Acceptance

I realize that I usually wax poet about The Boys, but today I feel an irritation for our society. It’s born out of the inability to accept differences and the willingness to parlay into it into political gain. I will never be an eloquent enough writer to adequately portray my feelings, but I want to try.

The Ted Haggard story breaks my heart. For him personally, his children, his wife, and his congregation. And for us as a nation. How do I have the right to say anything? As a happy heterosexual wife and working suburban mother, his challenges and inner struggles are foreign to me. Evidently his struggle is something that even he has not yet come to grips with. As quoted on MSNBC.com: “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.”
A part of his life so ‘repulsive and dark’ that he feels he must drug himself up and hide away in order to give in to his inner struggle? Of all people, he should, at least at this point, be willing to admit that his homosexual tendencies are beyond choice. I stand in awe of his unwillingness to face that this is not something he can control. Not fear of exposure, not shame for his family, not a misguided spiritual belief, nothing could stop him from seeking out a relationship with another man.

The nation, or at least the one that Ted Haggard closely aligned himself to, is unwilling to give basic rights to others who have chosen to not wage a war against the same temptations. They should be allowed to celebrate their willingness to live authenically. Now, I do not mean temptation in the negative. I consider my own heterosexual tendencies a temptation. The temptation of another human being is a natural inclination, however most of us choose one man or one woman and therefore do not give in to our desires for another sexual partner. In the case of Mr. Haggard, he had one woman AND one man because our nation refuses to accept that biologically we are wired from birth with a preference. How much more could a charismatic leader like Mr. Haggard have accomplished if he had been allowed to pursue a natural relationship from an earlier age? Were he not battling demons, would he have had a greater impact on our society?

I know what the Bible says, I’ve read Paul’s teachings in Romans. I also know how he felt about being married, but that didn't stop me. Forgive me for being a bit peeved at the literalism, but are we to also believe that it’s okay to have two lovers like Abraham just to have a son? I believe David did a few things that were actually listed on the 10 commandments as pretty solid No-No’s. I believe it’s divinely inspired, not actually written in a literal day to day accounting.

If you know me very well, then you are aware of my strict religious upbringing. You know that I have a relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son. I even let the Holy Spirit join us in the party quite frequently. I no longer speak in tongues, but I do pray in normal inadequate English and believe that He understands my heart and soul. I’m just sick to death of watching my spirituality being played on Fox News for the Value Voter (in James Dobson’s name) and watching an entire group of people choosing to elect representatives not based on the real issues that will matter to our children’s future, but the simple ones like who a person should love. And the liberals bloggers are just as bad right now. Hijacking the downfall of Mr. Haggard to use for policitcal gain is shameful and, quite honestly, I think that's worse than anything that some imagine happens in the closet.