This guy just needs to admit he is gay and that God has created him that way. He will never have peace with himself until he does that. If he doesn't then he will never change and in time we will hear another story of him getting caught in a hotel room with another guy. As for the Church, this is just the way they are.....hate, hate, hate.
Posted By: Cindy in Texas:
"Rich Monk you are an idiot"
and...
"Rich Monk you are a complete idiot to say that God is superstition!"
___________________
Cindy, dear one, do you have even the smallest clue how you sound posting these comments? How UN-Christian they are? How YOU, dear heart, will be judged?
A question to Ted's wife... Does he still close his eyes when you make love?
Oops didn't mean to post that reply where it landed. But, bspencerco, I'm sure Ted is bisexual, I mean, look at the facts of the story and it's pretty obvious. He likes both. Most of us like one or the other, but there is a continuum (which is hotly contested by the morbid anti-science fundamentalists).
There is a special place of repugnance in the heart of some people for homosexuals. They are not so much "Christian" as "garden variety bigots".
For all the talk of forgiveness of your sins and embracing imperfect people, I find it interesting that the first people to throw a struggling person, that had helped so many, out is the church itself. This reveals the heart of the religious problem. The problem is only respecting people that act like the club, think like the club, and stay perfect within the clubs rules. Stray away and see who throws you out first. Think/struggle at any time anything different that this particular interpretation of the divine and out you go. Oh, people, realize, as Matthew Fox has so well pointed out, that there is ONE river, and many wells taping the divine. No one well has the "secret". But do not tell the church that - they will throw you out!
Posted By: Cindy in Texas:
"Rich Monk you are an idiot."
and...
"Rich Monk you are a complete idiot to say that God is superstition!"
___________
Oh, dear, Cindy...do you have a clue how you sound? How UN-Christian your comments are? How YOU will be judged for them?
I'm not that blown away that his own church turned their backs on Ted in his darkest hour. It's generally what they do when anything encroaches or threatens the framework that is religion. At least he wasn't burned alive. Funny that some people (such as tfingram) preach big words based on fairy tales and events that, if they did occur, were grossly exagerated by the authors (I'm speaking of the bible) and are constantly being debunked as science advances. However, when the rubber meets the road, words go out the window - as does the offender, in this case Ted - before anyone else tending to the church's coffers has a chance to open their eyes and see the lies of religion. Am I forgiven for saying that? Or am I going to hell? Hm....
I really find your answer interesting because you obviously have no belief in god. That alone would put you into hell if that is where you want to go. Free Will means we choose what to do with our lives. You don't have to believe the bible if you don't want to. God forgives much but you have it in your hands to be with him or not. Another thing is that religion is always debunking science and there have been priests who came up with stuff for science. It is man who is at odds with each other and how they approach science. I will continue to pray for you and others like you because you really have no idea of God or hell.
"That alone would put you into hell if that is where you want to go"
Yeah, right, you have the ability to judge a person, and declare someone worthy of such punishment, simply because they disagree with you. (Oh, I forgot, you and God are on the same page, so disagreeing with you is equivalent to disagreeing with God).
"Another thing is that religion is always debunking science"
Your denial of reality, and wilfull CHOICE to be ignorant in a society where you can obtain this education for FREE, may not please God as much as you think
"I will continue to pray for you and others like you because you really have no idea of God or hell."
I certainly could say the same to you. What arrogance!
First time I've ever believed him. I found it to be quite honest, humblie, and more frank than I would have expected, and I respect that. I am not his judge, and if you ask me, I have a strong feeling he's probably expericing a more intimate and satisifying relationship with God than he ever did while head of the mega church. I wish the Haggards all God's best
YOUR Gay Ted... This is not something that is going away. YOUR GAY. Its not a hat you return to the store because it too big. The sooner you "accept this" the happier you'll be.
I can understand some of what Ted is feeling. I pastored for four years and then left the denomination I was in. I did not have a spiritual failure of any kind, but the rejection was just the same.
And when I was forced to leave, I did not get a severance of any kind. Actually we had zero dollars in the bank. I maintain a website about my adventures at www.help-for-hurting-pastors.com.
I can understand some of what Ted is experiencing about the lack of compassion. More about my experience can be learned by going to www.help-for-hurting-pastors.com.
"Humans can't comprehend that telling a lie is the same as murder in God's eyes"
Your God does not sound very moral at all to me. I do not think that someone who is cranky in the morning is QUITE as bad as someone who say, engineers a genocide. Or that someone who rudely took my parking spot is the equivalent of someone who kidnaps my family member and does unspeakable things to them. Is God really that insane?
And this story is hilarious. Ted STILL can't admit reality, no matter how much it screams to be acknowledged. If he hadn't been caught, he would STILL be doing exactly what the church that expelled him did - ignorantly judging and condemning, with a version of christianity that no longer even remotely resembles anything that Jesus taught or meant.
"Humans can't comprehend that telling a lie is the same as murder in God's eyes"
Your God does not sound very moral at all to me. I do not think that someone who is cranky in the morning is QUITE as bad as someone who say, engineers a genocide. Or that someone who rudely took my parking spot is the equivalent of someone who kidnaps my family member and does unspeakable things to them. Is God really that insane?
And this story is hilarious. Ted STILL can't admit reality, no matter how much it screams to be acknowledged. If he hadn't been caught, he would STILL be doing exactly what the church that expelled him did - ignorantly judging and condemning, with a version of christianity that no longer even remotely resembles anything that Jesus taught or meant.
Rich Monk you are an idiot. God CREATED you and someday you will stand before Him and be JUDGED in the same way that you have judged people for their beliefs. You are a sad individual if the only thing you have faith in is yourself!
This is the first time that i've ever believed something he's said post scandal, and oddly enough, it was one in general one of the most refreshingly honest, human, and frank perspectives from a Christian I've read in a very long time. He's probably found himself closer to God now than even when he was head of the mega-church.
Ted says he "overrepented" and I believe the church "overpunished." Both sides would probably have done a "do-over" if they had the chance if we were back to a few days after the scandal broke. All people sin and all sin is viewed as the same by God. Humans can't comprehend that telling a lie is the same as murder in God's eyes. Ted did wrong, but which of us hasn't? Trust was the thing that was broken most in this case and I hope and pray that Ted can get his life back. I'm glad that I have God on my side to help me through my struggles just as Ted has Him, too!
I like that his wife said she sticks with him because he's worth it. As hard as it would be, I would stick with my husband too. Also, Ted said because everything is out in the open now they have greater intimacy. I agree with that statement. And I do believe it is the same way with God. If we would finally just close our eyes and tell him everything we're struggling with, He would have the same loving response toward us.
I'm a Christian and I sincerely do feel bad for Ted Haggard. I can imagine that being molested during puberty would mess with your conceptions of your own sexuality for years to come. My sister was molested twice as a young girl, and is questioning her own sexuality 20 years after the incident. I think God does have more grace than we can imagine, especially in circumstances like this. I wonder if Ted went to counseling or sought some sort of healing from his childhood molestation before he married and became a pastor. It seems more like he thought he could just hide it and ignore it and everything would work out naturally. Not so.
The part in the article about his severence pay being $140,000 really suprised me though. My dad is a pastor and the church cannot even afford to pay him right now. He is working full time at PayLess shoes while pastoring the church because he feels like he is called to minister there even if it doesn't pay the bills. Hearing about how poor Ted Haggard had to stay in a series of cheap hotels didn't pull too much on my heart strings. My husband and I live on about $40,000 a year and live perfectly comfortable within our means.
Does not the Bible say - "Judge not lest ye be judged"?
The man lied and made some bad decisions.
He lost his job.
His family rallied around him and he has survived.
He should be commended for the way he has turned his life around rather than be villified.
Good life to you and your family Ted - you all deserve it.
Mr Haggard has been humbled before man and God. I will not throw stones at him. He has paid dearly for his sexuality. I am not gay, I am not evangelical and have no axe to grind. With all the evils presently existing in the world, live and let live. I for one am tired of hostility and vengence. May we have a better year, coming together with solutions to our problems as a nation and world. We owe one another that.
When Ted can get past his need to be famous he will be okay and God can shape him again.
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