Ted Haggard needs new friends.

He can call himself what he likes and I don't really care.  In fact he can do what he likes and I wont care much about it and neither should anyone else.  Ahhhhh  but therein lies the rub.   As it turns out his only real "issue" is that he can't get adequate perspective on the hypocrisy Christians wallow in on the matter and he's letting it ruin him.   Agreeing to a 100 mile non compete clause for speaking engagements wasn't a good idea either but we live and learn.

For the sake of discussion lets buy into the  Christian view that homosexuality is a sin.  Well and good.   Of course from the Christian view a good many things are sin including our very nature.   Galatians 5 :19-21 gives you a real handy list of specific  transgressions should there be some confusion at any point: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and so on.  And while here we can file gay sex under the general heading of sexual immorality the bible speaks specifically to homosexuality several times and of course its never good.

But what the bible doesn't do is create a special category of sin for homosexuality.  Just isn't there.   No such verse as "blah blah blah are sins but homosexuality is the worst."   Romans 3:23 puts it more succinctly, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".   "All".  Not" all but especially homosexuals". Just "all".   So if you're God generally speaking sin is sin is sin, ignoring for a moment the dreaded blaspheme against the Holy Spirit which apparently is worse than anything even if nobody really knows what it is.

But you'd never in a million years discern that from the actions of Christians who generally give the impression that two boys kissing is mankind's undoing.   There is no Prop 8 type  campaign against drunks.  No effort to keep those of a jealous nature from adopting children.  In fact you can be a selfish witch who sows dissension and Christians wont use public policy as a tool to limit your range of societal  options at all.   That they  reserve for gays.  Because the bible tells them so? Not really.   Because religion can be  a powerful tool for rationalizing prejudice and bigotry??  You're getting warm.  And  its too bad really because its this puritanical score keeping  that drives people like Haggard  to struggle with levels of guilt they shouldn't have to deal with.  He's no worse than the guy in the pew next to him but neither of them will ever believe it.