James Dobson vs America
Written: June 23, 1999
Drives
What drives James Dobson in his manic push to have his vision imposed upon all of America? It is only fitting that we take a look at the psychology of an alleged psychologist.
One of the strongest driving forces behind Dobson's agenda is probably fear - specifically, fear of the future, of change, and of the unknown. Early on in his career, Dobson learned that he could bring in a great deal more money in donations by asking for help driving secular humanists out of Washington than by asking for help with a project on actually helping families. This is not to say that Dobson simply functioned as an opportunist, hyping fear for the sake of money. Dobson personally projects this fear in the ideas he communicates, and his listeners are practically infected by this fear, carrying it with them in their lives.
In a 1996 fund-raising letter, Dobson exclaimed that:
The God of the Bible has been removed from every vestige of public life, as though He were a cancerous growth that threatened the life of the organism. Our public political decisions increasingly reflect the humanistic and pagan notions of the day. This transformation is occurring, not by the will of the people who remain overwhelmingly religious, but by our elected representatives and by liberal judges who seem determined to recast society in their own image.
This statement is remarkable not simply for the palpable fear underlying the message
and not even for the fact that every word is false, but for the fact that the exact
opposite of everything he says is true. It is Dobson who seeks to remove different
thinking from society like a cancerous growth and politicians are increasingly reflecting
the notions of religious zealots while marginalizing humanists and pagans. Dobson's
fear may in part be a form of projection - that is to say, he is afraid that others
are trying to do to him and his views just that which he would like to do to everyone
else.
Dobson's peddling of fear is not due simply to an overactive imagination or sheer paranoia (which he does suffer from), but because Dobson communicates in the language of emotion rather than reason. In his world, what you feel is more important than what you think and when you feel strong emotions, this is a sign of God moving through you. This shouldn't be surprising, since emotion has long been an important part of the Southern evangelical tradition. It certainly explains why reason and science are so easily demonized in evangelical circles.
Fear Leads to Anger...
As everyone who has grown up with Star Wars knows, fear leads to anger - and Dobson follows true to form, with anger also playing a major role in his agenda. Lest anyone think that anger is too strong a term, I suggest that it is perhaps a bit weak, at least when we consider the fact that Dobson has indicated that the differences in our society constitute not debates, but a war - a "Second Great Civil War:"
Nothing short of a great Civil War of Values rages today throughout North America. Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible world views are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of society. Bloody battles are being fought on a thousand fronts...
Dobson only talks about war because he is a man of war - a man without the capacity
for compromise or agreeing to disagree. His anger extends to a wide variety of targets
in American society, although all tend to have the characteristic that they don't
happen to share at least some portion of Dobson's vision for our lives. This is especially
true when his opponents manage to project their message in the public arena more
effectively than he
That is perhaps why Dobson makes such a big deal about Howard Stern, who's general popularity is huge. People who don't listen to Stern and who would never listen to the stations which carry him protest his broadcasts at Dobson's behest, threatening to boycott advertisers. What they are doing is perfectly legal, but it should not be mistaken for anything besides blatant censorship of ideas which Dobson doesn't like.
Secularists and moderates of all sorts should be thankful that Dobson's inability to compromise in any fashion is not limited to opponents, but also extends to those with whom he shares a vision of a Protestant, evangelical America. He does not build coalitions with other religious leaders and he does not share the power which comes from promoting hate and fear. For example, if you look through the corpus of Dobson's writings, you'll find it pretty much impossible to find a single reference to Ralph Reed or Pat Robertson - almost as if he is jealous of their successes.
If Dobson had made an effort to join up with people like Robertson, nonbelievers and moderates in America would be in a much sorrier state than the one in which we currently find ourselves. But it is apparent that he dislikes people who differ from himself no matter how close they ultimately are, or how close they are relative to his primary opponents.
Principles
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 recent legislative effort by religious-right zealots in the House of Representatives comes in again. Since 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 hasn't 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? I've referenced it often, but haven't stopped to explain any of the details. 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.
Gary Bauer & Secrecy
Many people are unaware of who Gary Bauer is and what his connection is to James
Dobson. Bauer is head of the Family Research Council
- a semi-autonomous organization founded by Dobson and which serves as a lobbying
arm for Dobson's Focus on the Family. Bauer follows along with Dobson's vision perfectly,
even including the desire to see a return to the 1950s. In fact, Bauer's writings
indicate that what he and Dobson are fighting are not merely what they see as social
ills, but instead the very act of social change itself. For them, addressing social
issues and social problems does not involve creating new ideas, but instead merely
revisiting the past.
It is especially important that people understand this connection, since Bauer is
actively campaigning for president. You can be sure that the policies which he promotes
will stand right in line with the policies Dobson has advocated for so long. It is
unfortunate that so many people know so little about Dobson - but he has worked to
keep things that way. Even as he has built a powerful political organization, he
has actively denied both its size and its true purpose. Reporters who seek to interview
him are told either than he is too busy or that he has little involvement in the
political sphere - neither are really true.
By keeping the media and average Americans away, he has managed to avoid close scrutiny
of both himself and the political work he does. What he doesn't seem to understand
is that such scrutiny is an essential prerequisite for any political or cultural
leader. This means, then, that he is not qualified to hold the position of influence
he currently occupies, and that he is not worthy of a position of leadership in America's
politics or culture. He wants to be a king-maker rather than a king - but someone
needs to tell him that in America we have no kings, and hence no need for king-makers
like him.
If Americans knew more about him and the sort of policy issues he pushes hard for
among conservatives in this country, perhaps it would not have been so surprising
to see Congress pass the recent legislation severely restricting everyone's religious
freedom. People like Dobson are the driving force behind such acts, and to them religious
freedom and religious equality are dirty words, because they will put other religions
on the same level as their own - an intolerable situation.
James Dobson is unquestionably a threat to basic American liberties - he cares naught
for what others want to do with their lives, instead preferring that we simply follow
the path he would lay out for us. Everyone needs to learn more about him - more than
I can write in one article. I recommend that people purchase and read James Dobson's
War on America by Gil Alexander-Moegerle, which was the primary source for this piece.
Gil helped found Focus on the Family and worked side-by-side with Dobson for over
10 years. Gil is not an atheist, but he has seen Dobson close up and knows him for
who he really is. Even people who are already familiar with Dobson will be surprised
with what they read.
Don't miss the other section:
Part 1: Family Values?
|
Make your opinions be heard on the Bulletin Board or Chat Room! |
