Church cover-up for sex hypocrite Pastor is revealed
A megachurch paid a 20-year-old man to keep silent about a sexual relationship he had with disgraced evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, a senior church pastor said. Haggard, who was fired amid allegations that he used drugs and patronized a male prostitute in 2006, had a sexual relationship with a second man — a 20-year-old volunteer at his megachurch, said the Rev. Brady Boyd.
The church agreed to pay the man in exchange for his pledges not to talk publicly about the relationship, Boyd said, referring to a settlement reached by the man’s lawyer and the church’s insurance company. Under the settlement, the church provided the man money to pay his college tuition, moving expenses and counseling, Boyd said. “This was compassionate assistance. It was to help him move forward, not a settlement to keep him quiet,” said Boyd…
In the last three weeks, Boyd said, the young man told him that he was considering going public with his story because Haggard was portraying himself as a victim in an upcoming HBO documentary called “The Trial of Ted Haggard,” which is scheduled to air Thursday…
In a settlement with New Life, the church and Haggard agreed that he would retain his six-figure salary for a year, leave the Colorado Springs area, receive counseling, and not speak publicly about what had happened for one year, according to a church staff member with knowledge of the settlement who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Despite the fresh scandal, Boyd said he is hopeful for the future.
So am I. When our species moves to a level of education and understanding beyond witchdoctor ideology.
I have absolutely no sympathy for crooked, greedy, hypocritical, self-deluded religious freaks but how is this NOT a successful form of blackmail?
Is it not blackmail, simply because there’s a lawyer or two involved?
Just curious.
Cinaedh
January 27, 2009 at 6:50 am
Usually, the determination relies on the chronology of cause-and-effect. The kids may have gone to the new prophets in charge after Haggard’s expulsion and said, “Hey, I was doing the boogaloo with him, too – should I contact the authorities? Tell me what to do!”
What-if discussions ain’t much; but, it’s just as likely the honchos running the church were looking out for the fire that accompanied the smoke – ready and willing to suppress more tales of lust making it to the public eye.
moss
January 27, 2009 at 7:53 am
“Pay me or I’ll talk!” still sounds like blackmail to me.
I guess the fact he said it through his lawyer and everyone has agreed to call the money ‘compassionate assistance”, somehow makes the demand for money, under threat, perfectly legal.
Is it any wonder we all love lawyers so much and have such faith in the legal system?
Cinaedh
January 28, 2009 at 5:40 am