Haggard enters treatment for his homosexuality

[Roon]

COLORADO SPRINGS - Pastor Ted Haggard has begun seeing a private therapist as part of his treatment for "sexual improprieties."

He will also move temporarily to an out-of-state restoration center.

Haggard is the founder and is the former senior pastor at the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and former president of the 30-million Evangelical Association.

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=3c3c8875-0abe-421a-0004-be1fbcb59915&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Are they just gonna pray the gay out of him?

Idjits.

[originalpckelly]

5. " GayOff, pray the gay away! GayOff, pray the gay away!"

New from the makers of HeadOn!

[MADem]

10. What, apply directly to the penis??? The brainstem???

They may as well just deball the guy. It may not make him "not gay" but it might slow him down in the urge department. Seriously, if he actually thinks this degayification shit will work, he's a great candidate to just save himself some time and pain, and go for gelding.

[Deja Q]

2. Will John Paulk be there too?

:evilgrin:

[bliss_eternal]

3. Ugh...that should be illegal...

and classified as a double hate crime,imo. :banghead:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

24. It's really horrible when they do it to kids

But...for a humorous take on it: Have you ever seen the movie "Saved"? It's a really funny indie film about fundamentalist kids who attend a Christian school. One of the subplots involves a character who is sent to a camp to "cure" him of his homosexuality. For that, and Mandy Moore's over-the-top performance as a Tammie Faye Baker Jr. in the making, the film is a must-see.

[bliss_eternal]

28. Hi catburglar...

:hi: I did see Saved, well-done satire!

One of my favorite moments from the film:

(taken from memorable quotes on imdb.com)

Mary: So everything that doesn't fit into some stupid idea of what you think God wants you just try to hide or fix or get rid of? It's just all too much to live up to. No one fits in one hundred percent of the time. Not even you.

Pastor Skip: I know that, Mary.

Dean: I know in my heart that Jesus still loves me.

Mary: Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?

Mary's question is something I CONSTANTLY want to ask the uber-religious, judgmental, shame based sheep that seem to think anything different must be ridiculed, labeled as evil, cast off, brain washed and/or destroyed. :banghead:

The Universe, natural origin, the big bang, God, Goddess, Nature--who or whatever created us has far more wisdom than we do. Why are humans fucking with, and daring to attempt to "tweak", change, makeover and/or HEAL (:eyes:) what is already absolutely perfect?

Such a "process" is unjust, cruel and completely inhumane as far as I'm concerned. We need to spend less time trying to fix other people and focus on our own lives, sense of self, etc. Gay "reprogramming" = :puke:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

34. It's the cherry-picking that gets me

They'll harp on a few passages in Leviticus, while ignoring the rest of them. Gays are an abomination!! Yet the OT also condemns (with the punishment of death in many cases) eating shellfish, being disrespectful to your parents, and wearing mixed fibers among other things. And as far as their beloved Jesus goes....Sermon on the Mount? Fuhgeddaboutit. Compassion for the poor and the least among us? Scant evidence of that at the 3 (I kid you not - there are 3 of them) ginormous and lavishly appointed mega-churches within a 5 mile radius of my home.

These places are unbelievable. Basketball courts, daycare centers, coffee shops, and more luxury SUVs in the parking lot than you can shake a stick at. Just for fun, I have chatted with people I know to be congregants and asked how many homeless people the church had taken in. They give me this clueless stare and you can practically hear the crickets chirping. I like to point out a statistic I read where if every church in the U.S. took in 2 homeless people, the problem would be eradicated. Seems to me Jesus would approve of something like that.

But nope, their "outreach" efforts mostly involve acquiring new wallets, uh I mean, members from the affluent community and the usual nosing into everybody's personal business via promoting socially conservative causes like banning abortion and gay marriage. They totally support certain candidates and push voter registration and mail-in ballots. Oh, but they're non-profits so no taxes :eyes:

[praeclarus]

4. it's just so he can get back to being a preacher...

... asap. All restored and what not.

Kind of like when Swaggart did his little break
down routine. Did anybody buy that? Heck yeah!

[Maat]

11. Isn't that the truth?

And, DUers, if you want to fight this "ex-gay"/"restoration" nonsense, please consider contributing to Truth Wins Out (Wayne Besen's organization to address this stupidity):

http://www.truthwinsout.org/ .

I have! They usually organize a "welcoming committee" for organizations such as those behind the "Love Won Out" conferences, when they come to town.

[w4rma]

6. Haggard is working hard to con his way back into the right-wing extremists' churches. (nt)

[mike_c]

7. my god how the money rolls in....

What, me cynical...?

[jesus_of_suburbia]

8. We as Christians should pray for him

I hope he is successful in his journey out of homosexuality.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

9. Forgot the sarcasm tag... sorry! LOL!

I'M GAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

[Jamastiene]

12. LOL, I knew that.

:hi:

[jesus_of_suburbia]

25. HeHe, friend... did you know that I was gay?

Or did you know I was being sarcastic?


LOL!

[Jamastiene]

30. both, actually.

Love your screen name. It's very memorable because I'm a big Green Day fan. Plus your posts are cool.

[Dr.Phool]

13. LOL, I hope Mark Foley is his cell-mate or restorer.

[Jamastiene]

14. IMHO, he should get treatment for his right wing fundy views

instead.

Those ex-gay type programs are nothing more than mental and spiritual abuse prisons.

[bliss_eternal]

18. Exactly...

...it's so sad to see people subject themselves to that. :(

[devilgrrl]

15. Pfffft!

Puh-leeze! :eyes:

[PassingFair]

16. Into the Homogrification Machine!

Out comes the bright, shiny Hetero-Hemale. (tm)

Easy Peasy.

Comes out looking like this:

A REAL danger to society if recidivism occurs....

[karlrschneider]

17. Mercy House? They're famous for their de-gayification program!

:eyes: :evilgrin:

[Disturbed]

21. Did the Police ever check his home for Meth?

He did admit to buying it.

[karlrschneider]

22. Actually I have no idea. If they did it wasn't mentioned on any news I heard.

...??

[SoCalDem]

33. Damn you.. He SAID he threw it away!! He's a man of god.. would he lie??

:rofl:

[npincus]

19. give him to me... I'll change him...

Hubba hubba, c'mere lovah boy....

[CountDmoney]

20. Good luck with that Ted.

I feel bad for the guy for his tortured double life. But I think it's time for him to be himself.

[upi402]

23. Right after they cure him of breathing

:banghead:

[madrchsod]

26. i can`t imagine those therapy sessions....

been there, done that, and all i can say---i want to listen in! where does one go to get a degree in quackery?

[judaspriestess]

27. these hypocrites have no boundaries

and they have no souls! You can't be treated for homosexuality. what a further slap in the face to gay people in this country. Get therapy like haggard and you will be cured of your sickness. pathetic.

[bliss_eternal]

29. Hey Girl...!

:hi:Good to see you! :hug: How are you?

[northofdenali]

31. Damn. Options, options, options -

Why not get a sex-change operation? That way, loving men won't be a "sin" in Haggard's Book. Which, by the way, is not God's Book, or the true Christian Book, or Jesus' Book -

Because, with these people, the Book is a book of hatred, scorn and fear.

Not my Book, either.

Sick bunch of hypocrites.

ON EDIT: I figure he'll reap a LOT more monetary "rewards" when he comes back "cured". It's not the deeds, it's the $$$$$.

[GreenZoneLT]

32. He DEFINITELY needs help

I've never seen anyone so much in need of therapeutic help for his homosexuality.

I mean, he's deeply closeted and in denial, he has to pay for sex, and he apparently needs to use recreational drugs to get off. He needs 28 days at Fire Island at the very LEAST, and it'll probably be years before he's able to function normally as a gay man.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

35. Hi GreenZoneLT!

Great post and welcome to DU. :hi:

[nolabels]

36. Like no kind of training would ever change people into something.............

they really don't want or need to be and will never work unless they have that desire. Look at Mr. Bush, they sent him to Yale and he is still deciding to be stupid :-)


http://homepage.mac.com/c.shaw/BushBulges/PhotoAlbum15.html

Besides technology can free us of many our woes, so why go to school or special training :shrug: