Disgraced pastor Haggard: I was abused as child

[laststeamtrain]

Disgraced pastor Haggard: I was abused as child

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Disgraced evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says he was sexually abused as a child and that the experience "started to rage in my mind and in my heart" when he was caught up in a sex scandal involving a male prostitute. Haggard made the remarks in two recent sermons in Morrison, Ill., ABC's "Good Morning America" reported Wednesday.

Haggard said one of his father's employees "had a sexual experience with me" when Haggard was 7, according to audio recordings of the sermons posted on the ABC News Web site.

Haggard said he later became "a conservative Republican, loving the word of God, an evangelical, born-again, spirit-filled, charismatic, all those things.

"But some of the things that were buried in the depths of the sea from when I was in the second grade started to rage in my mind and in my heart," he said....http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_re_us/disgraced_pastor
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First Foley, now Haggard. Did the memo go out?

[renie408]

1. I am a little leery of dissing this kind of revelation.

I would like to think it was a matter of convenience, but I know people who were abused as children who wound up with some seriously messed up sexual attitudes as adults. It kind of makes sense to me that Haggard was abused as a child.

[Toasterlad]

4. Being Abused As a Child Does Not Make You a Homosexual

It makes you a victim of abuse.

[renie408]

8. No, but it might leave you with some shame issues that would lead you to

identify with a strict, punitive religious outlook as a way to punish yourself for being homosexual.

I didn't mean to imply that his homosexuality was a messed up sexual attitude. I was thinking more that being a right wing, fundie religious nut was a confused, messed up thing for a gay man.

[Toasterlad]

10. Granted. That Would Not Excuse His Despicable Hypocriscy, However

My sympathy for victims of abuse ends when they try to use that abuse as an excuse for hateful, hypocritcal acts.

[rurallib]

14. didn't happen to me.

[Dappleganger]

12. It can lead to dealing with confusion about any kind of relationship, period.

I was a victim of several people from an early age, so know it firsthand. Was abused by my father, one of his friends, and a female babysitter.
Yeah, it left me confused for awhile but it was more about personal relationships with both sexes than sex itself (if that makes sense).

This is why I hate gender labels--people are who they are and love who they love.
This pastor should have pursued counseling (as I did) to confront his issues rather than dragging other people through his own torment. And if he is gay then he needs to embrace it, moving on with his life instead of living in denial.

[kevinbgoode]

24. The man is a professional liar.

At what point does a liar lose enough credibility to be listened to any longer? He lied about his involvement with the prostitute. He lied about the nature of the involvement when it came to light.

This is a man who was amassing great wealth scamming the "faithful" - and he headed up a church which was certainly associated with all kinds of ministries which dealt with psychological issues. He had all of those things at his disposal - which he could have utilized secretly. Instead, he chose to lie.

[Fuzz]

2. "We consistently blow it" when those opportunities arise, he said.

Unfortunate choice of words.

[renie408]

6. Ouch. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. It is not a memo

this goes a long way to splaining their behavior

Not justifying it mind you

[immoderate]

5. It could just as easily explain his being a conservative Republican.

Post hoc ergo proctor hoc.

--IMM

[orleans]

16. maybe it explains why he is such an ASSHOLE!

people who are sexually abused as children run the risk of becoming abusers of children when they become adults.

i don't think it has an effect on a person's sexual orientation.

and i really don't think it can be used as a reason someone becomes a major fucking hypocrite. (or illegal drug user)

[Starry Messenger]

7. Wow. He's done a lot of soul searching it seems.

I hope he finds peace.

[riqster]

9. If he is talking about this to help others, that's one thing

...and that's to be lauded. If he's blaming his abusers for his later behavior as an adult, then he has a long way to go.

[Gwendolyn]

11. Oh brother! His lame attempt to link homosexuality to pedophilia...

It's not his fault he likes meth and prostitutes.

:eyes:

The self-loathing and hypocrisy of this man is beyond the pale. He should just come out already, or at the very least, STFU.

[ContinentalOp]

15. Wha? I didn't really take it that way.

I mean the guy is clearly fucked up. It has nothing to do with being gay, but the fact that he was a closet case meth freak at the same time that he was an evangelical megachurch pastor shows that he has some issues.

[Gwendolyn]

18. I do. Many, if not most, top-tier evangelical leaders are con-men and liars.

If he really was abused, it would be more likely that his own desires manifest as attraction to minors.

In his world, it's much more acceptable to claim molestation by someone who "turned him" rather than admit that he innately enjoys having sex with other men. His issues have more to do with self-loathing than anything else.

[ContinentalOp]

20. So you're saying that the victims of child abuse become child molestors? -nt-

[Gwendolyn]

21. Some do. Studies claim percentages are as high as 30% but I don't know...

... if that's true. The cycle of abuse is also repeated in sons of wife batterers.

[ContinentalOp]

13. Gee that's a real shocker!

:eyes:

[texpatriot2004]

17. So was I. That is no excuse. nm

[busybl]

19. aren't they all

the excuse du jour

[RadicalTexan]

22. Pedophilia =/= homosexuality

As someone who was abused, I find it sickening when people try to play their past abuse for pity points, and especially when they try to smear others in the process.

Being abused did not lead me to exhibit any of Haggard's failings: sexual shame, bigotry, or small minded Biblical literalism. :puke:

[earth mom]

23. Being abused does not excuse Haggard for demonizing gays from the pulpit like he did.

He is still deluding himself. :crazy: