James Dodson's Role In The Election (Full Version)

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humbleinspirit -> James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 2:01:59 PM)

I've been listening to Focus On The Family and James Dobson has been saying that he has been getting a real lot of heat during this past year on his views from people such as Obama and the media. My question is what is his influence during this election and are the reports accurate?



humbleinspirit -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 2:03:37 PM)

Oh, it looks like there is already a thread on this issue. Nevermind.



blessedinnyc -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 2:23:02 PM)

For this election, at least, Dobson appears largely irrelevant.

I hope he sticks to offering that 95% of the advice he offers that's good advice, and avoids the politicking.



cow451 -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 3:53:38 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

For this election, at least, Dobson appears largely irrelevant.

I hope he sticks to offering that 95% of the advice he offers that's good advice, and avoids the politicking.


I see that His Self-righteousness has hinted he will consider endorsing McLobby. The only heat Dr. Irrelevant is getting is that which he brings on himself.



WesP -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 3:58:22 PM)

quote:

I see that His Self-righteousness has hinted he will consider endorsing McLobby. The only heat Dr. Irrelevant is getting is that which he brings on himself.


cow,

Glad to see you are such an avid supported of Dobson! [sm=icon_smile_yikes.gif]

If he doesn't endorse McCain, he will have to abandon his ministry.



cow451 -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 5:39:30 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WesP

quote:

I see that His Self-righteousness has hinted he will consider endorsing McLobby. The only heat Dr. Irrelevant is getting is that which he brings on himself.


cow,

Glad to see you are such an avid supported of Dobson! [sm=icon_smile_yikes.gif]

If he doesn't endorse McCain, he will have to abandon his ministry.

I thought he did that long ago.[;)]



humbleinspirit -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 6:03:33 PM)

Now why would he have to abandon his ministry? He is saying a real lot of things like if Obama gets elected then this country is not going to have any checks and balances at all.

He mentioned this week that the local newspaper in Colorado has a political cartoon saying that he is pretty much illrelevant these days too.

Then there is the whole thing with the fairness doctrine and if a democrat gets into office also.

Here is my thing though, if there is no checks and balances with this election and the legislature does some left field things, then the people will vote them out of office and the checks and balances will return instead.



wing2000 -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 8:03:40 PM)

quote:

If he doesn't endorse McCain, he will have to abandon his ministry.



...and just what is his "ministry"?



humbleinspirit -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 8:13:06 PM)

Now you actually have to ask?



iluvatar -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 9:22:58 PM)

About a year ago, I was reading a magazine article (in MIT Technology Review, IIRC) about steps various municipalities were taking to defend against some of the future consequences of global warming, particularly the impact of reduced snow pack on fresh water supplies. In the article, it was mentioned that officials from Colorado Springs had to dance around the issue a bit and keep things rather quiet so as to not draw attention and political opposition from a large Christian media organization that was based there. I thought it was a sad statement that politicians could be proactive, responsible and studious and still have to worry about getting flack from Christians.

-Dan.



humbleinspirit -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 9:56:34 PM)

But then there is still the question as to whether global warming is really the disastrous thing that some scientists and "political" people think. There is enough other scientists out there saying that it is just a myth instead.



GroupW -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/22/2008 11:52:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit

But then there is still the question as to whether global warming is really the disastrous thing that some scientists and "political" people think. There is enough other scientists out there saying that it is just a myth instead.


As a Colorado resident, I can honestly say that no matter what your position is on GW, the climate here has progressively become drier and warmer. We have immense mountain pine beetle problems because it no longer get's cold enough to kill them. Thousands of acres of older pine trees are now dead as doornails. We also have to contend with diminishing water resources at a time of significant population growth throughout the west and increased water demand.

Whether man made or natural, these phenomena are real and do require some degree of a political response even if that response is just contingency planning. The entrenched positions of both sides in this argument does seem to hinder honest inquiry planning by municipalities.



Solus -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 2:50:59 AM)

Here is what I find funny about Dobson. He complains about political correctness because he is not a politician, and then throws himself into politics by criticizing the candidates and then acts as if he is the victim when they defend themselves. He truly is a nut job.



blessedinnyc -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 10:28:08 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Solus

Here is what I find funny about Dobson. He complains about political correctness because he is not a politician, and then throws himself into politics by criticizing the candidates and then acts as if he is the victim when they defend themselves. He truly is a nut job.

I don't think I'll go quite that far, but I do think he misrepresents Christianity in a way that impedes disciple-making. In college, there were a lot of students I talked to who refused to become a Christian because they thought they would be turned into brainwashed Republican thralls if they did.

Democratic groupthink may contribute a bit to this concern, but I think the biggest problem is the vocal minority of Christians who think that Democrats are worse than Nazis. Perhaps one of the loudest voices in that vocal minority is Dr. James Dobson.

If he simply stuck to family ministry- and just reminded people that abortion and sexual immorality is wrong and has plenty of psychological side-effects, rather than attacking politicians, there might be tens of thousands more born-again Christians in this country.



TaoPoohBear -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 1:34:59 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

quote:

ORIGINAL: Solus

Here is what I find funny about Dobson. He complains about political correctness because he is not a politician, and then throws himself into politics by criticizing the candidates and then acts as if he is the victim when they defend themselves. He truly is a nut job.

I don't think I'll go quite that far, but I do think he misrepresents Christianity in a way that impedes disciple-making. In college, there were a lot of students I talked to who refused to become a Christian because they thought they would be turned into brainwashed Republican thralls if they did.

Democratic groupthink may contribute a bit to this concern, but I think the biggest problem is the vocal minority of Christians who think that Democrats are worse than Nazis. Perhaps one of the loudest voices in that vocal minority is Dr. James Dobson.

If he simply stuck to family ministry- and just reminded people that abortion and sexual immorality is wrong and has plenty of psychological side-effects, rather than attacking politicians, there might be tens of thousands more born-again Christians in this country.


Thank You!!!

I've tried to explain this to a Dobson fan I know (in my own inadequate way); I feel he is more in love with political power than his faith, and is becoming more shrill as he sees it slipping away.
Frank Schaeffer article
quote:

Dobson has alienated as many evangelicals -- let alone moderate Christians -- as he's inspired. In fact, ever since he tried to get Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) fired last year Dobson has found himself painted into a reactionary corner. Many evangelicals still fear him and so won't denounce his posturing power-plays but they also despise him.


I never knew this book existed until researching this thread!
James Dobson's War on America by Gil Alexander-Moegerle
quote:

The perspective I offer to you is this: I found James Dobson, family advisor, to be a source of encouraging homespun common sense wisdom about marriage and raising children, but the James Dobson I helped become a powerhouse in the political arena is more than wrong: he is out of step with the American way and even, at times, dangerous to great principles of democracy such as diversity, tolerance, and compromise.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His is a drive to win. His is a passion to beat the opposition. His is a desire to prevail. He is angered at losing. Although Jim works hard to craft a public image characterized by high levels of intelligence and sophistication, of great Christian love for everyone, the truth is he is incensed at those whose beliefs are different from his own and who are projecting those views more effectively in the public square than he is. The emotion that I observed time and time again was simple anger.



ljmac -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 5:36:35 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: GroupW

quote:

ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit

But then there is still the question as to whether global warming is really the disastrous thing that some scientists and "political" people think. There is enough other scientists out there saying that it is just a myth instead.


As a Colorado resident, I can honestly say that no matter what your position is on GW, the climate here has progressively become drier and warmer. We have immense mountain pine beetle problems because it no longer get's cold enough to kill them. Thousands of acres of older pine trees are now dead as doornails. We also have to contend with diminishing water resources at a time of significant population growth throughout the west and increased water demand.

Whether man made or natural, these phenomena are real and do require some degree of a political response even if that response is just contingency planning. The entrenched positions of both sides in this argument does seem to hinder honest inquiry planning by municipalities.


In Aspen they were skiing in mid June because of record snowfalls. They still had three feet of snow on the upper runs.

I'm drowning in drought.



ljmac -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 5:39:05 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Solus

Here is what I find funny about Dobson. He complains about political correctness because he is not a politician, and then throws himself into politics by criticizing the candidates and then acts as if he is the victim when they defend themselves. He truly is a nut job.


Who doesn't criticize candidades? When has he acted like a "victim?"



ljmac -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 5:41:19 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

quote:

ORIGINAL: Solus

Here is what I find funny about Dobson. He complains about political correctness because he is not a politician, and then throws himself into politics by criticizing the candidates and then acts as if he is the victim when they defend themselves. He truly is a nut job.

I don't think I'll go quite that far, but I do think he misrepresents Christianity in a way that impedes disciple-making. In college, there were a lot of students I talked to who refused to become a Christian because they thought they would be turned into brainwashed Republican thralls if they did.

Democratic groupthink may contribute a bit to this concern, but I think the biggest problem is the vocal minority of Christians who think that Democrats are worse than Nazis. Perhaps one of the loudest voices in that vocal minority is Dr. James Dobson.

If he simply stuck to family ministry- and just reminded people that abortion and sexual immorality is wrong and has plenty of psychological side-effects, rather than attacking politicians, there might be tens of thousands more born-again Christians in this country.


If Democrats would quit attacking the unborn, we might have tens of thousands more born-again Christians in the country.



Zhi -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 5:50:51 PM)

quote:

As a Colorado resident, I can honestly say that no matter what your position is on GW, the climate here has progressively become drier and warmer. We have immense mountain pine beetle problems because it no longer get's cold enough to kill them. Thousands of acres of older pine trees are now dead as doornails. We also have to contend with diminishing water resources at a time of significant population growth throughout the west and increased water demand.

Whether man made or natural, these phenomena are real and do require some degree of a political response even if that response is just contingency planning. The entrenched positions of both sides in this argument does seem to hinder honest inquiry planning by municipalities.


I'm also in Colorado. The winter in Leadville (at 10,200 feet) had more snowfall than most residents had ever seen. There's still snow on the high mountains and it's almost August. My husband's all excited. He wants glaciers.

The pine beetle is an issue because the forest service is a bunch of idiots. Pine beetles love trees that are 80+ years old. The forest service let all the trees grow uniformly from the original clearcutting, prevented them from burning, and guess what? We just hit the 80+ years mark a couple of years ago. The pine beetles are very happy. The trees, not so much. They're all dead because EVERY SINGLE TREE is the prime deliciousness age for a pine beetle. That's why you're seeing dead forests. Cold slows the beetle down a bit, but it won't stop them, and believe me, we had plenty of cold in the high mountains this year.



GroupW -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 6:24:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zhi


The pine beetle is an issue because the forest service is a bunch of idiots. Pine beetles love trees that are 80+ years old. The forest service let all the trees grow uniformly from the original clearcutting, prevented them from burning, and guess what? We just hit the 80+ years mark a couple of years ago. The pine beetles are very happy. The trees, not so much. They're all dead because EVERY SINGLE TREE is the prime deliciousness age for a pine beetle. That's why you're seeing dead forests. Cold slows the beetle down a bit, but it won't stop them, and believe me, we had plenty of cold in the high mountains this year.


Actually, the cold can stop them. It just needs to get very, very cold. Periodically, the CO high country would see lows hitting -40. At that point, the natural antifreeze that the beetles make (same stuff you put in your car, interestingly) can't protect them. We haven't seen those kind of cold snaps in years. Hence the primary method of controlling the beetle population (big winter kills) hasn't occurred.

That's one reason for the current infestation.

Homogeneous forests is another one, but fairly minor. More importantly, we've had some consistent drought conditions so the normal summer time protection against beetles also is not working. In the summer time, trees with sufficient access to water can close up the beetle hits before they breed and kill the tree.

Which brings it to the third big reason - overforestation. With the policies we have of putting out every fire, the forests have become too dense. Combine very dense forests with drought conditions. In that case, the ability of a tree to withstand dry weather and beetle hits is further hindered.

It kind of points to the genius of mother nature - one way or another, nature will thin the forest. Either naturally by the normal fire cycle, or unnaturally through unhealthy forests and pine beetles.

Credits for the above info go to my two hiking partners - a former ranger and a USFS botanist.

Cool you live up in Pb-ville. I love that area. Just took my nephew over Mosquito pass to try to terrify him. (It didn't work)



blessedinnyc -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/23/2008 7:04:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ljmac
If Democrats would quit attacking the unborn, we might have tens of thousands more born-again Christians in the country.

Do two wrongs make a right? Why is it the church's job to take over the sword of government (which Christ tells us to put down) to stop the pagans from sinning? And if you happen to have an explanation, why does that trump the Great Commission?



ljmac -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/24/2008 12:31:28 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

quote:

ORIGINAL: ljmac
If Democrats would quit attacking the unborn, we might have tens of thousands more born-again Christians in the country.

Do two wrongs make a right? Why is it the church's job to take over the sword of government (which Christ tells us to put down) to stop the pagans from sinning? And if you happen to have an explanation, why does that trump the Great Commission?


Protecting innocent human life is my business and Dobson's. You should join us.



SovereignIsHe -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/24/2008 1:01:46 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

quote:

ORIGINAL: ljmac
If Democrats would quit attacking the unborn, we might have tens of thousands more born-again Christians in the country.

Do two wrongs make a right? Why is it the church's job to take over the sword of government (which Christ tells us to put down) to stop the pagans from sinning? And if you happen to have an explanation, why does that trump the Great Commission?


The church righty instructing God's ordained minister(the civil government) of His wrath for those who do evil is wrong in what manner? The Great Commission includes the truth of God's word, which includes that the government is acting in a sinful manner to sanction murder?

John



blessedinnyc -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/24/2008 10:53:22 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SovereignIsHe
The church righty instructing God's ordained minister(the civil government) of His wrath for those who do evil is wrong in what manner?

Please show me the verse where the Bible says we are supposed to go out of our way to angrily condemn the pagans. Paul certainly addresses sin in the Church, but he notes a difference between the standards for non-believers and believers.

quote:

The Great Commission includes the truth of God's word, which includes that the government is acting in a sinful manner to sanction murder?

John

Yes, and my simple question is whether angrily saying that someone is worse than a Nazi, perpetrates genocide, or is a Godless Liberal is necessarily the best way to communicate truth.

At the very least, Dobson is one of those people with the signs and megaphones shouting that God hates sinners and everyone is going to hell. Some would say that this doesn't make a very effective witness.



SovereignIsHe -> RE: James Dodson's Role In The Election (7/24/2008 2:20:56 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: blessedinnyc

Please show me the verse where the Bible says we are supposed to go out of our way to angrily condemn the pagans.


Righteous indignation has its place...


quote:

Paul certainly addresses sin in the Church, but he notes a difference between the standards for non-believers and believers.


Paul is speaking to jurisdiction... Why the church can remove the unrepentant fornicator, it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to remove a non-member since they are for that matter already removed so to speak… As for standards, there is only one... Christian (should be) are held to a higher standard and because they know better, that doesn't necessarily lower the bar for mankind....


quote:

Yes, and my simple question is whether angrily saying that someone is worse than a Nazi, perpetrates genocide, or is a Godless Liberal is necessarily the best way to communicate truth.


Simply... At 50,000,000+ and counting, 3500 a day, those who support, condone, have, and perform abortion have passed the Nazis a long time ago...

You see... The problem is the truth that people want to to hear is not that abortion is wrong, but that God understands, don't worry it's not really murder, everyone that has one is a victim, and nobody really wants it to happen...

quote:

At the very least, Dobson is one of those people with the signs and megaphones shouting that God hates sinners and everyone is going to hell.


He actually has a sign that says that?

quote:

Some would say that this doesn't make a very effective witness.


I am sure some would say that Jesus wasn't a very effective witness... A lot of his own people didn't believe He was...


John



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