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What are the basic principles which form the foundation of Dobson's agenda? There are two which those close to him have observed. The first is the "slippery slope." In Dobson's world, whenever a person becomes involved in one vice or another, this will immediately send them into an inevitable downward spiral into depravity and sin. In this "theory" of morality, it isn't possible to engage in moderation in any activity Dobson regards as a sin - whether it's pornography or gambling or whatever is currently on his hit list. It is also clear that such activities will cause unavoidable and tremendous psychological harm to whomever engages in them
.Dobson's second principle is that once a person or an entire culture starts down that slippery slope, they are incapable of saving themselves. Since they weren't able to realize the danger they were getting into, apparently they won't be able to get themselves out of danger now. This is where James Dobson's role starts - to inform all of us just what we are doing wrong. In addition, it becomes the job of a "Christian government" to stop whatever it is that people are doing wrong and force them down the path of righteousness (as defined by Dobson, of course). Although we are blind, Dobson is not - and he will do everything he can to make sure that a new law is passed to save us.
And this is where the legislative efforts by religious-right zealots in the House of Representatives comes to play. For example, white children in white suburbs have shot other white children, the cause must be that the government of all has not promoted the religion of a few - thus, posting the Ten Commandments in school classrooms will stop the violence. It is curious, however, that Dobson never made similar arguments in response to the killing of black children by other black children all through the 1980s.
Agendas
And just what is Dobson's agenda, anyway? It is interesting that Dobson, like so many other religious leaders, has transformed his theological message into a political platform - implying all the way that in order to be a "good Christian," you need to adopt their political platform and vote as they tell you. This is absurd on its face, and the attempt to identify conservative politics with conservative religion leads to serious contradictions. For example, Jesus' reported focus upon helping the needy and giving copiously to the poor might tend to align him with present-day Democrats. Jesus' message of sharing equally would even tend to place him in the camp of socialists, not capitalists.
Dobson's long-term goal appears to be to return America to the 1950s, when America was what he considered to be a simpler and more godly place. Many people on the religious right glamorize and romanticize the 1950s - this isn't surprising, since they are typically white male Protestants, exactly the group which was in control and on top in that time period. Clearly it hasn't occurred to Dobson that all of the tumult and strife of the 1960s - a decade loathed by people like him - got its start in the 50s. America's social problems in the 1950s were like an unlanced boil - ugly and festering, but politely ignored in the hopes of not offending and that it might go away on its own. The youth of the 60s, however, decided to lance that boil and treat the infections. This has made for an ugly wound - but one which has a better chance of healing right.
What is the status of blacks, women and other minorities today as compared to 50 years ago? Unquestionably better - but Dobson doesn't consult them when considering what is best for our country. This is a shame, but since his organization shows strong evidence of sexism and racism, it's not a shock. What is the status of basic freedoms and civil liberties today as compared to 50 years ago? Also unquestionably better - today people have much greater protection in expressing their opinions and ideas than they used to. But I'm not sure that Dobson really cares about that, since he seems to consider ungodly speech to be evil and worthy of repression.
The actual details of Dobson's agenda are perhaps too numerous to fully explore, but it's worth listing a few of them here for the sake of breadth. Dobson supports:
- Right to Life Constitutional amendment
- Christian teachings as a basis for public policy
- Prohibition of doctor-assisted suicides
- Constitutional amendment banning flag burning
- Elimination of just about all civil rights programs and laws
- More religion in public schools - like prayers, bible readings, etc.
- Elimination of most environmental laws
- Elimination of the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts
- More frequent use of the death penalty
- Making divorce more difficult to obtain
- Prohibition of pornography and anything with strong sexual themes
- Women staying homes and raising babies instead of competing with men for jobs
And that's just a very small sampling of Dobson's ideas for America.
Read More: Gary Bauer Who is Gary Bauer and how does he fit in with Dobson's plans?
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