is hypocritical to tell people how they should be living their lives when you don't have yours in order. (Geez, didn't Jesus say something about removing the specks in one's eye before trying to removing the plank from someone else's? Yep, I think he did).
My sister's church went through a similar crisis last year and I'm here to tell you that the devestation and the betrayal were absolute and complete. Haggard's congregation definately are in need of our prayers.
And good on Clint for understanding his responsibility as a leader. Would that there were more like him.
L - Thanks for understanding where I was coming from. I'm not out to hang the guy but it seems that we have had entirely too many of our "leaders" whore out their authority to the detriment of those of us who trusted them to do the good works they said they were going to do.
Well, honey, I understood because you were perfectly clear.
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