Evangelical Troubles.

"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration -- courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and, above all, love of the truth."
-- H. L. Mencken

There are so many topics in the news right now that I want to mention before the election on Tuesday. Today more news came out about Ted Haggard, who recently resigned as President of the National Association of Evangelicals, and has been fired from his position as the Pastor for a gigantic mega church in Colorado Springs. In a recent statement the former pastor stated,

"The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life".

I do not find it repulsive that Haggart is a homosexual. It is sad that he apparently was living a lie, as many homosexuals have done, because of social stigma, hate, stereotyping, and disinformation. What I find the most deceitful is Haggard's leadership of an organization and an ideology that promotes, approves, and distributes numerous falsehoods on many topics, not just gays. Haggard and the evangelical movement have been misrepresenting Science and Medicine: Evolution, Stem Cell Research, Birth Control. Haggard and many Christian Nationalist have also attempted to rewrite American history and the meaning of the Constitution. Ted Haggard apparently had the privilege of consulting with President George W. Bush on a weekly basis on National and International Policies. The Religious Right continues to support an war based on lies and a corrupt Republican party, all the while demonizing Democrats, Intellectuals, and Liberals.

I do not expect people like Haggard or James Dobson to change their minds or disparaging rhetoric, they have a right to believe what they want. Theocracy, however, has no place in a free society or in its government. There can not be checks and balances on God, and if we do not make some changes next Tuesday the deceivers and liars will continue to govern without having to answer to anyone but God.

...It was also in the news that Kent Hovind aka Dr. Dino, a Creationist some of my friends are familiar with, is going to jail. Apparently Dr. Dino does not believe in evolution or paying taxes.