one of the best bumper stickers i ever saw:
"Focus on Your Own Damn Family"

And anyway, it's offensive to even mention him (Dobson) in the same breath as Sharpton. —Kevin Drum

Really? I can't see that there's a whole lot different between the two. They're both idiots as far as I'm concerned. Just different kinds of idiots.

The first letters of the first 6 words on page 666 of the bible spell D O B S O N.

The rest is about whether the Old Testament really applies to Christians etc. etc.

Except of course when we are talking about teh geighs! Then Leviticus is The Most Important Book of the Bible Ever Written(tm).

The rest is about whether the Old Testament really applies to Christians etc. etc.

Dobson is saying that Obama doesn't get to just pick and choose which parts of the Bible are applicable to today's Christians. Only he and others like him get to do that.

Kevin wrote: "Feel free to listen to the whole thing if you have a greater tolerance for this kind of discussion than I do."

Something to keep in mind next time you're thinking of inviting Amy Sullivan to guest-blog.

What is really amusing about Dobson's outburst is that he claims that Obama is distorting the meaning of the Bible, which shows that Obama and Dobson, two Christians, do not understand it in the same way. This, of course, was the Obama's point when he made the reference to Dobson in the first place: We cannot institute Christianity as the law of the land even if we were a nation of only Christians, since there is more than one form of Christianity going around.

I would just like to point out that James Dobson is not a Christian by any stretch of the imagination.
Oh, he has the lingo and the buzz-words down to a fine art, but when it actually comes down to...you know..."practicing what you preach"...yeah, Dobson...not so much.

Dobson. Don't pack for the Rapture.

They're both going to Hell which is, in case you were wondering, a topiary garden.
Dobson will be trimmed in the shape of the gay Teletubby, and Sharpton in the shape of a Dobson.

sheerahkahn at 12:44 is right, of course.

But where can you go in the world where the ground isn't red with blood shed by Christians who "weren't really Christians?"

More generally, what use is a religious leader whose followers violate their founder's teachings in the name of their founder's faith?

Even if we did have only Christians in our midst...whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?

A question I've raised many times. The Dobsons of the world, of course, believe it would be their kind of Christianity. Which is one reason why, as a Christian, I side with the unbelievers in debates such as this.

But a more fundamental one is that even if Dobson and I saw eye to eye on our supposedly shared faith, I want to share my faith with others, rather than force others to be exposed to it.

What I'd like to ask Dobson is, why is his faith so weak? Why do he and Pat Robertson and their buddies worship a God who needs government assistance in getting His message out? I've never quite grasped that part.

Ever wonder if Sharpton know how hard he's being dissed here?

Dobson wrote the following as guidance for fathers worried that their sons might be displaying homosexual tendencies:

"Meanwhile, the boy's father has to do his part. He needs to mirror and affirm his son's maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole in a pegboard. He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only bigger."

I just can't get over the the apparently straightfaced headline. What's next: "John McCain accuses Obama of being a politician"?

thersites >"...what use is a religious leader whose followers violate their founder's teachings in the name of their founder's faith?"

Apparently VERY useful to ThePowersThatBe as demonstrated by history.

"The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor." - Voltaire

My favorite bit was where Dobson wailed that if we listened to the Sermon on the Mount, we'd have to shut down the Defense Department.

Like most fundies, Dobson is not a Christian by any stretch of the imagination.

Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would it be James Dobson's or Al Sharpton's?

This is what is great about the conservatives who want to control every aspect of our daily lives: you know that if they really got to exclude liberals from having any influence, the conservatives of America today are so stupid and opinionated and don't really have a reasoned basis for a lot of their opinions, that they would never be able to agree about lots of their prescriptions for our culture and would only end up viciously fighting each other over things like whether it is moral to wear shorts, whether high school dances are ok or are wicked, the extent to which rock 'n' roll is ok or allowable, etc. And the conservatives who don't think they are fighting alongside a great many conservatives who in all seriousness want that kind of control, don't have a clue. Grow up in an area like rural/suburban Idaho or the south, then you'll know what I'm talking about.

"Whatsoever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me."

Am I the only one who hears "grab your ankles, Mr. Dobson" in those words?

I wouldn't vote for no Moslem nohow

Maybe you grew up in one of those pluralistic communities where the priest, the minister and the rabbi would play golf together on wednesday. Dobsonland is a little different--all the protestant churches are in fierce competition for butts in pews and everyone else is just plain going to hell.
The rapture is an extremely dubious proposition even by protestant standards, about as mainstream as snakehandling 50 years ago, yet look at it now. Bill Moyers could probably debate the likes of Dobson about it into a stunned silence, but these aren't the people for reason and debate--look at that advice about having your son look at your junk; I thought that was one of Adam Carolla's fatherhood tips.

And anyway, it's offensive to even mention him in the same breath as Sharpton.

Well, to be fair, Sharpton is an actual ordained minister who's been preaching since he was four years old. Dobson is a psychologist, not a minister. It's like comparing Cardinal Mahony and Bill Donohue and deciding that of the two Donohue must be the expert about Catholicism despite, you know, not actually being a priest.

What really made Dobson mad was that a Democrat mentioned his name out loud. In public. GRRRRR!!!!

I think what Obama is getting at is that their would be battles galore over differing intepretations of the bible. Why, if you want to see spraks fly put Baptists and Evangelicals in a room together.

What should preoccupy Americans more are the various interpretations different muslims make of the koran. The word jihad is understood by some benign islamists to mean striving. To others it means making war on the infidel and destroying him wherever he is found, as for example, Manhattan on September 11, 2001. But that was seven years ago and liberals have very short memories. But even they should realize that we have not been attacked since. That's Bush's fault.

But even they should realize that we have not been attacked since. That's Bush's fault -mhr

And we werent attacked for eight years before Bush. Thats Clintons fault.

Mhr wrote:

Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

Now that was Bush's fault. And remember, the valiant jock (a college cheerleader, was it?) turned pale, sat on his ass and read a kids' book when he heard we were attacked. Such a warrior!

And you know what else is Bush's fault? All the thousands of veterans who are coming home nuts, crippled, or suicidal because of his Iraq war, or who are trying to shoot themselves in the foot or run away so they don't have to go back for it. You'd think Americans would have enough balls to stick up for our veterans, too, and start protesting Bush so we can impeach and get him out of office.

The American Taleban Bible has all the smiting and smoting of the Old Testament, plus the Book of Revelations.

To get the appropriate Dobso-Talebanic spirit, try Deuteronomy 25:11-12 (KJV):

When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.

The first letters of the first 6 words on page 666 of the bible spell D O B S O N.

Is there a standard pagination now?

I am not that good anymore but I used to argue with my Christian friends by only quoting the old testament and with my Jewish friends by just quoting the new.

I think Dobson should pay close attention to what the great man wrote over 3000 years ago. (OK, this is an English translation)

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself

As for the Bible--

You might as well pick out a random children's book off a library shelf, and decide that everything in it is absolutely true.

I have as much reason to think Jesus really performed miracles as I do to think that David Copperfield or David Blane do.

How do you know Jesus wasn't a con-man, and that when the head-con-man died, his partners didn't need a way to put food in their bellies- and that was how Christianity was born?

If you are going to believe Jesus was divine, wait until he shows up and shows you some miracles to do it. Otherwise, there are better reasons to be moral than your daddy telling you "Shorts is wicked to wear! It's in Exodus!"

Even is Jesus was supernatural, how do you know that he wasn't part of or the same thing as other things other religions have claimed were supernatural-- just appearing in a different guise?

The only reasons anyone has to believe that Christianity is the exclusive version of the truth is because daddy told you so and you want to believe what daddy said, or you just like the Christian story and the chance that by following it you may be right and everyone else wrong. Those are as good reasons as Conan the Barabarian has to believe in Mitra or Crom-- and no better.

Allow me to say that, as a minister of the Christian faith, I appreciate what everyone here is saying. As far as Dobson (and please do not use the title Reverend in front of his name... allow him the lower title of Doctor but not the higher title of Reverend)... someone please tell him to sit down and shut up. His fifteen minutes are up, his heart is disengaged, and Jesus would like his religion back, please.

please do not use the title Reverend in front of his name... allow him the lower title of Doctor

Oh, Dobson deserves some lower titles yet.

Thanks, Rev John. I agree completely. Dobson's version of Christianity isn't about faith, it's about power. He's pissed now because Obama's calling him on it.

Incidentally, Time Magazine's writeup of Dobson's radio spiel says he may not vote for either candidate. He says even McCain isn't conservative enough for him. If true, it makes him quite the patriot, eh?

The funny part is that far more Americans agree with Obama than with Dobson. Seventy percent of respondents in that Pew poll agreed that "many religions can lead to eternal life."

I have as much reason to think Jesus really performed miracles as I do to think that David Copperfield or David Blane do.

Posted by: Swan on June 24, 2008 at 4:52 PM | PERMALINK

I, for one, have always felt that David Blane being able to make millions from his ridiculous stunts is nothing short of a miracle.

With Dobson's public whinning, Obama's nomination is already paying off.

Dobson. Don't pack for the Rapture.
~~God

Perfect comment. This post demonstrates what a hypocrite Dobson is. Both shellfish and homosexuality are an abomination unto God, according to Leviticus. However, the New Testament has only three commandments: faith, hope, and love. Looks like those precepts aren't convenient for him either.

How much money does he have and, if he's getting involved in politics, why is his "church" still considered tax free in light of separation of Church and State?

Dobson takes what suits him and discards what doesn't. So he's not going to vote for president? Great. I hope all like-minded people follow his lead.

James Dobson is not a Christian, anymore than the Westboro Baptist church are Christians. They are modern day Pharisee's who's primary purpose is in judging others in an attempt to make themselves holier. It's not Christianity in the sense that they strive to live like the Christ; it's Christianity by relativism. My neighbor is a fag, which is a terrible sin, so who cares that I am wealthy, drive a gas guzzler, and won't look a homeless man in the eye? And witness Dobson, a man who has used old testament scripture to justify his homo-phobia, suddenly run away from the Old Testament when other outdated passages are brought into light. Pop quiz - how many times does Jesus mention homosexuality? The answer: ZERO. On the other hand, Jesus did say quite plainly that it was easier to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get in heaven. James Dobson, the head pharisee, has an estimated net worth north of one hundred million dollars.

As a devout Christian, it offends me to hear my faith - a universal and accepting faith, inspired by a man who fed prostitutes and dined with thieves - lumped into the judgmental tripe of Dobson and his ilk. Seems to me maybe he got offended because Obama called him for what he was - a fraud.

The very fact that Dobson is upset with Obama's interpretation of the Bible proves Obama's point. Just whose Christianity will we follow?

Did anyone else catch the irony of this bit from Obama's speech?

"No matter how religious they may or may not be, people are tired of seeing faith used as a tool of attack. They don't want faith used to belittle or to divide. They're tired of hearing folks deliver more screed than sermon. Because in the end, that's not how they think about faith in their own lives."

Mighty big words from someone who sat under Jeremiah Wright's "sermons" for so many years...mighty big words. Did Obama ever listen to anything that man was screaming? Obama didn't seem to get tired of it until it became a political liability. Screed indeed. I wonder if there is anything else Obama wants to lecture us about concerning proper sermons, and using faith as a "tool of attack". Yikes.

Mighty big words from someone who sat under Jeremiah Wright's "sermons" for so many years...mighty big words. Did Obama ever listen to anything that man was screaming? Obama didn't seem to get tired of it until it became a political liability. Screed indeed. I wonder if there is anything else Obama wants to lecture us about concerning proper sermons, and using faith as a "tool of attack". Yikes.

A question for you: prior to those YouTube videos, how many times did Rev. Wright appear on CNN talking about religion? How many editorials did he write in the New York Times about morality? How many books did he write?

Now please compare Rev. Wright's output and public profile to James Dobson's.

There's a hypocrite here, all right, but it's not Obama.

But Obama wasn't talking about CNN interviews or editorials. Obama was talking about sermons being used as screeds to attack and divide. You know, like what Obama listened to under Jeremiah Wright for years.

Yet Obama wants to lecture us about proper sermons? Hypocrit.

You need to find Jesus because you haven't found him yet.

Deception, Deception........How easy it is for people to hide their faults by pointing out other people's faults. He who has no sin must cast the first stone. Dobson must not be a sinner,otherwise he would not be condemning Obama.

I do not support Obama's stand about partial abortion, but I also want to point out that Dobson's hands are not clean:

If Dobson was true to the Bible he would not be observing Sunday. He would be observing the 4th commandment. He is judging Obama, while he has followed the Catholic church which changed the worship that God designated to be observed.

He will do well to check the history of how the 4th commandment was changed (serious editting)

Deception, Deception........How easy it is for people to hide their faults by pointing out other people's faults. He who has no sin must cast the first stone. Dobson must not be a sinner,otherwise he would not be condemning Obama.

I do not support Obama's stand about partial abortion, but I also want to point out that Dobson's hands are not clean:

If Dobson was true to the Bible he would not be observing Sunday. He would be observing the 4th commandment. He is judging Obama, while he has followed the Catholic church which changed the worship that God designated to be observed.

He will do well to check the history of how the 4th commandment was changed (serious editting)

After years of hearing how hate-filled the political right is I am so glad to see how the "left" is so much more tolerant, understanding and carry absolutely no hate in their bones like the right did. Thank you for showing the "right" how to respect a president you disagree with and how to tolerate a different point of view

8O461k

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