|
Move over George Washington. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the
Family, wants to take your place as father of our country. But rather than
being a true father -- one who helps us mature into individuals -- he is little
more than another Pharisee, setting himself up as a religiously-based political
dictator bent on getting us to support his personal view of legislated morality.
And what's even worse, Dobson goes to great length to use
Scripture to
support his view, and yet according to Time magazine he doesn't
even have any formal theological training. In short, Dobson, using his
position as a radio psychologist, has set himself up as our moral authority and
asks us all to blindly follow.
But don't take my word for it. The following are quotes from Dobson
and
from other media reporting about Dobson's activities. In them you'll find
Dobson clearly putting his ideas forth as the Gospel truth and asking all of us
to act on them as if they were directly from God. The text in bold is my
emphasis.
In the January 1995 Focus on the Family Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"Focus on the Family immediately joined the Family Research Council
and other conservative organizations in getting out the word. Using
our radio program and this monthly letter, we asked for a massive
response from our listeners."
"Again, Focus on the Family threw down the gauntlet, We devoted
our broadcast to this danger on three separate days, almost
begging our listeners to flood the White House, the attorney general,
and the Congress with letters of protest."
"One issue concerned the United Nations Convention of the Rights of
the Child, which has worried me for years. I devoted a portion of
my letter in January 1993, and again in July 1994, to the threat
posed by this dangerous document. More than 150 countries around
the world have already adopted it within their borders."
"The state of Oregon narrowly passed the nation's first euthanasia law,
which almost defies comprehension. If the courts permit it to take
effect, physicians will be allowed to assist their willing patients in
killing themselves. The implications of this legislation are so ominous
that I will devote a future letter to that topic."
"In May, I discussed this legislation in my monthly letter and
warned of the many dangers that lie ahead."
"What ... I have called a `civil war of values' continues to
rage."
"Focus on the Family will continue to fight for moral values.
And we'll try to keep you informed of the threats coming
against the institutions of marriage and parenthood. But we do need
your financial support to get the job done."
Here Dobson clearly admits to using his newsletters and broadcasts to
ask us
to do his bidding. And it is clearly just that -- his bidding. He often uses
phrases like, "I devoted" and "I have called" and "I discussed" to point out
his moral beliefs, but in his calls for action, he presents his causes as nothing
short of God's own.
In the March 1995 Focus on the Family Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"Perhaps this explains the statement I made on the radio last month,
which some of you questioned. Let me express it once more. I am
committed never again to cast a vote for a politician who would kill
one innocent baby. "
"Never will I use my influence, however remotely, to support
the shedding of their blood."
"These are challenging days, to be sure, and there are other issues I
wish we had time to deal with."
Here is admits he has an influence, and he admits he will use it
support those
things he believes and to condemn those things he condemns. And to those
who questions him, he simply rolls over them to reiterate his personal beliefs.
In the April 1995 Focus on the Family Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"If you read my March letter, you know we have been very
concerned about the Republican presidential hopefuls who, like
the Democrats before them, are trying to tiptoe away from the pro-life
position....I am determined that they will not do it in secret."
In this letter Dobson proclaims himself as our presidential watch
dog. He is
"determined" to be the one who sets the moral standards for our political
leaders.
In the May 1995 Focus on the Family Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"To help us prepare for the congressional battle, let me present
various points of view and then propose what we at Focus on the
Family think is best for or nation's children."
"Many people, myself included, believe that the deterioration
of public education in recent years can be linked directly tour inability
to reach values and show respect for God in the classroom."
"Speaking again for Focus on the Family, our vision is for a just
and righteous society...."
Obviously, Dobson, through his Focus on the Family organization,
has a
personal "vision" for our country -- one he feels we should be fighting for in
the United States Congress.
Speaking on religious freedom in the July 1995 Focus on the Family
Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"That concern led ... me to Capital Hill last week for a meeting
with House Speaker Newt Gingrich."
"What is needed is a central registry through which violations of
religious freedom can be reported. Henceforth, Focus on the Family
will serve as the repository of that information, which will later be
reported."
"From the early days of our ministry to the present, I have felt
compelled to defend the principles of righteousness within the
culture."
"We have stymied the U.N.'s Treaty on the Rights of the
Child, at least to this time."
"We have tried unsuccessfully, but valiantly, to keep President
Clinton from permitting homosexuals in the military and from
assigning women to combat situations. We have fought for the unborn
child...."
"Most recently we have opposed the efforts of Haley Barbour,
chairman of the Republican National Committee, to move his
party away from its historic moral underpinnings and toward a `mush
middle' that stands for nothing."
"We must keep a very close eye on these politicians who
willingly accept the votes of conservative Christians and then ignore
their concerns when their back are turned."
"I am in even greater disagreement with the Democrats who
continue to support anti-family concepts at this time."
"I will continue to address the moral issues when I feel our friends
need to know what is happening."
"To expect me not to speak on behalf of the things I believe --
and not to defend the voiceless, powerless unborn child -- is
absolutely impossible for me. I would rather die than remain silent
in response to that which I'm convinced is profoundly offensive to
God Himself."
Wouldn't it be nice if we all could have "a meeting with House
Speaker
Newt Gingrich"? In this letter Dobson flaunts his ability to influence public
policy, using you and me as his political pawns. He boasts of his influence in
stopping United Nations resolutions. He boasts of his organization's role as a
"central registry" of information on abuses of our religious rights. He sets
himself up as judge of both Republican and Democratic leaders. He defiantly
states that he would "rather die than remain silent" about what he "feels" we
need to know about things he feels are "offensive to God Himself."
August 1995 Focus on the Family Newsletter Dobson writes:
-
"I want to talk to you this month about what could be the most
important topic I've addressed in many years. This matter has
profound implications for the institution of the family and for what
we have called "the defense of righteousness," yet it will not be
covered adequately by the secular press. Thus, I'm asking that you give
particular attention to the words that follow. "
"...the obvious question to ask is, `What can we do to derail this gender
feminism juggernaut?' I would make four suggestions which I
sincerely hope my readers will implement."
"...I emplore you to contact your representatives in Congress."
If it were not clear anywhere else, in this letter Dobson spells out
that his Focus on the Family organization is defending Dobson's view of
"righteousness." He also makes it clear that we cannot trust other media to
give us the truth, so he asks us to "give particular attention" to his point of
view. How much more obvious can it be that he is setting himself up as our
moral authority?
Other media outlets have been watching James Dobson and Focus on the
Family, and they have also noticed that Dobson wants to be our moral leader.
The National Review, in an October 1995 article, wrote that
the
religious right was asking people to respond negatively to Clinton's home
schooling agenda. The article relayed Moral Majority activist Mike Farris'
use of James Dobson's influence:
-
"Then, Farris hit Christian talk radio (itself a burgeoning conservative
resource), including Focus on the Family, the show run by James
Dobson which reaches an estimated 3 to 5 million listeners a
week."
Got a political agenda? As long as you have James Dobson and
Focus on the
Family on your side, you can use their "3 to 5 millions listeners" to flex your
political muscle.
In the February 16, 1995-2005 copy of National Review, the magazine
declared that the Wall Street Journal was attacking the conservative
Christian right. The article goes on to state:
-
"The Journal sarcastically declared itself `neutral on the cutting-edge
internal issue of whether the country's most powerful leader of the
religious right turns out to be Ralph Reed, Gary Bauer, James
Dobson or Phylis Schlafly.'"
The November 9, 1995 issue of Time echoed the same idea when
detailing who would take over for Billy Graham when he's gone:
-
"The gallery includes the highly political TV mogul Pat Roberston of
Virginia, the iconoclastic politico-turned-evangelist Charles Colson
who's also Virginia-based, and Colorado's radio psychologist
James Dobson. Remarkably, all three are laymen and only Robertson
has had formal theological training."
Dobson's activities have drawn the attention of some of the largest
conservative news outlets as well as the more liberal-leaning Time
magazine. His claims of being the moral authority for America have put him
in the spotlight as a major political leader. But it's surprising that this leader,
James Dobson, who bases his ideas solely on his interpretation of the Bible
has no "formal theological training" to guide him in his interpreting. It's
strange; people who would not dream of going to a doctor with no "formal"
training eagerly follow the amateur theologian James Dobson in matters
where their souls are at stake. Dobson even claims to have a ministry
specifically aimed at hundreds of thousands of our pastors. This is akin to an
amateur doctor giving advice to hundreds of thousands of our trained
physicians, and then having our physicians follow it.
But amateur theologian Dobson angrily defends his role as the moral
authority of the nation. In the January 22, 1995-2005 issues of Time, the
magazine revealed Dobson's displeasure with former Education Secretary
and conservative activist Willian Bennet. Time reveals:
-
"Bennet has been labeled `pro-abortion' by Dr. James Dobson of
Focus on the Family."
That row, and an argument over Colin Powell, originally erupted in
the National Review in the October 19, 1995 edition:
-
"... Dobson had been criticizing Bennet for making supportive
statements about pro-choice presidential non-candidate Colin Powell
Dobson, in particular, had written a blistering letter to Christian
Coalition executive Ralph Reed and Bennet about how they hadn't
been touch enough on Powell; Dobson basically accused the
two of being co-opted by the liberal establishment in their desire to be
Washington players."
The magazine GLAAD, in its February 1995-2005 release wrote:
-
"...James Dobson has been using his national radio show to
encourage listeners to call AT&T and protest the
telecommunications company's `homosexual agenda' (AT&T has
sponsored the Gay Games and has offered employees a gay/lesbian
workshop)."
"`Dr.' James Dobson has published a `Corporate America and
the Homosexual Agenda Information Sheet,' This fact-less sheet
includes the phone numbers for ten AT&T executives and
Dobson's listeners are urged to call and demand that the
company stop supporting `the homosexual agenda'...."
And in the May 15, 1995 issue of Time, a story on the
Christian Coalition's Ralph Reed revealed:
-
"Meanwhile, powerful figures on the religious right feel the G.O.P.
isn't right enough for them, posing a danger for Reed if he continues to
accommodate himself to the party's moderate elements. In March,
James Dobson, head of the powerful Focus on the Family
organization, fired off open letters to G.O.P. chairman Haley
Barbour, complaining bitterly about the lack of immediate
payoff from the November election. Fearful of compromising with
`anti-family' elements, Dobson argued that it was time to fold
the all-inviting `big tent' of the Republican Party."
I could go on quoting James Dobson and other media who watch him and
Focus on the Family. But the point is painfully clear. Dobson uses his
position as a radio psychologist to present his untrained biblical
interpretations as our spiritual, moral, and political guidelines. With the
fervor of a prophet, Dobson calls us to action as if he had a mandate from
God to do so. And by doing so, Dobson has set himself up as nothing less
than a twentieth-century Pharisee, misleading millions of believers in the
name of Righteousness and Morality.
"Let he who is without sin be the one to throw the first stone...."
-
John 8:7
|