A Reply to Dobson’s Letter
Focus on The Family Action released a 16 page letter titled “Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America,” on October 22. I would highly suggest getting a copy of the letter and reading it for yourself. Here is a link to The Dobson Letter.
The letter was written to portray what life would be like in the future should Barack Obama, a Christian, become President. In the first page the letter, from a future Christian, states its purpose:
“So here is a picture of the changes that are likely or at least very possible if Senator Obama is elected and the far-Left segments of the Democratic Party gain control of the White House, the Congress, and perhaps then the Supreme Court.”
Hold onto your hats … this letter has some bombs in it.
According to Focus on the Family here a few of the 25 events that will likely take place if Barack Obama is elected:
* The Supreme Court would pass law that legalizes same sex marriage across the US
* Elementary schools will mandate homosexuality as a choice to children
* Christian radio stations will be removed from the airwaves
* Churches will be forced to hire homosexuals and host homosexual weddings–or lose 501c3
* Christian nurses and doctors banned from practice–after Obama forces them to do abortions.
* Pornography is mandated to be openly displayed in gas stations, newsstands, and grocery stores
* Home Schooling has been outlawed
* 4 US cities have been bombed, Obama does nothing in response
* Obama increases funding to known terrorist allies.
* Obama deepens ties to Communist nations and Communist revolutions break out in Latin America
* Tel Aviv is destroyed when the new USSR launches a nuclear attack against Israel.
That’s a brief look at the world from Focus on The Family’s perspective should Obama be elected. All of these things assume that Obama does nothing to stop these events or perhaps encourages them.
The letter wraps with the future Christian asking the question: “Who is to blame?” I find it unfortunate that Dobson points the finger at naive Christians who have voted for Obama.
My Reaction to James Dobson & Focus on the Family.
I’m not a political writer and this is not a political commentary.
I am not a Democrat. I’m not a Republican. So I’m not coming from the standard pro-Obama viewpoint. I’m not here to defend Barack Obama, or John McCain. I’m here to ask what Jesus would think about all this.
This letter is a direct reflection of James Dobson’s worldview… a worldview many assume reflects the heart of Jesus. That puts the proverbial ball into my wheelhouse.
Here are my conclusions from this published letter.
I see nothing distasteful about religious people endorsing a candidate:
Religious people should have the right to endorse and promote their candidate. This is good and healthy. It’s the American way. Pastors of churches legally have the right to abstain from influencing their congregations politically. However, many influencers in the world of Christianity are not legally pastors. They may be writers or speakers.
It is my opinion that religious voices need to be a part of the conversation in our country. So on this account– Focus on the Family and Dobson deserve to be commended for engaging.
Change happens within the context of dialogue–not slander:
We have a responsibility to represent the name of Jesus with integrity. People are watching. You want to know why there is even a fear of “hate speech” laws being enacted? Read this letter. Why do homosexuals claim Christians hate them? Read this letter. Why are Christians increasingly being marginalized in society? Read this letter folks … and you will know exactly why we’re at this crossroads in society. I’m ashamed at the tactics taken by Dobson and his crew.
This letter is not about creating meaningful dialogue. We cant scream–”If Obama gets elected the world will end!” setting forth apocalyptic visions–and then claim, “We love all people, including Barck Obama.”
We can’t slander a man so disgracefully in the name of “Truth” and then expect a pat on the back come Judgment day.
We all reap what we sow.
If we slander “them” (whoever that may be) … don’t be shocked when they slander us.
Which begs the question– does Focus on the Family even care about slandering someone publicly? What does the Bible have to say? What about Jesus–is this His Way?
This letter’s tone and intent does not reflect the Way of Jesus.
The Way of Jesus is different from society’s.
Jesus conquered through love … not fear. Certainly not hate. This letter reflects the way of society–not Jesus. What happens if Focus on the Family is “successful” in its campaign against Obama? If you overpower a strong man through violence and slander–don’t be shocked when a more powerful and more persuasive person throws you off the hill soon. This is the pattern of politics–and society– that Focus on the Family has stooped to.
Even if Obama was evil–and Focus on the Family helps defeat him with a slanderous letter–all Dobson has accomplished is to repeat the cycle of society.
He has missed the whole point of Jesus.
Jesus showed us a new Way. A Way that compels followers to love our enemies so extravagantly that the watching world rises to our defense, or walks away compelled to investigate further. A Way that sheds light on conversions through follower’s unwillingness to fight fire with fire. A Way that shows the world what it truly means to be human. This is the Way of Jesus. The pattern of Jesus. It is a Way of love. A conquering and raging love, unstoppable, unshakable– and unmistakably different from what we demonstrated in this letter
In Conclusion.
Ultimately, its not my place to judge or condemn Dobsons tactics. But it is frustrating and sad that this letter will muddy the name of Jesus–and I certainly cant see how it advances The Kingdom of God. In general, I will continue my assigned work for The Kingdom of God– and let The Foreman deal with other workers. We never find Jesus chasing people around and shouting them down … I honestly believe God will let people expose themselves for who they are– for good or for evil. I choose to see Dobson as a brother who has lost his perspective; perhaps he will read his own letter and realize the path he has chosen. Perhaps my letter will open dialogue. Either way I love him and Barack Obama—because that’s who I choose to be.
My last question to Dobson would be this: The opening paragraph of your letter warns about Obama and quotes Jesus in Matthew 7:16. Jesus says: “you will recognize them by their fruits.”
“Dr. Dobson–I see your fruit–what type of tree does that come from?”
Respectfully,
Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is an agent of change. The Founder of The Shema Movement- a viral network of do-gooders, changing the world [and themselves] one act of Love at a time. He networks and writes full time for Shema. Most of his life is spent on the road as a motivational speaker-- inspiring people across the globe to Love Without Agenda. He is a featured leadership voice and writer for Neue, a leadership community from the makers of Relevant Magazine. He is currently preparing for The Viral Jesus Tour, and is publishing his first book 'Viral Jesus' in 2009. 
(20 votes, average: 4.4 out of 5)
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I am saddened to see FOTF turn into the 700 Club. There was a time when Dobson’s ministry was counter-culture and not just pandering to the group of believers that has a hard time accepting that God is in control. (To be clear, accepting that God is in control is not a call to inaction as some other popular Christian speakers have argued, but an acknowledgment that our call to act out the gospel is regardless of circumstance.)
MAK
I just find Dr. Dobson’s comments so disheartening. It’s amazing to me how older Evangelicals have tried to turn political issues into moral issues simply because they don’t agree with other people’s decisions. This condemnation of Obama, homosexuals, anyone who has ever had an abortion, and the absurdity of Dobson’s ideas about pornography, 501c3 organizations, and predictions about future Christians really shows how out of touch and ludicrous this whole document is.
Jesus never called his followers to try and legislate his ideas or his morality and the idea that we should do that today is antithetical to what Jesus taught. Jesus continually railed against the Pharisees & Sadducees whose political & economic ties to the Roman empire were part of their hard-heartness. There is an idea out there that if we don’t legislate Judeo-Christian ethics in our politics then the Gospel won’t go forth or we won’t be blessed as a nation. Well history shows that Christianity, true, vibrant Jesus-imitating Christianity spreads most quickly and is lived out more radically in areas where the national attitude towards Christianity is neutral to hostile. (Think 100 years after Jesus-Ephesus, Rome, and modern day China)
To be honest I am bewildered and befuddled when people rail against Obama’s Christianity or his Christian ethics and give Bush a pass on his. But like Jimmy says, this is all missing the point. Our call is to live out the Gospel of Jesus in our lives and to do the work God has individually and corporately called us to. No matter who is in the oval office.
i was overwhelmed with the fear and homophobia and blaming coming out of this ‘older evangelicals’ letter that blames the ‘younger evangelicals’ upon an assumption that they dont educate themselves.
and we wonder why the church world is ineffective at disciple making?
i recently re-read and saw an enactment of “the screwtape letters” (a must read for all, and i do recommend the live performance…) i see a strong link between screwtape ( a lead-demon training another demon to render a believer ineffective) and american christianity as i read of it’s example in this letter from the year 2012. screwtape is correct, “we christians are so easily distracted and enabled to go off the one simple task we have been given by our master & screwtapes enemy: Jesus”
i am an educated voter who will love God and all people no matter the difficult chain things that i do think will come, and so let me not take my freedom for granted, freedom that includes my responsibility to live out the love of Jesus in a deeply radical way and equip those around me with an impervious soul so faith filled that it overflows.
the fear and high defensive language shows our God to be therefore, small god. our homophobic actions show a deep lack of understanding and therefore, love, no matter what we say. our attack will only reap attack and so, we may speak and self fulfill certain prophecy of attack on christians.
i champion the young evangelical who wants to walk in a focused love as Jesus teaches instead of the more fear & hate filled ways modeled by MY -older evangelical generation. it is not what we do, but how we do what we do that says it all.
I agree with most of what dim7chord wrote but there’s one inaccuracy. While the Sadducees were certainly politically & economically tied to the Roman empire, the Pharisees very much anti-Rome. (Hence their desire to trap Jesus with the “do we pay taxes or not” question.) But this actually strengthens the argument. It doesn’t matter whether one is hard hearted and in power or hard hearted and out of power, the problem is a heart condition.
Focus on the Family (and Dobson) is rendering itself utterly irrelevant (pun intended) and is alienating their once devout followers. Hopefully it won’t be long until Focus forsakes the temptation to be power-mongers and focuses instead on the family, where their influence is actually helpful and needed.
Thanks for the correction. I got a C in History
Jimmy -
Thanks for posting the letter from James Dobson - I’d heard about it but hadn’t read it until I saw your post.
We have wildly different impressions of it.
While I can understand some people disagreeing with him, I was really surprised to see you go so far as to call it slanderous. I actually went to to double check the meaning of slander to make sure I wasn’t off base, but every definition I could find included something like this: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.
The letter is clearly described as a hypothetical situation, but is better documented than most college term papers (see the footnotes). Dobson simply takes the candidate’s ideas and fleshes them out into action. His letter may serve as an uncomfortable prediction, and perhaps even an incorrect prediction, but it’s not a false report.
I appreciate your recognizing a religious person’s right to endorse a candidate, but what exactly does it mean to endorse? It means to indicate a preference, and at least he had the integrity to cite sources.
Everyone has a right to like or dislike Dobson, but let’s use right language when referring to a man’s actions. This was far from slander, and to tag on “Either way, I love him and Barack Obama” doesn’t free you from the need to be precise in language.
In the interest of full disclosure, I serve with TheCall, a prayer ministry, that hosted an event at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Saturday, which I stage-managed. Dr. Dobson was one of our guests. It was an honor to have a man on the stage who has helped train so many people who were looking for examples of Godly parenting. From my vantage point, I saw much fruit from this man’s life.
I pray that people would see as much in ours when we are his age.
I used to stand hand in hand with Dobson on his platforms. I then came to realize that it was so EASY to attack sinners who were doing things that no Christian would ever come near. I would never be gay and get married, my wife would never get an abortion,etc…
We will never be able to stand at the wide road and argue with a large group to get them to follow the narrow path. It is much more effective to reach out in love to an individual.
Jesus had it right when he spent his ministry attacking religious leaders and showing compassion to sinners.
Dobson is another Christian that apparently does not fully trust God.
A response is posted about Spencer’s reply to Dobson’s letter found at http://www.jarrodjones.com
I really appreciate Jarrod’s comments as well. People on the left demonizing those on the right are no better.
this is a link to a facebook group called “Christian bypartisan rejection of the dobson letter”
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30055124462&ref=mf
for anyone interested?
ok. one more for the pile:
jim wallace also responded. quite strongly.
this part on slander is well said. i do agree that in a legal sense the dobson letter toes the line perfectly within the legal bounds of slander, libel and defamation.
wallace discusses slander biblically here:” It is shocking how thoroughly biblical teachings against slander—misrepresentations that damage another’s reputation—are ignored (Ephesians 4:29-31, Colossians 3:8, Titus 3:2). Such outrageous predictions not only damage your credibility, they slander Barack Obama who, you should remember, is a brother in Christ, and they insult any Christian who might choose to vote for him”
here is wallaces article at sojourners:
http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3283
*shudder* I’m surprised a man this old wouldn’t realize how dangerous it is to predict the future… doesn’t he know by now how quickly four years will pass? How quickly he’ll be proven wrong, or irrelevant? Scare-tactics, doom and gloom… wait a second… this kinda sounds like fire & brimstone, don’t you think?
Maybe he’s getting senile and no one has the heart to take away the mic.
Thanks for this, Jimmy. I posted a link to it in The Discipleship Dojo so more from my area could read it.
http://gsdisciple.blogspot.com
Props,
JMS
I find it incredibly sad that so many people think they know exactly what Jesus would do in any situation, and yet seem to be woefully ignorant of the whole bible, preferring instead to take bits and pieces to suit their message. Was Jesus all about Love? Of course He was. The bible is clear that God IS Love. God is also a just God. He is not one or the other, but both. He did not show Love as His only emotion when He walked this planet. He also showed anger when it was warranted.
I have not read Dr. Dobsons’ letter, but I have heard enough of His messages over the years and read enough of his books to know the kinds of things he would write. He is nothing if not consistant.
I also have heard enough of Barack Obama’s messages to know what he believes, including his voting record.
His beliefs and votes do not line up with the Word of God. Period.
Cheryl
Thanks for giving the cliff note version of Dobsons letter because there is no way I would sit for that long to read something as ridiculous as that.
If Dobsons views are a reflection of what Christians truly believe, they are surely warped somehow. Clouded by fear and the desire for safety, they cling to a false seemingly concrete way of life. By controlling someone elses life, perhaps theirs will be more controlled?
I am not a church leader of any sort, but I am a Christian who tries to view the world through the eyes of Jesus- a man who came to teach us the way to live together. Jesus did not hang out with religious leaders of his time although he did impress them with his knowledge. The leaders of his time angered Jesus by their pettiness and legalities. Instead he chose to be with the forgotten and bad. He was a lover of all. These were the people who loved Jesus and were open minded/hearted enough to let him in.
It is so frustrating to me when I see todays leaders doing the very same thing the leaders of Jesus’ time did. They banter and argue the scriptures and what is considered right and wrong. What they do not see is that others are watching and forming opinions of hypocricy. Frustrated, they leave the church. It leaves me to wonder why we even have leaders.
I just think its about time that we as individuals learn to live with each other with love and forgiveness. Live our lives as a living sacrifice-giving more than receiving- letting go of pride, hate jealousy and the like. Spending less time arguing, slandering and impressing others and more time living the way God intended.
Jimmy,
Thank you for your comments and thoughts on the Dobson letter! I also am saddened by the tone and demeanor of this response. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “does this further the kingdom?”…that should always be our focus - in our daily lives, at our jobs, with our families and especially when we have the opportunity to influence so MANY people with our words.
Thank you for your well crafted response! Ditto. ~Trina Agosto
The most gracious way to look at Dobson’s letter is as art, as dramatic interpretation. Art’s job is too stir up, to cause something to be seen that can only be seen in hyperbole. If taken that way and not as a policy intent statement letter it can have a place in the sun. Logically, if all the ducks were lined up on an one of many of these scenarios, it is not impossible for the projected outcome to become reality. The problem is that they are presented in mass. For all the ducks to line up on all these issues our streets would be paved in feathers. So, while individual scenarios could happen, the entire apocalypse becomes so ridiculously unlikely as to be essentially untrue. This is not the first time Christians have gotten in trouble from being overly cognitive and attempting to be kings of logic. Even if some of these things end up happening I will not regret my descision to vote for Barack. We can not control culture but we can do our best to be Christ-like and follow God into the culture. He is already there.
There is an interesting irony in the FOF letter. Dobson tries to represent Jesus and when you do that you embrace eternal hope that defeats the slavery of fear we live under. But in the eleventh hour of the election he sold fear as a tool to tell his previously well shorn sheep to vote for McCain. Obama’s campaign was one of change and hope. Hope beat fear. Dobson needs to chew on that. Frankly, I think he would be better served to ignore the political clout he built up and once again focus on the family. He is a psychologist who wrote some good books and I think he got swept up in the conservative political evangelical power base that was built the last few decades. It has had an impact in elections, but it has not changed lives, fed the poor, cared for the widow, or made disciples. There is a documentary on HBO called Friend of God that shows men like (pre busted ) Haggard and (pre dead) Falwell reveling in that political might evangelicals have at the polls. They spoke of that far more than they spoke of their love for Christ and others.
In this election, one issue voting was not enough for many. Other factors came into play and many started looking to Obama. It was a consistent and unified message during the campaign. In the primaries, Dobson screwed the conservative pooch by some of his harsh talk (politically). On the Republican front the pundits and talk radio hosts loved Mitt. Dobson could not go that route since he was a Mormon. So he put his weight behind Mike Huckabee as the evangelical candidate. As McCain gained and Mike lost ground Dobson went on to claim that he could never vote for a man like McCain and be in good conscience as a Christian. This move did not help and McCain won the primaries. Suddenly, McCain is an all right guy and the one we need to vote for and if you love God, this is who you vote for..etc etc etc. He confused his own base.
This letter was an act of desperation. Power was being lost and it sounded more like a cornered animal or someone trying to talk their girlfriend into not breaking up with him and going to prom with the BMOC.
With respect. This is not art, this is not a prediction of the future. This was a ditch effort to sell fear to sway more votes to McCain in the eleventh hour.
I’m just curious, you said, “If you overpower a strong man through violence and slander…”
Where did Dobson encourage violence against Obama or against anyone for that matter? Where did Dobson slander Obama?
Is it slander when someone forms a view of the future given the words, policies, and promises of the person being spoken about? Slander is a spoken misrepresentation of an individual. Anyone could easily form half of the opinions written by Dobson based on Obama’s very own words.
Why is it hate towards homosexuals to say that churches and pastors would be forced to marry them under the policies and the judges selected by Obama? Is that hate? Has it really been narrowed down to hate to have pastors stand firm on their principles that marriage is between a man and a woman? Or in our effort to show Christ’s love to these individuals we should be open to accommodating their every wish and desire? Because we love them and Christ loves them, what the heck, let’s marry them? Yet, Dobson is being accused of being hateful by simply stating that churches would be forced to do such a thing.
Do I agree with Dobson on everything? No. Do I agree with everything in this letter? No. Many things are hypothetical, however many things mentioned are also highly probable given the very words and statements by Obama, so that is not slander or libel. However, for you to accuse Dobson of being hateful, encouraging violence, and slandering, are you not doing the very thing you are accusing him of? What makes Dobson a slanderer and you not?
I guess the days the of people having strong principles and a backbone to defend them are over, all in the name of love and the fear of being branded a hater. Trust me, I’m not the picket sign Christian type to get your point or voice out, but it saddens me that within the family we battle each other because one segment feels Biblical principles and family values are worth fighting for, while the other segment wants them to shut up to appease those who disagree with those principles.
Thank you so much for this comment. How refreshing. It’s so refreshing to hear someone else outside of the box of slamming Dr. Dobson. It has felt as though supporting Dobson in any way, no matter how small, is evil and unchristian. And that we are narrow minded and “naive.” . Its as if everyone is enlightened on this whole thing except those of us who appreciate Dr. Dobson as imperfect as he is. You made some great points. There is no separation between what others have slammed Dr. Dobson about and their very own comments about him. Again, Dr. Dobson has issues as we all do, but as a husband and father of two little boys, I am very appreciative of him and the impact he has had on my life, and my family’s life.
Well done.
nmc,
I would counter that Dobson did include half truths and extrapolations that are huge stretches to create FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.
From the letter”
“President Obama repeated his declaration that he personally was against same-sex “marriage”, but he told the nation there was nothing he could do. The Supreme Court had ruled, and it was now the law of the land. The president asked the nation to support the decision.
The most far-reaching transformation of American society came from the Supreme Court’s stunning affirmation, in early 2010, that homosexual “marriage” was a “constitutional” right that had to be respected by all 50 states because laws barring same-sex “marriage” violated the Equal Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Suddenly, homosexual “marriage” was the law of the land in all 50 states, and no state legislature, no state Supreme Court, no state Constitutional amendment, not even Congress, had any power to change it. The Supreme Court had ruled, and the discussion was over….
…After that decision, many other policies changed, and several previous Supreme Court
cases were reversed rather quickly — raising the question, “Is America still the land of the free?”
(1) Boy Scouts: “The land of the free”? The Boy Scouts no longer exist as an organization. They chose to disband rather than be forced to obey the Supreme Court decision that they would have to hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in tents with young boys.”
This ignores the reality that almost every major medical and psychiatric organization understands that gay men are not interested in boys. Further, according to Boy Scout policy, even heterosexual men are not allowed to sleep in the same tents with boys that aren’t their own children. The fact of the matter is that with just this one major glaring falsehood, it throws the entire document into question.
To accomplish some of the goals in the above quotes the First Amendment would be tossed aside. It even paints the tale that church ministries would no longer be allowed on college campuses.
I could go on to point out FOF’s errors and logical stretches with things like no longer allowing nurses to opt out of abortions and the tripe he spews about the hypothetical bombing of tel aviv and Obama’s reaction to it, but I have better things to do.
If gay marriage is allowed in your state, as a minister you would still be allowed to marry and not marry whomever you choose.
thoughts4u,
I have a deep appreciation of Dobson’s ministries as it relates to the family. His books about raising children, working with teens, and marriage are very good. The resources and advocacy given to people who want to adopt and be involved in foster care are to this day wonderful and at one time groundbreaking. It is the political arm of focus on the family that I strongly disagree with. It is an arm that has led to arguments spewing venom and with vitriol sometimes has people questioning the salvation and faith of others who vote for a democrat or view the political spectrum as more than a single issue…or choose not to vote.
It is ones right to agree or disagree with our leaders and it is ones right to have concerns with policies and state those publically, but there is a line crossed at times and it is in my opinion and the opinion of others that the line was crossed in certain aspects of this letter. Does that mean I invalidate his entire ministry? No. That would be like invalidating the entire body of work of Billy Graham when he was found to have said Anti Semantic things in Nixon’s office.
semitic, not semantic…sorry.
captain tux.
you insightful. do you have a blog?
Lisa, you give me too much honor with your kinds words. Thank you.
I do have a log. It is less abut my thoughts on theology, politics, or anything of that nature and more about how a guy (me) goes from being an ex minister converted software business owner to a minister again starting a church.
You can read it at http://piratetopastor.blogsome.com . Be warned…I have been known to break out a 4 letter word from time to time and some of the people who comment do as well and not all of them are Christians. I only say that because some people are sensitive to things like language. Oh yeah…my grammar sometimes stinks in the blog.
I would be interested in your thoughts on…welll…my thoughts.
Not only do I have a log….I also have a blog. sigh…….
hey jimmy - check out
http://silhouette-words.blogspot.com/2008/11/election-jay.html
thanks for the link justin– I will check it out.
I appreciate all the people who have read the article and commented on it. I have resisted commenting on it–as not to sway the discussion either way.
I am grateful for the many leaders & pastors from across the country who have contacted me and thanked me for writing it– your support has been overwhelming and unexpected.
I am even grateful for the few dissenters who have respectfully engaged me in discussion and offered critical remarks…
love you all.
I just finished reading the letter and find it quite ridiculous. I agree with what has been said here, and am disappointed that a group that I would say I at one time looked up to no longer has my respect because we think that Christianity represents very different principles. My Dad even said that the letter seems like it’s written by the liberals to make Christians look so bad. Unfortunately, they did it themselves. I hope that people don’t hate him so much, and that they realize that he is not the devil himself, he is a man, like the rest of us are, and makes mistakes, like the rest of us. I also hope that fotf realizes that the far-right agenda isn’t necessarily God’s agenda. I was a bit offended at the fact that “pro-environmentalists” are as evil as it says… since we should probably be protecting God’s creation instead of just using and abusing it. Also, with health care, I found it sad that though everyone can now get health care, there’s a long wait list… of course there would be! Because the poor had no access to it before. Is he saying that only those with money should have access to good health care, that God wants them to have better lives than those who don’t have money? If so, than I don’t think that we worship the same God.
Dobson has become nothing more than a fear Monger…
He has sold his soul for Partisan Politics..
Let us Pray for him…in the hopes that God will
Humble him and bring him back into the Light
I can’t believe people love Obama so much.
You are missing the point about Obama and Dobson. The bottom line is that Obama suppots abortion and that makes him a mass murderer. People who support Obama share that guilt. They all run the grave risk of eternal damnation. Obama’s support for abortion outweights, by a massive proportion, and good he may be able to do for the poor (if we assume for argument’s sake that he will actually do some). OK so Dobson is exaggerating on some points. That is wrong. But some of his predictions are posible scenarios consistent with Obama’s views - a legitimate rhetorical device. The wrong in Dobson’s letter is infintesimal compared with Obama’ evil. The strongest response Dobson’s comments call for would be: “hey pal, we are all Christians and we are all trying to advance the same cause here. But making false accusations about Obama on side issues actually detracts from the credibility of our opposition to him, so lets keep the rhetoric a little more focussed.”
God bless
Steve
One issue voters are so fun to talk to. So…you really think he is eternally damned? I am so sorry you feel that way. I would never say that about him or Dr Dobson. What about the churches behavior during the crusades, the churches that looked the other way while Hitler committed genocide, what about the southern Bible belt’s endorsement of slavery? Our being late to the party on women’s rights, interracial marriage, and our more recent poor positions on AIDS in the 80’s? We of the faith are not always on the right side of issues. Sometimes we are, but not always. Are we mass murders while we stood blindly to Hitler and slavery? Are we mass murderers when we opposed hate crime legislation? I hope not. That would suck.
I would say that those of us who claim to follow Christ have reason for concern as well in the eternal. Matthew 25 tells of a sifting of goats and sheep. Which one are you gonna be, which one will Dobson be…heck…which one am I gonna be?
Dobson’s rhetoric was not just a stretch, it was homophobic, fear based, and spewed more hate than it did love.
I no longer listen to him, but I hope he does not call the president a mass murderer and that he prays for the leaders God gave and entrusted this nation to. I hope that men like Rick Warren and President Obama are able to talk, share, and pray together as opposed to call each other mass murderer and hate monger.
Why isn’t Obama a mass murderer? Is it because:
a) abortion is not murder, or
b) because it is murder but it is OK as President to maintain that people have a right to do it and in fact implement policies designed to increase the numbers of abortions e.g. agreeing to sign the Freedom of Choice Act and funding foreign abortion services.
(There are a number of other serious issues with your post, but let’s take them one at a time.)
Oh geez…this is going to get interesting. May I suggest, however, that this conversation be migrated to the Neue forums? The formatting there will be more conducive to the conversation.
Happy debating!
OK, Ive started a new topic in Forums/Open - called Dobson’s Letter - Reply to Cap’n Tux. My name there is Jeremiad (had to create an acount to log on - “Steve” was taken - gee I hate that!)
Hello. Great job. I did not expect this on a Wednesday. This is a great story. Thanks!
I UNDERSTAND WHERE J. DOBSON IS COMING FROM. HE IS A LITTLE OVER THE TOP. MAYBE. BUT YOU KIDS DO NOT KNOW A WORLD WHEN PORN , SEX ,IMMORALITY WAS NOT SPLATTERED ALL OVER THE MEDIA AND AIR WAVES AND IN OUR SCHOOLS. DR. DOBSON HAS BEEN TRYING TO STEM THIS TIDE FOR OVER 30 YRS. AND HAS BEEN LOSING GROUND. THAT IS BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT THROUGH HUMAN REASONING HE CAN PEOPLES MINDS OR WAY OF THINKING. PAUL THOUGHT TOO REMEMBER ON MARES HILL, HE TO REASON THE SAME WAY. THE RESULTS WERE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE REPENTED. ON HIS WAY TO CORINTH. IT APPEARS THAT THE LORD SPOKE TO HIM .BECAUSE WE IN 1ST. CORINTHIANSPAUL DECLEARS THAT HE HAS COME PREACHING NOT IN HUMAN REASONING.FANCY WORDS, BUT IN THE POWER AND DEMOSTRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. WE NEED TO BE SEEKING HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS TO THINGS.
David,
Thank you for expressing yourself. For whatever it is worth, I do remember that world you mention. My gray beard and sore muscles remind me everyday that I remember a different society (and I miss leased phones from the phone company, they were made so much better than today’s phones).
You brought some good things to the table of this discussion. Thank you, sir.
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