I compared christianists to Pharisees in a Salon post a few weeks ago. The New Testament Pharisees were Jesus's opponents, but it turns out that present-day Jews have a completely different take on the Pharisees. Present-day Rabbinical Judaism sees some of them as important, respected forebears.

So, let's compare these disgraced christianist princes (Haggard, Swaggert, Baker et al.) to wealthy, corrupt, hypocritical medieval Christian bishops and Popes who partied and fornicated and torured while the common folk toiled and suffered.

Just quickly, in regards to Poco's recital of scripture to indemnify Haggard and his kind for their destruction of compassion and unity in the name of all that is holy, I have one point: I seem to recall that the Bible also speaks of wearing blended fabrics as a sin, and many other pronouncements of similar nature. Being that these are commonly disregarded as antiquated notions, how do you not judge yourself on that hypocrisy alone. Couple that with additional scripture that all sins are judged alike, and even a murderer on Death Row who accepts Christ before execution is granted passage to the Kingdom of Heaven, and all of your hateful words do ring hollow. I won't claim to be a Biblical expert, but I have spent enough time in Church and reading the Bible in my life that I am sickened by hypocrisy that you claim doesn't exist from Christian Evangelicals. This is just another example that those who speak loudest and longest are commonly the ones with something to hide.

Just an FYI from the Denver Post:

"Martin Nussbaum, New Life Church's attorney, emphasized that Haggard's leave and an imminent inquiry into the matter by an outside church board should not be construed as an admission of guilt but rather in keeping with church policies.

Under church bylaws, an outside "board of overseers" investigates allegations of immorality, financial misdealings or teaching heresy, Nussbaum said. The board has authority to discipline the senior pastor, remove him or restore him to ministry.

"I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity," Haggard said in his statement. "I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date."

I live only a few streets over from you and had actually considered voting for you. Not now, after reading your mean-spirited letter here on Salon.

Way to go, moron.

This should be one more example of why private issues (e.g., one's sexuality, views on abortion) have no place in politics. If we lived in a country where these very complex issues get worked through on a personal level, and kept out of the political realm, we wouldn't be seeing so much duplicity and hypocrisy. I would venture to say that most people have struggled with sexual identity and for many of us it continues to remain a grey area, one which defies labels and categories. I think that ol' Rev. Haggard and Mark Foley get what they deserve and not to condone the hate they have spewed, but they're also a product of a society that discourages exploration of complexities within oneself.

Pride goeth before a fall. What shall it avail a man if he possesses everything but loses his soul? Pharisee, I smell your hyptocritical fascistic breath. Go back to Matt. 4,5,6, and compare to your bloated republikan "values". Report back after the chastening coming November 7.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15536263/

"The Rev. Ted Haggard, who stepped down as head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday after allegations that include having gay sex, has confessed to some of the allegations, a fellow pastor said in an e-mail to church members.

"'It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true,' Ross Parsley, the acting senior pastor at New Life Church stated. Haggard on Thursday also stepped aside as leader of the 14,000-member New Life Church, based in Colorado Springs."

From the Denver Post:

Ted Haggard's accuser failed a polygraph test early this morning about the truthfulness of his accusations that he had had a three-year homosexual affair with the influential Colorado Springs minister.

Also just in--the Post has an e-mail sent to the congregation confirming that the Rev said some of the allegations are true: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4597813

That's probably more reliable than a test so unreliable it is not admissible in court. Or is probably a good indication that the truth is somewhere in between "I did not have sex with a man....in Denver" and Jones' story.

The story headline states in conclusory fashion "Gay accuser fails lie detector test". The details reveal the true significance: Gay accuser voluntarily submits to 5am radio show lie detector test, results inconclusive because of stress of sleeplessness in subject, says administrator. Meanwhile, Haggard admits guilt.

When you put it that way, does that come off differently?

Hey, I'm just pulling off an RSS feed. Frankly, I don't have time to delve deeply.

Excuse me for trying to be helpful.

I looked at how the Rocky Mountain News reported the story, and they say the polygrapher (is that a word?) clearly said the test results indicated "deception," and that the subject's nervousness/tiredness may have only "skewed" that reading, not that the judgment of deception was false

The part Haggard admits to is buying meth. (!!) The part of the polygraph the accuser flunked was the sex part. (They actually administered 2 test, one for each accusation.)

i wondor how the prostitute knew about the meth!

hmmmmmmmmmmm jeez you dont need to be a rocket scientist!!!

i wondor how the prostitute knew about the meth!

Because he sold it to him, silly.

G.H. Halley. Where were all of you wait and see if he is guilty when the Republcian crooks were impeaching President Clinton?At least Clinton was with an of age woman not some gay prostitute and Clinton wasn't hiding behind religion like Teddy Boy. If Haggard isn't guilty why did he resign?-in fact the assistant Pastor has said that part of it is true wonder how just part of a gay sex orgy can be true and not all of it?Guess Haggard will go into rehab like the rest of the Republican crooks and thieves.