Haggard Ted Haggard
It would be too easy to gloat over the recent events surrounding Ted Haggard. For those of us who may often feel that the religious right is out to get us, Haggard’s fall could be seen as a celebration…a gay evocation of Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead. To adopt this stance, however, is not contributing to a solution.
I am hoping that over the next few days..indeed, the years going forward…that we as a community, whatever our commonalities or differences, choose not to castigate Haggard for the choices he has made. Clearly, we do not want to be judged for decisions that we make. Granted, I know that Haggard and others have fought adamantly against gays, their rights, and their salvation. I feel, however, that the system itself needs to be attacked. If you work within a framework that condemns certain people, how can you truly address the dormant feelings within yourself? Am I arguing that Haggard is not accountable for his own venom spewing? No, but what I am trying to illumine is the deep complexities of the situation. Our militancy should not be spent in lambasting others but rather in educating people in all spheres of influence, whether public or private, as to the nature of our cause. We are as different and as alike as everyone else. Our sexual orientation does not detract from our ability to lead constituents or congregations, or from our ability to raise taxes or raise families. Marginalizing someone else will not erase the marginalization that we sometimes feel ourselves.
My closing thought is to ask anyone who reads this to think through the whole situation and how so very often we become the product of our enviroments. By reflecting on this, we can choose to criticize the action and not the man.
