Dobson- Religion and Politics

[Daniel]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/us...=1&oref=slogin

Two things stand out in this article. The first is the dishonest means used to get out the vote along with the usual anti-gay rhetoric. No surprise there perhaps, but Dobson and company are now playing on the fears of the country by introducing terrorism into the mix.

This strikes me as a rather desperate attempt.

There is something else to consider here. And that is the 'new' argument about religious liberty, which is about 'them' rather than 'us'. This stikes me as a subtle but powerful shift in tone. More 'what about us' and less 'see how bad they are'.

It is getting harder for them to say that gay people are bad and sinful. And increasingly, it is becoming apparent to everyone that the religious liberty they enjoy has nothing to do with our right to marry.

Christian Conservatives Look to Re-energize Base

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: September 25, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 — Openly anxious about grass-roots disaffection from the Republican Party, conservative Christian organizers are reaching for ways to turn out voters this November, including arguing that recognizing same-sex marriage could also limit religious freedom.

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Even in this crowd of nearly 2,000 Christian conservative activists, some balked at one tactic recommended to turn out church voters. In a workshop, Connie Marshner, a veteran organizer, distributed a step-by-step guide that recommended obtaining church directories and posing as a nonpartisan pollster to ask people how they planned to vote.

“Hello, I am with ABC polls,” a suggested script began.

Some attendees complained that the script seemed deceptive, Ms. Marshner said in an interview afterward. She said that such disguised calls were a common campaign tactic, that it was just a suggested script and that she never recommended answering a direct question with a lie.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who played host to the conference, said he was “upset” to learn of her instructions and condemned any deception.

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To revive some of the emotions around the issue, several organizers said they were taking up the argument that legal recognition of same-sex marriages would cramp the free expression of religious groups who consider such unions a sin — an idea much discussed at the conference.

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“Get involved as the Lord leads before religious liberty is lost forever,” Mr. Perkins warned in the trailer.

Others looked abroad. In a pre-election letter to 2.5 million supporters, Dr. Dobson is breaking away from his traditional field of child psychology to argue that foreign terrorists are a threat to families.

[midtnscott]

I've often wondered what James Dobson is a doctor of since he speaks so authoritatively on theology and anything gay. One might also wonder, since he is so viciously anti-gay, is he trying to hide something he is feeling in his personal life and is ashamed of? Hmmmm, I wonder.......

And now, Daniel says he's a doctor of child psychology? Quick, get the kids to a safe location and guard 'em!

[Daniel]

The bully in question, a Mr. Boone, is trying to be quite the man, you might say. His antics may have some sway with the Dobson camp, but leave this reader shaking his head.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/anti-gay-summit/

‘Values Voter Summit’ Features Attack on ‘Faggots,’ Claim That Gay Rights Movement Inspired ‘From The Pit Of Hell Itself’

This weekend, some of the nation’s leading conservatives — from Tony Snow and Attorney General Gonzales to Sen. George Allen (R-VA) and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK) to Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity — appeared at the Family Research Council’s “Values Voter Summit.”

An hour and a half after Snow’s speech, Bishop Wellington Boone, founder of the Wellington Boone Ministries, took the stage and announced, “I want the gays mad at me.” Boone said that while “the gays” are “saying a few things” about him, “they’re not coming at me strong.” In an effort to change that, Boone declared:

Back in the days when I was a kid, and we see guys that don’t stand strong on principle, we call them “faggots.” … [People] that don’t stand up for what’s right, we say, “You’re sissified out!” “You’re a sissy!” That means you don’t stand up for principles. [Click HERE to listen to the audio.]

As Right Wing Watch notes, another speaker at the conference later claimed “the gay rights movement was inspired ‘from the pit of hell itself,’ and has a ’satanic anointment.’ … He suggested that the anti-Christ is himself gay, citing a verse from the book of Daniel saying the anti-Christ will have no desire for a woman.”

[keltic63]

so they all shared the stage with this Boone fellow?

now that I think on this a bit more, is it possible he wants gays to be mad at him so that he can be the martyr? this would be a good time to put the nonviolence principles into practice.

[dewdrop_world]

Originally Posted by Daniel

The bully in question, a Mr. Boone, is trying to be quite the man, you might say. His antics may have some sway with the Dobson camp, but leave this reader shaking his head.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/anti-gay-summit/

Let them rant and rave. One point I wanted to make at UMC, but decided to withhold, is that their audience will have to make a choice eventually: between the nice, kind, gentle and wholesome gay couple down the street or the foaming-at-the-mouth bigotry from such folks. Our real-life testimony makes the propaganda fall to pieces, especially for the younger generation raised on The Real World.

hjh