I don't like what he did, and his hypocrisy is deplorable. The manner in which it was reported by the media - as though we should celebrate the downfall of a human being - made me sick. I felt bad for the Rev's family, not the Rev. They didn't deserve to see and hear the evidence of his inner demons paraded around in public. But, although the media was out of line, if Haggard had actually BEEN the man behind his facade, the media wouldn't have a story to go overboard on in the first place. ~~~ Anon - Really? I didn't know about that one. When you ask "...more than he hurt the family..." I think once emotional pain reaches a certain horrific point, it's no longer quantifiable. This qualifies in spades. Going on your comment, though, - and believe me, I don't mean this in an unkind way - even though what Haggard said to this poor guy was the apparent straw that broke the camel's back, I must respectfully point out that, as cruel as those words were, Haggard did not make this man commit suicide. That was the man's heartbreaking choice. I know - sometimes death seems preferable to living in the midst of intense emotional pain, and I'm not judging the poor guy, not by any means. We all have limits to the amount of pain we can live with. Believe me, I know. But, ultimately, an adult is responsible for his or her own emotions and actions. Every day, millions of people see, hear - and take to heart - the cruel words and careless actions of others, some every bit as devastating as Haggard's. Yet, they don't take their own lives in response. OTOH, you'd think a minister would be a little more sensitive to the effects of cruel words on people, wouldn't you? The more I read about Haggard, honestly, the more disgusted I get. I'd heard of him prior to this mess, but not much. I usually ignore ministers and churches that receive a lot of media attention. They strike me as dangerous, quite frankly, because the church and its goals always seem more important than God. Of course, it's not blatant. They're too skilled at manipulating people for that. After this came out, so to speak, I knew he was two-faced, but that was expected. He pegged the meter on the hypocrisy scale, though. He crusaded against gay rights while he...? Never mind. I get the idea. Personally, just between you and me, I think he's a pathetic POS. "I bought the meth, but I threw it away." I laughed for ten minutes on that one. Yea, right. Whatever. Anonymous, thanks for your comments. Very enlightening.

I think that many religious leaders are the victims of standards that they preach but cannot uphold, and I often wonder whether the reason they cannot uphold them is that they are erroneous standards in the first place. I agree with Jodie that the media exploitation is sickening.

I find it hilarious. Mr. Haggard was a very powerful and outspoke anti-homosexual activist and lobbyist. The most powerful within our nation, his ties within the christian coalition and federal government were and probably still are far reaching. Seeing him getting busted for having an intimate homosexual encounter with a man is a powerful blow to the christian coalition community's ideal of a pure and sinless society. A priceless win for gay rights activists... Haggards admission of methanphetimine use is just icing on the cake. Refer to google video; Richard Dawkins, "The God Delusion" which features Haggard in a disturbing interview. - Go to GOOGLE, and then click on VIDEO above the search window, it will take you to a NEW WEB PAGE, in that search window type in THE GOD DELUSION, it will take you to a new web page with THE GOD DELUSION on the top of the list...CLICK IT...and ENJOY! - OR YOU CAN TRY TO PASTE THE LINK BUT IT MAY NOT WORK. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6169720917221820689&q=God+delusion&hl=en

(I'd rather comment on LynFromNM's, which is excellent, but won't afford enough space...) "...the reason they cannot uphold them is that they are erroneous standards in the first place" has merit. If you're trying to use "force of will" to resist desires, because you believe in a fixed set of concepts about morality, this is a pure setup for failure, frustration, and suppression. At best, you'll end up with a very "stiff" kind of righteousness, because the mind has to stiffen up in order to keep itself out of trouble. This is the problem with adolescent-level moral thinking: making simplistic rules is fine for children -- just tell them "never lie", "never run out in the street", etc. That's about as good as you can do with a child; it fits their level of cognitive and moral development. An adult needs a much more mature relationship to morality: one in which their core beliefs, values, personal goals, and sense of self are well integrated within a moral framework that one truly "owns". None of that is possible in prescriptive morality (morality where you are force-fed the rules and principles by others.) The only *stable* basis for morality comes from a realization, through personal experience, of one's inter-relatedness with all other humans. This means that you recognize at a deep level that another's pain is your pain, another's failings are your failings, and the quality of life for others is your personal business. Its not an primarily an intellectual insight, its something which gets into the marrow of your bones. Until that underlying structure is sound in someone's life, its a crap-shoot whether they'll be able to "resist temptation". Many people who have the public ear -- i.e. from the pulpit -- would be better served with more time in front of the mirror than with more pontificating on right and wrong. That would really cut down on hypocrisy.

I'm glad he finally gave up the lie. Hipocracy is something I have a hard time being fair about. I reckon this guy is just one of many. He's just taking the fall for the other Preachers that HAVEN'T been caught out yet. I'm wondering when his home movie, ala Paris Hilton style, is coming out?

It's unfortunately typical. I've found that those who are the most loudly judgmental are those who have something to hide themselves. Let us not forget Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker, who both found themselves in a similar situation.