tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post116282986976965928..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: The Saga of Ted Haggard's Anti-Gay BigotryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-1162915681583455832006-11-07T11:08:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:08:00.000-05:00One point worth considering is what if Ted Haggard...One point worth considering is what if Ted Haggard, rather than being a dishonest fundamentalist hypocrite, had simply elected to be honest about his homosexual desires. I know of no one who wakes up suddenly gay, but I do know plenty of people who repress their sexual orientation for one reason or another, most centering around their deep guilt they feel over being something that so many detest (even if such hatred is totally irrational and utterly undeserved). <BR/><BR/>So how would this story have played out then if Ted Haggard’s moral code was “to thy self be true” instead of “God’s will be done on Earth.” Haggard would not have prostituted himself in the name of a constitutional amendment outlawing equality for homosexuals. He would have been honest with his wife and children (if he would have even married his wife and had children with her) rather than leave them shocked and publicly humiliated that their husband and father lived a lie before their very eyes. He also would have been honest with his flock, who looked upon him as a moral example. <BR/><BR/>Haggard would not have had the political power he enjoyed as a right-wing fundamentalist preacher, but his life would have been better for it; it would not have been predicated upon lies, self-loathing and a backwards moral creed that shuns people for their private sexual choices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-1162861558881866352006-11-06T20:05:00.000-05:002006-11-06T20:05:00.000-05:00There is much debate among Objectivists over Rand'...There is much debate among Objectivists over Rand's position on the nature of homosexuality and whether or not this position falls within or outside her philosophy, or is outflanked by her dedication to the moral and epistemological basis for egoism. <BR/><BR/>In this instance, I simply decline to be Rand's spokesman or interpreter (not to claim that I ever have been) and stick with my own estimate of the morality of homosexual conduct.Nicholas Provenzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926131141263622350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-1162857903581609982006-11-06T19:05:00.000-05:002006-11-06T19:05:00.000-05:00But Objectivism also teaches that homosexuality is...But Objectivism also teaches that homosexuality is evil. Rand correctly called it "disgusting" and "immoral."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-1162850122396039212006-11-06T16:55:00.000-05:002006-11-06T16:55:00.000-05:00People are naturally attracted and enthralled by w...People are naturally attracted and enthralled by what is most vehemently proscribed. It is moot whether this pastor is a self-loathing gay person; we don't need to care or speculate. People should be able to experiment in their lives without being overwrought with guilt. Maybe if he had been more free as a young person, he would have "found himself" by his early 30s and then could choose to settle down to have a family. There is a strong push in religious circles to get married young, often too young.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-1162848193853758262006-11-06T16:23:00.000-05:002006-11-06T16:23:00.000-05:00The problem many people have with what they should...The problem many people have with what they should consider — at the worst — as victimless crimes is their own inability to live up to the moral code they’ve accepted without having it enforced on their own selves at gunpoint. <BR/><BR/>My full comment on my blog: <BR/><BR/>http://blog.mariodiana.com/2006/11/06/there-ought-to-be-a-law/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com