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 Post subject: Sex with Clergy
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 3:53 pm 
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Fallen evangelical pastor Haggard faces claims he had relationship with ex-church volunteer

DENVER (AP) -- Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard - a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image.

Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, told The Associated Press that the man came forward to church officials in late 2006 shortly after a Denver male prostitute claimed to have had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard.

Boyd said an "overwhelming pool of evidence" pointed to an "inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship" that "went on for a long period of time ... it wasn't a one-time act." Boyd said the man was in his early 20s at the time. He said he was certain the man was of legal age when it began.

Reached Friday night, Haggard declined to comment and said all interviews would have to be arranged through a publicist for HBO, which is airing a documentary about him this month.

Boyd said the church reached a legal settlement to pay the man for counseling and college tuition, with one condition being that none of the parties involved discuss the matter publicly.

Boyd said a Colorado Springs TV station reached him Thursday to say the young man was planning to provide a detailed report of his relationship with Haggard to the station. Boyd said the church preferred to keep the matter private, but it was the man's decision to go public.

The disclosure comes as Haggard, 52, is about to give a series of high-profile interviews to promote the cable documentary about his time in exile. He is scheduled to appear on CNN's Larry King Live on Thursday, the date of the documentary's premiere, and already has taped "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

In early 2007, New Life Church disclosed that an investigation uncovered new evidence that Haggard engaged in "sordid conversation" and "improper relationships" - but didn't go into detail. Earlier, a church board member had said there was no evidence that Haggard had sexual relations with anyone but Mike Jones, the former male prostitute.

Haggard confessed to undisclosed "sexual immorality" after Jones' allegations and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and from New Life Church, where he faced being fired.

Anticipating criticism of the settlement with the former church volunteer, Boyd said Friday that it was in the best interests of all involved. He would not name the volunteer or the settlement amount.

"It wasn't at all a settlement to make him be quiet or not tell his story," Boyd said. "Our desire was to help him. Here was a young man who wanted to get on with his life. We considered it more compassionate assistance - certainly not hush money. I know what's what everyone will want to say because that's the most salacious thing to say, but that's not at all what it was."

He said that "secondarily, it's not great for our church either" that the story be told. Boyd said Haggard knew about the settlement two years ago.

In a letter e-mailed Friday to New Life Church members, Boyd said of the settlement and agreement not to talk: "This decision was made not as an attempt to conceal wrongdoings, but to protect him from those who would seek to exploit him. His actions now suggest that he has changed his mind."

The letter said the church "received reports of a number of incidents of inappropriate behavior" after Haggard's fall. "In each case, we have tried our very best to do the right thing each time, including disciplinary action when appropriate."

Boyd said the "inappropriate behavior" referred to the man who was the volunteer involved with Haggard. After Haggard's fall, another church staff member resigned after admitting to what was described as "sexual misconduct."

Boyd said the church will not take action against the man if he tells his story in the press.

"We have legal standing to do that, but not the desire to," he said.

Boyd said he had spoken to the man once and came away with the impression that he was speaking out because of the documentary. "I think what caused this young man to be a bit aggravated was Ted being seen as a victim, when he himself had experienced a great deal of hurt," Boyd said. "I seriously doubt this man would have come forward if the documentary had not been made."

A spokeswoman for the documentary, "The Trials of Ted Haggard," declined to comment Friday.

David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests - which has largely focused on the Catholic sexual abuse scandal but also speaks out on cases involving Protestant clergy - said the new disclosures about Haggard are more disturbing because they involves a church volunteer.

"Technically, legally, they were both adults," Clohessy said. "Psychologically and emotionally, Haggard was dramatically more powerful. ... By definition, any sexual contact between a congregant and minister is inherently abusive and manipulative."

In an AP interview this month before an appearance in front of TV critics in California, Haggard described his sexuality as complex and something that can't be put into "stereotypical boxes."

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 Post subject: Re: Sex with Clergy
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:06 pm 
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You name it. If it's sexual,
the Roman Catholic Church is likely to have problems with it:

1. Jesus' Mary couldn't even be conceived like every other human being, she had to have an "Immaculate Conception"
2. Mary had a baby, but unlike every other woman who has ever had a baby, Mary had hers without any sex being involved. She was a virgin not just before, but during and after the conception of her child.
3. Jesus couldn't have any brothers and sisters, despite the mention of such in the Gospels, as that would mean that Mary and Joseph experienced the unmentionable.
4. According to the Catholic Church, Joseph, Mary & Jesus never had sex, John the Baptist didn't have sex, the 12 apostles didn't (at least after becoming apostles) , Paul of Tarsus didn't, practically everybody who mattered didn't have sex.
5. masturbation is a "mortal sin", reason enough to earn one eternal damnation,
6. birth control is a "mortal sin", reason enough to earn one eternal damnation,
7. abortion is a "mortal sin", reason enough to earn one eternal damnation,
8. artificial insemination is a "mortal sin", reason enough to earn one eternal damnation,
9. divorce and remarriage is a "mortal sin", reason enough to earn one eternal damnation.
10. stem-cell research is wrong.
11. women in the priesthood is wrong.
12. even to priests being joined in holy matrimony to women is wrong (as they would then experience the unmentionable.
13. marriage between people of the same gender is wrong.
14. Even marriage between one man and one woman forever, though one of its sacraments, is treated like a "necessary evil", tolerated only for those not good enough to be called to "holy orders" or the sisterhood.

One of Roman Catholicism'a favorite bible verses seems to be I Corinthians: 7:7-9 where Paul of Tarsus wrote, "I wish that all were (celebates) as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better (i.e. a lesser evil) to marry than to be aflame with passion."
H.L. Mencken could just as well have been speaking of Roman Catholic clerics when he spoke of fundamentalists having "a terrible, pervasive fear that someone, somewhere, is having fun."

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 Post subject: Re: Sex with Clergy
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:08 pm 
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Monastery Life

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript.
So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up! In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.
The head monk, says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son." He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years.
. . .
. . .

Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot. So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing, "We missed the 'R', we missed the 'R'! " His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably.
The young monk asks, "What's wrong, father?"
With a choking voice, the old abbot replies,
"The word was 'celebrate' ! . . . 'celebrate' !!!"

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 Post subject: Re: Sex with Clergy
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:36 pm 
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Did you know that a person being gay greatly increases the chance that the person is also a child molester....... :shock:

Pretty crazy, but true.

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