Alan Chambers on Ted Haggard

ExGay Watch reports that Exodus Executive Director Alan Chambers admits that this whole "Ted Haggard got changed back into a total heterosexual in three weeks of therapy" sounds suspicious.

Alan, who has been proudly proclaiming his own heterosexuality (after 16 years of "struggle") admits that he "is human" and dances around the question of whether he still has same sex attraction, basically admitting without admitting that he does. This is one of the trickier parts of dealing with the Exodus types. They constantly use the phrase "freedom of homosexuality" but when they say it, they mean, "No longer having gay sex" or "living the gay lifestyle" or "identifying" as gay.

In the real world, where they don't live, "freedom from homosexuality" means no longer attracted to persons of the same sex. Unfortunately, this misuse of language is what propels their advertising and promotional campaigns. The dishonest political right machine of James Dobson plays on the double meanings, knowing the public doesn't study this deceptive rhetoric enough to "get" that most of the Exodus people are, in fact, still gay. Gayer than gay. They just don't "identify" as gay.

So now Ted Haggard, after three weeks, is suddenly a rampaging heterosexual after having admitted that he "struggled" with this HIS ENTIRE LIFE. Wow! That must have been some amazing therapy if Rev. Ted can get "cured" of something that most professional exgays can't even get cured of.

As Andrew Sullivan pointed out in his blog, this is a symptom of the sickness of the fundamentalist religious mindset. It cannot face reality. And when reality rears its head, the fundamentalist goes into complete denial. It's the sort of thing that can lead to a complete mental breakdown if you are unable to free yourself from it.

By lying to himself, his wife, his family and the rest of the world, Mr. Haggard only makes himself and the whole Exodus cause look as foolish as they actually are.

Alan realizes this, of course. He's not a stupid man. I'll say this for him. In this transcript which I linked to, he acknowledges that many gay and lesbian persons have managed to reconcile their faith and their sexuality. Money quote:

CHAMBERS: Not at all. I think that there are plenty of gay people out there who are Christians, as well, but for me, homosexuality wasn’t compatible with my faith, and my faith was much more important than that.

Usually he tells everyone the exact opposite. He even said once that you couldn't even be a CELIBATE gay and be Christian, if you referred to yourself as "gay." Dr. Dobson isn't going to be very happy with that kind of talk. His political empire of gay hate rests on keeping these Exodus boys in line.