Donate to or support
Talk to Action








The Indian River Incident : What You Can Do

link > The "Stop the ACLU Coalition" Shaming Project
How you can help stop "Stop The ACLU" just by sending a few emails



 'Left Behind' video game imageThe Shaming Project

does the violence of "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" bother you ? If so, what can you do ? Well, to begin with you can email Jonathan Hutson's stories to people you know. That will help to bring more public scrutiny of the game. Public shaming really works ! Just click on the "email" icon and link at the top or bottom of the story and you'll be taken to a form that will allow you email the first story, The Purpose Driven Life Takers or the latest installment without leaving this site. Thanks. 'Left Behind' video game image




Dobson Lists Divorce Risk Factors, Doesn't Mention Gay Marriage
By Bruce Wilson Thu May 18, 2006 at 09:05:15 AM EST printable version print story
James Dobson, head of the powerful Christian evangelical outreach group, nonprofit 501c(3) Focus on The Family, has built a career and empire based on his self assigned role as defender of "the family" and as an advisor on family, marriage, and child rearing.

Dobson has also made dire claims about the alleged threat of same sex marriage and feels so strongly that he advocates the passage of a Federal Marriage Amendment against same sex marriage and has created a lobbying group ( Focus On The family Action ) to fight against same sex marriage. But Mr. Dobson, in a Wednesday Indiana newspaper advice column, failed to include the alleged threat of "gay marriage" in a list of divorce risk factors.


Here are Dobson's claims about the threat of "gay marriage":

Dr. Dobson's Newsletter: April, 2004
In Defending Marriage Take the Offensive !

Dear Friends:

I write to you today with a profound sense of concern and apprehension for the welfare of the family, and indeed, for the future of our nation. I do not recall a time since the beginnings of Focus on the Family, 27 years ago, when the institution of marriage faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against it were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself. This is a time for concerted prayer, divine wisdom and greater courage than we have ever been called upon to exercise.

For more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family

"Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It  [ same-sex marriage ] will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." - James Dobson, Focus on the Family, October 2004 speaking at a rally for OK GOP Senate candidate Tom Coburn

Here are the divorce-risk factors Dr. Jmaes Dobson lists, in an advice column that ran May 17, 2006, in the "Carrol County Comet" of Delphi, Indiana, in response to the question "Would you identify some of the major "marriage killers" that are most responsible for the high divorce rate that plagues today's families?" :


  1. OVERCOMMITMENT AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION

  2. EXCESSIVE CREDIT AND CONFLICT OVER HOW MONEY WILL BE SPENT.

  3. SELFISHNESS

  4. UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH IN-LAWS

  5. UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

  6. SPACE INVADERS [ Jealousy and poor self concept ]

  7. SEXUAL FRUSTRATION AND ITS PARTNER, THE GREENER GRASS OF INFIDELITY

  8. BUSINESS COLLAPSE

  9. BUSINESS SUCCESS

  10. GETTING MARRIED TOO YOUNG

  11. ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

  12. PORNOGRAPHY, GAMBLING AND OTHER ADDICTIONS

Conspicuously absent from Dobson's divorce-risk list was the alleged threat of "gay marriage".




Display:
In his book Marriage Under Fire, Dobson lists 10 reasons against gay marriage, and he never mentions divorce.  One of his arguments is about economics- that gay marriage will drive up health care costs and premiums for everyone because all kinds of families will be eligible for health insurance.   He also talks about how gay marriage will destroy social security.  These are clearly about raising people's economic anxieties and keeping him in line with the Republican agenda.  In terms of divorce, he never says gay marriage causes divorce, but he uses the same ridiculous argument that gay marriage will lead to polygamy, and he implies that this will also mean more divorces.

by Tanya Erzen on Fri May 19, 2006 at 09:10:22 AM EST
But, given the extreme claims he's made I'd say the burden is on him to provide some sort of proof that gay marriage has a negative effect on traditional families......

Unless he's talking about gay marriage as an alleged threat on a geological time scale or as a threat to the concept of marriage :  both of those claims seem rather silly to me.

by Bruce Wilson on Fri May 19, 2006 at 12:20:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]



In an excerpt I read on IntheseTimes, Ms. Goldberg made such good sense that I am invigorated with a promise of something better in this unhappy country.  Dobson would never have the grotesque amount of power he has presently if we'd stop beating ourselves up as liberals, and refuse to allow a non-majority to set the agenda.  We are stuck with this Christian nationalism only for as long as we allow it to prevail.

by TomChicago on Fri May 19, 2006 at 07:12:09 AM EST
Here's the link to Teri Gross' "Fresh Air" interview of Michelle Goldberg on her new book

by Bruce Wilson on Fri May 19, 2006 at 07:41:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, radio address, October 26, 1939
32nd president of US (1882 - 1945)


by Pauljaxon on Thu May 18, 2006 at 09:37:53 AM EST
But ceaseless repetition can cause many to accept lies as truth.

by Bruce Wilson on Thu May 18, 2006 at 09:54:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I should have elaborated on my choice of the quote above.  The far-right has lied and lied and lied about gay marriage (and numerous other things) to their congregations and constituents for so long, that they are swallowing it all as truth.  I certainly wish they would think for themselves!

In my humble opinion,

Paul

by Pauljaxon on Thu May 18, 2006 at 11:16:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]


And it's a lesson we forget at our grave peril.  The OSS, in its psychological profile of Adolf Hitler, noted almost identical tactics used by Hitler and by dominionists today (and by coercive groups in general):
(26) He is a master of the art of propaganda. Ludecke writes:

    "He has a matchless instinct for taking advantage of every breeze to raise a political whirlwind. No official scandal was so petty that he could not magnify it into high treason; he could ferret out the most deviously [unreadable] corruption in high places and plaster the town with the bad news." (159)

His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.



by dogemperor on Thu May 18, 2006 at 08:42:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I've come before to the Nizkor Project : it's good to remember the territory.

by Bruce Wilson on Thu May 18, 2006 at 10:53:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]





WWW Talk To Action


I'll Die Another Day
As many of you know, I am now recovering at home after two weeks in the hospital and some harrowing experiences. I am feeling......
By Frederick Clarkson (6 comments)
What Palin's "Jewish people will be flocking to Israel" statement really means
There's some acceptance that statements such as Sarah Palin's prediction that Jews will soon be "flocking to Israel" may indicate Palin holds apocalyptic beliefs.......
By Bruce Wilson (3 comments)
Render Unto Caesar: District Tax Officials End Free Ride For Religious Right's `C Street House'
Remember all the talk last summer about the mysterious "C Street house" in Washington, D.C.? The structure, owned by a clandestine evangelical Christian organization......
By Rob Boston (0 comments)
The Africa Connection to the Attack on the Mainline Churches
Three years ago, in an essay in The Public Eye magazine, I outlined how the neoconservative and Religious Right campaign to divide and conquer......
By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
Prevaricating Pastors: Mendacious Ministers Prove It's Still Legal To Be Bigots
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the Religious Right. Through my work at Americans United, I've opposed this movement for 22......
By Rob Boston (2 comments)
Palin's Prayer Leader Hinted Terrorist Attack Could Make Sarah President
In the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election, one of the religious leaders closest to Sarah Palin hinted that the Alaska governor might......
By Bruce Wilson (7 comments)
Hagee, Rodriguez Embrace Signals Massive New Alignments On Christian Right
As JTA News has just reported, John Hagee's Christians United For Israel (CUFI), which represents many millions of American Christian Zionist evangelicals, has formed......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Archbishop Dolan Disparages Reform and Dissent As "Anti-Catholicism"
In posting on his blog site, recently installed Archbishop for the Diocese of New York, Timothy Dolan, accused The New York Times of anti-Catholicism.......
By Frank Cocozzelli (5 comments)
Bart Stupak, Family 'Minister', Wrapped in C Street Like a Bug in a Rug
Even while protesting that he isn't trying to kill health care reform, House Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich), who has incurred the wrath of the......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Unhealthy Trend: House Action On Abortion Showcases Power Of Bishops' Lobby
When political pundits talk about the power of religious groups to affect public policy in Washington, most tend to focus on the Religious Right.......
By Rob Boston (1 comment)
Author of Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the "College of Prayer International"
The Uganda New Vision reports the latest on David Bahati, the MP behind the proposed draconian "Anti-Homosexuality Bill"; he was among attendees at a......
By Richard Bartholomew (3 comments)
Rick Warren Repudiates Martin Ssempa
From Warren Throckmorton's blog: STATEMENT FROM PASTOR RICK & KAY WARREN REGARDING ACTIVITIES OF MARTIN SSEMPA IN UGANDA Martin Ssempa does not represent me,......
By Richard Bartholomew (2 comments)
Dobson And Destiny: Will Religious Right Leader Turn His Focus To Electioneering?
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family (FOF), is not a happy camper these days.  "What is happening in Washington right now is......
By Rob Boston (5 comments)
Resource Page on John Hagee and Christian Zionism
Special Focus:  Christian Zionism Following are a list of articles on Christian Zionism that have been posted on Talk2action.org over a period of several......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Progressive Catholics in Maine Push Back on Question One
On Tuesday November 3rd, voters in Maine can either vote yes or no on "Question One," a potential people's veto of recently enacted legislation......
By Frank Cocozzelli (7 comments)

Mark Silk on the Hagee / Rodriguez Entente
Mark Silk, at Spiritual Politics has picked up on my notice of the Hagee-Rodriguez embrace and zeroes in on what's certainly one of the most notable aspects: "The key thing to understand about the......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Inscribing Christian Values in our Children Before Birth?
Following the evolution of evangelical discourse as it re-defines homosexuality as evidence of "fallen creation", Terri Murray looks at how the Christian right have shifted their rhetoric to adapt to empirical research showing that......
By TMurray (0 comments)
US News & World Report Showcases Creationist Ray Comfort
US News and World Report's Dan Gilgoff has charitably provided evangelist Ray Comfort a media platform in the form of a US News & World "exclusive" through which Comfort defends his efforts to distribute,......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Atheist billboard in Central Florida
The organization "Atheists of Florida" sponsored a billboard promoting atheism in Lakeland, Florida.  I, however, have some concerns. ......
By ArchaeoBob (1 comment)
Transcript: Billy Graham and Richard Nixon, February 21, 1973
The following is my own transcript of a 20 minute phone conversation between Richard Nixon and Billy Graham, on February 23, 1973. As far as I am aware this is the only publicly available,......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Rifqa Bary being sent back to Ohio now
Well, there's a change in this case.  After the judge gets immigration documents and so on from the parents, he will send her back. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
The War on The War on Christmas Goes To Pot
The first day of Fall could be considered the official launch date for the annual war on the war on Christmas, which represents a significant part of the the American Family Association business model......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
School Officials off the hook
Today it is reported that the judge excused the school officials who violated the agreement they had over separation of Church and State. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Dominionists trying to outlaw birth control
Well, they're at it again in Florida. ......
By ArchaeoBob (2 comments)
No Danger for Rifqa Bary
The FDLE just completed an investigation and found "no credible reports of threats" against Rifqa Bary. ......
By ArchaeoBob (1 comment)
Truth hitting the mainstream!
I've despaired of ever seeing anything critical or exposing Dominionism hit the mainstream press.  There is now an exception. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Extremism?
The term extremism is currently in vogue to describe hate groups and other malcontents listed as such by knowledgeable monitors like SPLC and others in the T2A sidebar, but while we all know what......
By Jay Taber (2 comments)
My Netroots Nation Panel Talk
Where Do We Stand in the Bright Light of History? Netroots Nation August 14, 2009 Thank You, Professor Ledewitz, for initiating this discussion of a progressive vision for church and state -- and Netroots......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Transcript, Jan. 18, 2009 Steven Anderson Sermon Excerpt
Note: the sermon excerpt video and transcript below, from a January 18, 2009 sermon by pastor Steven Anderson of the Tempe, Arizona Independent Baptist Church, begins at approximately 21:30 into Anderson's  one hour, four......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
More anti-Muslim provocation
The local paper reports that students in Gainsville, Florida are wearing T-shirts with "ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL" printed on them. ......
By ArchaeoBob (1 comment)
Rifqa Bary to stay in Florida
The young ex-Muslim girl who ran away from her parents will be allowed to stay in Florida.  The news article has strong indications that this is purely political. ......
By ArchaeoBob (10 comments)
Framing Fascism
In her recent article, Sara Robinson argues the United States is well on its way to becoming a totalitarian, fascist state. As evidence of this inevitability, she cites current town hall disruptions and threats......
By Jay Taber (11 comments)
Rock Paper Scissors
GOP-sponsored vigilantism has happened before. It is an integral part of domestic terrorism aimed at ethnic minorities and other sub-populations targeted by White Nationalism and Christian Fundamentalism. Catholics, Jews, Blacks, and Native Americans have......
By Jay Taber (3 comments)
PA Shooter's Church taught: "You can commit mass murder, then still go to heaven"
George Sodini, the 48-year-old misogynist who shot up a Pennsylvania Gym full of women on Aug. 4th, killing three women before turning the gun on himself, believed God wouldn't judge him by his actions.......
By Stacey Tallitsch (0 comments)
Vatican grilling Catholic sisters
While I am not Catholic, I accidentally ran across this article which is of interest to us on this blog - it involves Vatican actions that concern attempts at political control... ......
By ArchaeoBob (3 comments)
Sect Controls Women's Destinies
by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer On The Issues Magazine Had I not escaped one night five years ago with my eight children from the manipulation and control of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of......
By On The Issues Magazine (4 comments)
The Religion of Fear
<h2> Living on Guard</h2> In The Religion of Fear, Jason C. Bivins examines conservative evangelical culture as it intersects with America's love affair with spectacular violence and the popular culture of fright that has......
By Jay Taber (2 comments)
Monvee: Profiles of the Mega-churched.
[ed: updated from diary section] Over the last 20 years, a consolidation from the small protestant church has given way to the "Mega-church" where community fellowship goes to die, and prosperity-gospel-rock-concerts are born. Just......
By Stacey Tallitsch (12 comments)
Woman Shoots ex-Husband in Groin, To "Let The Demons Out"
An investigating detective read an entry from a three ring binder, written shortly before the crime: "I know now what I have to do. There are three demonic spirits in (Dr. Loher), one assigned......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Separation of Church and State attacked in Florida
A Central Florida organization, "The Community Issues Council" has funded a number of billboards attacking the separation of Church and State, using "Quotes" from some of the Founding Fathers. ......
By ArchaeoBob (5 comments)
Radio host: We're only united through Christianity
Most of you in Indiana may know about Peter Heck, who hosts a daily radio show in Kokomo and puts out a column that appears in several newspapers across the state and in OneNewsNow.......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Cindy Jacobs--the new leader of the NAR
You may remember that Lou Engle has made moves of late to position himself as the new power in the religious right.  He's a member of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, a group......
By Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
James F. Linzey Espouses anti-Semitic, White Racialist Conspiracy Theory
James F. Linzey is a prominent, active duty chaplain in the United States military. Linzey has stated that he was the command chaplain for the Operation Iraqi Freedom troop mobilization prior to the US......
By Bruce Wilson (4 comments)
White Supremacist named as Holocaust Museum Shooter
An 89 year old, vehemently antiSemitic  Ron Paul supporter has been named by police as the gunman who opened fire in the Holocaust Museum shortly after noon today: Gunman, guard shot at Holocaust museum......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
From Focus On The Family to La Familia Michoacana
I didn't think my work on the religous right would converge with what I'm doing on the narcoguerra in Mexico...but here it is: the Faith-Based Cartel. ......
By julydogs (2 comments)

More Diaries...


Donate to or support
Talk to Action

Left Behind: Eternal Forces: Installments of Jonathan Hutson's Talk To Action expose series on the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game have been viewed by up to 1/2 million people. See our site section featuring Over 35 original articles covering the controversial "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game that has provoked a boycott by a coalition of religious groups and a letter writing campaign urging Walmart to stop selling the game. Media inquiries click here
(image: detail from Francoise Dubois' rendition of the Bartholomew's Day Massacre reveals the actual nature of religious warfare)