Comments on: Is Ted Haggard a Victim of Evangelicalism?

By: janz

janz — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:46:22 +0000

I still see hypocricy and bigotry…and a man who would have carried on if he hadnt got caught!
Its one thing to sympathise with someone who gets brought up in religion so tightly. But to take it further and become one of the elite (and rich)..and not practice what you preach? Same as politicians who go on about ‘the family’ and ‘marriage’..then are caught with mistressses.

By: Pseudonym

Pseudonym — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:48:57 +0000

The most insightful comment on this, from a few years ago, was from Richard Dawkins. I can’t remember the whole quote, but this was the general gist…

His problem is that he picked the wrong religion: one which wouldn’t let him be what he is.

By: blackskeptic

blackskeptic — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:48:22 +0000

I haven’t seen the doc, but I’m not sorry for him. I saw him on Oprah and he seems to be doing really well. Apparently his church has already accepted him and he’s back in Colorado Springs.

I really hope that this changes the way that evangelicals look at homosexuality and perhaps become more understanding of it. Or something positive …

By: Stina

Stina — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:59:37 +0000

If he wonders what his life could’ve been without evangelism, he could take notes from Dan Barker, who is still very successful.

By: absent sway

absent sway — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:42:31 +0000

I agree that he was both victim and perpetrator but that the real victims were his family members.

Beyond that, my take on it is that this is a good example of the foolishness of megachurches’ emphasis on larger-than-life leadership, and the feelings of entitlement on the part of leaders that too easily go along with it. It really is shocking for someone who has been spoiled with attention to find himself suddenly at the bottom of the heap; I think this will be as great of a challenge to him as coming to terms with his sexuality is.

By: Mark in California

Mark in California — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:08:56 +0000

Yes – he is a victim, just like many of us were when we had the deluded thinking of Evangelical Christianity. It is best not to hate – as you pointed out.

Lets hope that he can “see the light” that many of us here did, and learn to accept and appreciate himself.

By: Ron Gold

Ron Gold — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:29:49 +0000

It’s interesting to see the wide range of thoughts you all have to my post. Believe me when I say that I’m not used to defending Ted Haggard, and I won’t be making a habit out of it either.

To add to my thoughts, I don’t think he is innocent; he certainly is not. Maybe he’s 80% perpetrator and 20% victim, or something like that.

By: ri0tdorque

ri0tdorque — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:16:40 +0000

I just watched an interview with that man last week on some news show. It talked about how he’s been “cured” of being gay after two years of therapy.

The moment I heard that it made me sick. To sit there and say you can be “cured” trying to win himself back into the so called light it turns my stomach.

By: Noadi

Noadi — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:30:29 +0000

I also think this is more complex than he’s either a victim or abuser because he clearly was both. His upbringing and faith set him up for a conflict with his sexuality and that has to be a terrible thing to go through. However he was an adult making a lot of money off preaching against his own sexuality, being incredibly nasty and unforgiving towards other gays, and he was caught in his hypocrisy.

The recent allegations about the relationship he had with a church volunteer in his early 20s also in my mind is not the actions of an honest good person of any faith (or lack of one) because he was in a position of authority over him and that would not have been right regardless of gender. So yes his church should take some blame but many of his actions have been manipulative, abusive, and dishonest and that can’t be laid at his church’s feet only his.

By: Maria

Maria — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:58:48 +0000

But after seeing his documentary, I have to wonder if he isn’t really a victim of evangelicalism. From a young age, his religious beliefs taught his that it was not okay to be gay. Many of us have seen cases where sexually confused youths embrace religion, hoping it will turn them into good heterosexuals, though they are destined to fail. I would not be surprised if this were also the case with Ted Haggard.

I agree