A megachurch paid a 20-year-old man to keep silent about a sexual relationship he had with disgraced evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, a senior church pastor said. Haggard, who was fired amid allegations that he used drugs and patronized a male prostitute in 2006, had a sexual relationship with a second man — a 20-year-old volunteer at his megachurch, said the Rev. Brady Boyd.
The church agreed to pay the man in exchange for his pledges not to talk publicly about the relationship, Boyd said, referring to a settlement reached by the man’s lawyer and the church’s insurance company. Under the settlement, the church provided the man money to pay his college tuition, moving expenses and counseling, Boyd said. “This was compassionate assistance. It was to help him move forward, not a settlement to keep him quiet,” said Boyd…
In the last three weeks, Boyd said, the young man told him that he was considering going public with his story because Haggard was portraying himself as a victim in an upcoming HBO documentary called “The Trial of Ted Haggard,” which is scheduled to air Thursday…
In a settlement with New Life, the church and Haggard agreed that he would retain his six-figure salary for a year, leave the Colorado Springs area, receive counseling, and not speak publicly about what had happened for one year, according to a church staff member with knowledge of the settlement who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Despite the fresh scandal, Boyd said he is hopeful for the future.
So, will HBO add an afterward to their documentary? Of course, the “compassionate” kind.
No, the sin isn’t that someone is gay, that’s genetic and therefore not a sin. It’s that you didn’t know yourself. It’s that you broke faith with your wife, your children, your congregation and lied about it to others. It’s that you and the other church leaders lied to cover it up.
I shouldn’t be but still amazed by these dorks who claim to know the will of God yet don’t come close to understanding the teachings of Jesus.
Haggard did say that evangelical people have the best sex… he just didn’t say who the sex was with.
So does the church get its money back if this guy goes public?
This is ridiculous. This church is a mess. This is what happens when things get too big. When are we going to downsize…er, normal-size!
Confidentiality requirements most of the time are a fraud against society. Courts should not be enforcing them AT ALL–but especially concerning ANY aspect of the operation of a not for profit activity==and governmental operations as well.
SPECIAL interests all over the place==where is the GENERAL welfare?
Does this really surprise anyone? This isn’t a church it is Jesus, Inc.
#1, gm,
… the sin isn’t that someone is gay, that’s genetic and therefore not a sin.
Sorry to disillusion you, but there has been no gene identified that points to homosexuality. While “why” someone becomes homosexual is still unknown, it isn’t genetic.
As with most things, people become more upset at the cover up than with the incident. I couldn’t give two shits about what this excuse for toilet paper did or does, that he lied is the issue. People can forgive a lot easier if they are told the truth up front.
#5 & 6,
I agree whole heartedly.
# 7 Mr. Fusion said, “While “why” someone becomes homosexual is still unknown, it isn’t genetic.”
Actually, the 1st part of the sentence is correct. The 2nd part isn’t necessarily true. Nobody knows yet. It may or may not be a genetic condition. Time and research will tell.
Pffft==anyone with a brain knows it is genetically controlled which is why all you big strapping studs are all flag waiving heteroes.
Just examine YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, rather than your own prejudice. There is no single genes==but rather a number of genes all interacting in a complex way. It will be figured out and made subject to parental choice.
On an even bigger issue==over and over again, GENETICS comes to be understood at the root of many/most human behaviors. Its the reason that cantaloupes don’t form unions.
Wow. For being so anti-sex, the church is quite the enigma as an institution noted for news of sex and orgies.
Just what heck goes on in there on sundays?
# 11 Dallas said, “Just what heck goes on in there on sundays?”
Don’t ask, don’t tell.
#12 Good one. I respect that!
I wish Teddy, Larry Craig and a host of other male evangelists and Republicans not yet out of the closet would just meet face-to-face (or whatever) and be not gay together.
#10, Bpbbp,
Pffft==anyone with a brain knows it is genetically controlled
Do they? Do you have anything to back that up? Although maybe, a /sarcasm tag would have sufficed.
We’re still researching why people become pastors. Is it genetic, hormonal, or something we haven’t yet discovered? Some day we’ll know, and perhaps there will be a cure.
#10, Bobbo,
Oopps, I just saw how I screwed up your handle in my #15 post. Sorry, it was unintentional. Someone put the”p” right beside the “o” on my keyboard and I missed. Sorry.
Here is a quick comment on the causes of homosexuality. The entire article will take you about two or three minutes to read. It will take Cow-Paddy less as he won’t read it.
Despite social science and biological research, it is still not known what causes someone to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or straight. Scientists and social scientists will no doubt continue to study the causes of homosexuality in both animals and humans.
No matter what they find, gays, lesbians and their supporters will continue the fight for fair and equal treatment.
#16–Gary==good reach around. But yea==I think there are a number of genes that will “tend to” make someone pastorish. The behavior is more complex and therefor probably less directly a genetic artifact.
#15–Fusion==just “think” about it. Did you ever sit around thinking about what your sexual orientation was/should be or did it just happen? Well, its the same for everyone else.
This whole black=white/either=or thinking is prosaic, stupid, and really stuck in the mud preserving all kinds of prejudices. Sex is the best example as it falls across such a broad scale–on the physical as well as the mental attributes.
Get out of your own closed down restricted social milieu, read a book or two. Life ain’t as spelled out and restricted as most would have you believe.
More importantly==it doesn’t even matter if you just leave other people the f&ck alone. But thats not what people do with their beliefs.
http://tinyurl.com/3uvjpo
#18 bobbo, just so you don’t misunderstand, I was using “pastor” literally, not as a euphemism. My silly little joke was that I think we should look into curing why people feel destined to become pastors.
On a more serious note, possibly more related to the subject of homosexuality, I saw something on TV not long ago on the subject of epigenetics, the study of genetic traits that are inherited despite a lack of change in the nuclear DNA sequence itself.
One epigenetic example that blew me away was that if your paternal grandfather experienced a famine around the time of his puberty, YOU will be statistically much less likely to develop diabetes during your lifetime.
Read up on it and write me some Cliffs Notes 😉
Who cares who he was sleeping with? He should have just told everyone that it is none of their damn business. If he was married, then he has some explaining to do to his wife. But that is between them.
How come this guy isn’t being celebrated as a gay icon having come out of the closet?
#21 Ron, you must have missed that incessant yammering from Haggard about how eeeeeevul homosexuality was, while he was engaging in homosexual activity. How these people can do that is simply amazing.
#22 Billy Bob, I think he’s still insisting that he’s not gay… got the wife and kids and all, so he can’t be gay, right?
So much for the church protecting anyone but themselves. Sorry but these big churches are nothing but a tax shelter for people.
People are right that say Jusus Inc. That’s about what church is about anymore.
I came out in 1985 and I’m still waiting for my complimentary toaster oven.
Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, all these evangelical types are big fat hippocrits. Some get caught some don’t.
# 25 Dallas – But you did get the apron and oven mits…?
Phydeau,
Yup. There are no preachers I waste time listening to. So the guy is a hypocrite. Big surprise there.
#27 LOL. No I didn’t 🙁
This gay thing is a fraud! I did everything I was suppose to do for my prize and nada ..
Gay coming out check list….
> I switched teams (and proved it) – check
> Shaved my body – check
> Recruited 3 more straights – check
> Agreed to EULA for Gay Agenda booklet – check
> Bought all the Madonna CD’s – check
> Say “Fabulous” at least once per week – check
> Learned to dance – check
> Work out and stay fit – check
> Come out at work – 1/2 check
> Come out t family – 1/2 check
The last two were suppose to be optional..
This is very confusing. There is an outcry to allow the fruitloop crowd to become minsters then when one acts as a fruitloop normally does there is outrage and surprise.
Maybe this is the reason why gays should not become ministers and why their “normal” inclinations are considered sin by the Big Guy.