Religious leader linked to Bush 'paid for sex with male body-builder'

[mc_squared]

Religious leader linked to Bush 'paid for sex with male body-builder'

 

By BARRY WIGMORE Last updated at 22:00pm on 3rd November 2006

Rev Ted Haggard is one of the most influential evangelical Christians in U.S

 

A powerful leader of the religious right with close links to President Bush resigned yesterday after being accused of paying for sex with a male body-builder.

The scandal could have significant political impact just days before nationwide elections. Conservative Christians are a support base for the Republican Party and Evangelical leaders have been urging the faithful to vote on Tuesday.

Polls show Republicans set to lose control of one and perhaps both houses of Congress.

The religious right has also encouraged conservative voters in eight states to support proposed amendments banning gay marriage.

The Rev Ted Haggard, a married father of five who has been called one of the most influential evangelical Christians in the United States, has weekly conference calls with the White House.

With 30 million followers through his National Association of Evangelicals, the president has viewed him as a vital help in opposing same-sex marriages, say Washington insiders.

Mr Haggard, 50, who also stepped aside as head of his 14,000-member New Life Church while a church panel investigates, denied the allegations but said he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations." He also told US television: "I never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm faithful to my wife." But New Life Associate Senior Pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders that Mr Haggard "had admitted to some indiscretions." The allegations were made on a Denver, Colorado, radio station by 49-year-old personal trainer Mike Jones.

Mr Jones, who said he is gay, said he was upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," said Jones, who added that he is not working for any political group.

He claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years until August and snorted methamphetamine.

More bad news for Bush came from Baghdad, where police found 56 bodies and a severed head and the U.S. military reported seven combat deaths, an unusually high number for one day.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Yeah, this is hear-say without any evidence, no more true then me and Mark had sex last night...'

 

Lets not believe rumors, its not high school;)

[RICK8]

Yeah well said...!!

[anniep_93]

You and Mark has sex OMG!

 

 

Nah jks :dozey:

[mc_squared]

Yeah, this is hear-say without any evidence, no more true then me and Mark had sex last night...'

 

Lets not believe rumors, its not high school;)

 

The fact he's resigned suggests it's more than just rumour.;)

I reckon he might just be a "gay" preacher.:rolleyes:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

The fact he's resigned suggests it's more than just rumour.;)

I reckon he might just be a "gay" preacher.:rolleyes:

 

NO, no it does not. Any preacher would do that for the good of the church and its people, it has nothing to due with being innocent or guilty. Just like a school teacher probably would if accused of raping a student even if they did not.

 

SO its nothing more then a hear-say roomer, with NO facts or evidence. No more useful then highschool gossip is. Like i said anyone can claim they had sex with someone, but that does not make it true. Like i said i can claim we had sex all day long, but without you saying we did or any evidence it does not mean jack shit.;)

 

Just like if i were to say you rape babies....no evidence, no facts just gossip aka hear-say.

 

Theres no credit to any of these stories. I hate it when people hear a rumor and take it as fact, its stupid. Anyone can say anything, it does not make it true.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

You and Mark has sex OMG!

 

 

Nah jks :dozey:

 

He will not admit to it, but we did:thinking:

[mc_squared]

NO, no it does not. Any preacher would do that for the good of the church and its people, it has nothing to due with being innocent or guilty. Just like a school teacher probably would if accused of raping a student even if they did not.

 

SO its nothing more then a hear-say roomer, with NO facts or evidence. No more useful then highschool gossip is. Like i said anyone can claim they had sex with someone, but that does not make it true. Like i said i can claim we had sex all day long, but without you saying we did or any evidence it does not mean jack shit.;)

 

Just like if i were to say you rape babies....no evidence, no facts just gossip aka hear-say.

 

I disagree. If he had nothing to hide he would have stood up and confronted the allegations. He would have sued the guy's "ass" off (instead of doing something else to it).;)

Has their been any denial thus far? No!:rolleyes:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

I disagree. If he had nothing to hide he would have stood up and confronted the allegations. He would have sued the guy's "ass" off (instead of doing something else to it.;)

Has their been any denial thus far? No!:rolleyes:

 

You dont know people in power that well then. MOst when faced with gossip like this, they step down. MOst not all but most.

 

Specialy from a religious person who does not want to bring shame to his church, sueing another man would do just that as would staying on stall no matter if he is innocent or not. Its common sense

 

He denied it, and like i said its A RUMOR. no more credible then high school gossip

 

I promise you i could go to a church and say a preacher raped me and if the media got ahold of what i claimed he'd step down or even be fired even if it was not true, hell the same goes for a teacher

[mc_squared]

You dont know people in power that well then. MOst when faced with gossip like this, they step down. MOst not all but most.

 

Specialy from a religious person who does not want to bring shame to his church, sueing another man would do just that as would staying on stall no matter if he is innocent or not. Its common sense

 

He denied it, and like i said its A RUMOR. no more credible then high school gossip

 

I promise you i could go to a church and say a preacher raped me and if the media got ahold of what i claimed he'd step down or even be fired even if it was not true, hell the same goes for a teacher

 

And if it was proved to not be true you would then be in serious trouble. A woman has just been jailed in the UK for lying she was raped.;)

[Matter-Eater Lad]

And if it was proved to not be true you would then be in serious trouble. A woman has just been jailed in the UK for lying she was raped.;)

 

You really cant disprove this though. Just as you cannot disprove that we did not have sex.

[RICK8]

I was not aware you were into that sort of thing mark!! :o

[Matter-Eater Lad]

I was not aware you were into that sort of thing mark!! :o

See how a thing like this works mark.

 

By your own judging you'd be guilty of having gay sex with me:\

[mc_squared]

You really cant disprove this though. Just as you cannot disprove that we did not have sex.

 

Your warped fantasies don't interest me in the slightest!!:P

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Your warped fantasies don't interest me in the slightest!!:P

 

Really? the warped fantasies of a hooker does though, how odd.:\

 

Im just proving you a point, anyone can say anything, that does not make it true.

 

You cannot disprove we didnt have sex, nor can you do the same for the preacher and the guy.

 

Its immature and dumb to listen to hear say gossip. It may have been fun in high school, but i'd like to think we're mature now.

 

You see how this works?

[RICK8]

Really? the warped fantasies of a hooker does though, how odd.:\

 

Im just proving you a point, anyone can say anything, that does not make it true.

 

You cannot disprove we didnt have sex, nor can you do the same for the preacher and the guy.

 

Its immature and dumb to listen to hear say gossip. It may have been fun in high school, but i'd like to think we're mature now.

 

 

Again..could not have said it better myself!! :thumbsup:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Again..could not have said it better myself!! :thumbsup:

 

Thank you.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Stuff like this pisses me off becaus of this Mark, something that happened to me as a kid

 

My enemy told my teacher i was humping a table in the 5th grade to get back at me for telling on him for making fun of me, i did no such thing, yet half the class and the teacher listened to hear say that had no evidence and i got in alot of trouble.

 

Now acting and making up your mind on hear say rumors without any evidence is dumb. Its quite possible they had sex, anything is possible but until facts or evidence or he admits it, it should not be taken too seriously and believed, just like any rumor you hear. Because there are rumors about you and im sure people jump the gun and believe them too.

[mc_squared]

Stuff like this pisses me off becaus of this Mark, something that happened to me as a kid

 

My enemy told my teacher i was humping a table in the 5th grade to get back at me for telling on him for making fun of me, i did no such thing, yet half the class and the teacher listened to hear say that had no evidence and i got in alot of trouble.

 

Now acting and making up your mind on hear say rumors without any evidence is dumb. Its quite possible they had sex, anything is possible but until facts or evidence or he admits it, it should not be taken too seriously and believed, just like any rumor you hear. Because there are rumors about you and im sure people jump the gun and believe them too.

 

You had nothing to be ashamed of, as you hadn't done anything.

If this guy had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, he wouldn't have felt the need to resign.

After all, there are those such as Clinton, who admitted he had acted inappropriately, but still didn't resign.

Therefore, I am of the opinion that if this preacher had really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't have been so quick to resign.

And as the Church has been shown to be full of hypocrites over the years, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were true.;)

[Matter-Eater Lad]

You had nothing to be ashamed of, as you hadn't done anything.

If this guy had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, he wouldn't have felt the need to resign.

After all, there are those such as Clinton, who admitted he had acted inappropriately, but still didn't resign.

Therefore, I am of the opinion that if this preacher had really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't have been so quick to resign.

And as the Church has been shown to be full of hypocrites over the years, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were true.;)

 

Easy to say when you're not the one being accused. my point is being accused does not mean jack shit.

 

Clinton is a politician, most would not resign for a silly sex scandal, they happen so much on capitol hill its nothing these days, im talking about church's and stuff like schools, where things are viewed very different.

 

Ive known preachers to resign over silly accusations when innocent, just to save the shame. Because resigning does not mean guilt.

 

You're a moron, believe gossip if you wish, but you're no better then little girls who believe all the BS they hear.

[mc_squared]

Easy to say when you're not the one being accused. my point is being accused does not mean jack shit.

 

Clinton is a politician, most would not resign for a silly sex scandal, they happen so much on capitol hill its nothing these days, im talking about church's and stuff like schools, where things are viewed very different.

 

Ive known preachers to resign over silly accusations when innocent, just to save the shame. Because resigning does not mean guilt.

 

You're a moron, believe gossip if you wish, but you're no better then little girls who believe all the BS they hear.

 

I don't.

However, in this case, the actions are speaking far more loudly than "words"!!;)

If I was in his position, and I was completely innocent, I would deny the allegations to the rafters, stand my ground and sue the guy's ass off.

That's why I'm of the opinion this guy has something to hide.;)

Not only that, but it's often the guys who are always trying to tell others how they should live their lives who aren't practising what they preach themselves.

[mc_squared]

Well it seems he's already admitted a certain amount.......................I told you he wouldn't have resigned for nothing. ;)

 

Sex-row US pastor 'bought drugs'

 

Mr Haggard denies having sex with a gay prostitute

 

The head of a US evangelical body who quit after being accused of paying for sex with a gay prostitute has admitted he bought drugs. The Reverend Ted Haggard, ex-leader of the 30m-strong National Association of Evangelicals, said he bought methamphetamine but "never used it".

He denies having sex with the man but said he did receive a massage.

Mr Haggard has also stepped down temporarily from his 14,000-strong, Colorado-based New Life Church.

The issue is being played out against the backdrop of a vote in Colorado and seven other US states on Tuesday on whether to ban same-sex marriages.

Mr Haggard, 50, has been a vocal opponent of the unions.

'Pastor Ted'

Mr Haggard told journalists outside his home that he had bought methamphetamine.

 

"I bought it for myself but never used it. I was tempted but I never used it," Mr Haggard said. He said he threw it away.

It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex

 

 

Mike Jones

 

Denver man Mike Jones, 49, this week told a radio show he had been paid to have sex with Mr Haggard nearly every month over the past three years.

Mr Haggard said he had not had sex with Mr Jones but did receive a massage after being referred to him by a Denver hotel.

The man who has temporarily replaced Mr Haggard as head of the New Life Church, Ross Parsley, said in an email message on Friday: "It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true.

"He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation."

Mr Jones said he had stepped forward because of the gay marriage issue.

"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," he said.

Mr Jones said he was contacted by a man through the internet called Art.

Mr Jones said Art, who he later recognised as Mr Haggard, used methamphetamine to heighten their sexual encounters.

Influential ties

Mr Haggard, who is also known as "Pastor Ted" and has five children, has close contacts with the White House.

He became president of the National Association of Evangelicals in 2003.

The BBC's Jane Little in Washington says he is one of America's most influential and politically well-connected religious leaders.

His resignation comes as a blow for Republicans, who are hoping to energise a demoralised Christian base ahead of mid-term elections, our correspondent says.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

So if he bought drugs, he's had gay sex? good reasoning:rolleyes:

 

Maybe thats why he stepped down, you dont know anything. Grow up and stop listening to gossip

 

PS dont even try to deny we had sex. we have just as enough evidence proving we did it as he does for him.

[badlydrawngirl]

Religious leader linked to Bush 'paid for sex with male body-builder'

 

By BARRY WIGMORE Last updated at 22:00pm on 3rd November 2006

Rev Ted Haggard is one of the most influential evangelical Christians in U.S

 

A powerful leader of the religious right with close links to President Bush resigned yesterday after being accused of paying for sex with a male body-builder.

The scandal could have significant political impact just days before nationwide elections. Conservative Christians are a support base for the Republican Party and Evangelical leaders have been urging the faithful to vote on Tuesday.

Polls show Republicans set to lose control of one and perhaps both houses of Congress.

The religious right has also encouraged conservative voters in eight states to support proposed amendments banning gay marriage.

The Rev Ted Haggard, a married father of five who has been called one of the most influential evangelical Christians in the United States, has weekly conference calls with the White House.

With 30 million followers through his National Association of Evangelicals, the president has viewed him as a vital help in opposing same-sex marriages, say Washington insiders.

Mr Haggard, 50, who also stepped aside as head of his 14,000-member New Life Church while a church panel investigates, denied the allegations but said he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations." He also told US television: "I never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm faithful to my wife." But New Life Associate Senior Pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders that Mr Haggard "had admitted to some indiscretions." The allegations were made on a Denver, Colorado, radio station by 49-year-old personal trainer Mike Jones.

Mr Jones, who said he is gay, said he was upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," said Jones, who added that he is not working for any political group.

He claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years until August and snorted methamphetamine.

More bad news for Bush came from Baghdad, where police found 56 bodies and a severed head and the U.S. military reported seven combat deaths, an unusually high number for one day.

 

Well male body builders ARE quite buff!

[mc_squared]

So if he bought drugs, he's had gay sex? good reasoning:rolleyes:

 

Maybe thats why he stepped down, you dont know anything. Grow up and stop listening to gossip

 

 

The drugs alone are enough for him to have to quit in disgrace. It's totally inappropriate behaviour for somebody in his position.

The way you're going on, anyone would think he's your dad.;)