Here is an excerpt from the response to the letter I sent to Focus on the Family via the Matthew 25 Network form. Thanks also to Matthew 25 Network for featuring an excerpt of my letter here.
| Discussion Thread | |
| Response (Jonathan Bartha) | 10/29/2008 02:47 PM |
| Thanks for your e-mail. It was good of you to offer your candid reaction to Focus on the Family Action’s "Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America."We’ve heard from many people who found this resource helpful; some, like you, have disagreed with our approach. While critics of this document accuse us of engaging in "sensationalist fiction," it’s vital to underscore that we are not claiming to make definitive predictions on what a Barack Obama presidency would produce.However, as the "Letter from 2012" makes evident, every scenario outlined in this piece is plausible based on recent documented events, court rulings, the Democratic Party’s stated agenda, and Senator Obama’s voting record and campaign promises. We invite you to re-read the introduction of the letter [http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf] which clearly states that we are neither employing unfounded "fear tactics" nor speaking out with mean-spirited intent. On the contrary, we’ve posted a reasonable projection of what *could* occur with a Senator Obama presidency and a Democratic-controlled Congress. Of course, we hope and pray that none of the possible outcomes described in "Letter from 2012" come to pass.
It might be beneficial to provide some additional background on our mission to help you better understand our reasons for engaging in the public policy realm. We have no interest in partisan politics; rather, we care deeply about the sanctity of human life, the value of marriage, and the preservation of religious freedom. |
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To say that Focus on the Family is not partisan is simply a lie. They can't come out and say that or they lose non-profit status, but the dots are transparently easy to connect:
"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances," said James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents.
Dobson, who always is careful to note that he's not speaking for the non-profit ministry, which cannot advocate for or against candidates legally, also doesn't hesitate to state his personal opinions on social or political issues and agendas"
The scenarios are plausible indeed. If we pull out Obama's plan to increase the rate of unintended pregnancies while keeping abortion safe and legal (cast in the language of "abortion on demand" for anyone which is not the intent of the Freedom of Choice Act), why are none of those equally plausible with McCain? To suggest that if McCain, who Dobson was not going to vote for under any circumstances, is elected that those fictions are not therefore plausible is another absurdity made of straw – not evidence. But evidence is not something for which Focus on the Family has much time or care.
Just as with CBN, FRC, and other quasi-Christian organizations, this is about making abortion illegal unilaterally, making any kind of same gender union illegal, and making sure that they can push their dogmatic agendas through the political process with as little resistance as possible. Oh, and it's also about less restrictions on gun ownership.
This is not pro-family for my family and many others, but harmful to what my family is made of on many levels. It is not pro-life because it has nothing at all to do with the poor, the sick, and the oppressed people not only in our society, but the societies of the world that we have the gifts to assist. This has nothing to do with unity or hope or peace, but violence and discord masked as a prophetic voice of fictitious arrogance and fear.
Saying that they are "not employing" 'unfounded fear tactics'" is like jumping out from the bushes with a ghoulish mask at a group of female "tweens" and then telling them that you did not mean to scare them, you were just full of the Halloween spirit! Saying that it is "plausible" or not meant to invoke "fear" is either a flat out lie, or it is a sign of arrogant stupidity and lack of regard for others on their part. The fact is that this kind of thing will scare people – especially those who trust Focus on the Family as being a beacon of truth in the world. I clearly do not share that opinion, but argue that James Dobson's careless and dangerous use of theology to buttress and conceal political goals is un-Christian behavior that the Church of Jesus Christ needs to expose and openly deplore for what it is.
(Craftless Culture also posted a very meticulous response to Focus on the Family here and here.)
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Thank you!! I couldn't agree more. What a load of rubbish!! The height of hypocrisy is that Dobson is voting McCain. Nuff said. He is all about retaining power. And this false commitment to the pro-life agenda totally annoys me. How about the nearly 1 million Iraqi civilians killed in the Iraq war GW Bush has authorized? No care for them as Christians? They don't deserve a vote that would end the war?
..or all of the kids who will never be adopted due to a broken fostering and adoption system, prisoners who will not rehabilitate even though they have reparable conditions, the 44,000 who don't have healthcare, inequitable opportunity for families who are slaves to failed welfare, and on and on… Peace resolves death and nothing else does. People who cannot eat cannot achieve peace.
[...] Focus on the Family “Responds” However, as the “Letter from 2012″ makes evident, every scenario outlined in this piece is plausible based on recent documented events, court rulings, the Democratic Party’s stated agenda, and Senator Obama’s voting record and campaign … [...]
Thank you!! I couldn't agree more. What a load of rubbish!! The height of hypocrisy is that Dobson is voting McCain. Nuff said. He is all about retaining power. And this false commitment to the pro-life agenda totally annoys me. How about the nearly 1 million Iraqi civilians killed in the Iraq war GW Bush has authorized? No care for them as Christians? They don't deserve a vote that would end the war?
..or all of the kids who will never be adopted due to a broken fostering and adoption system, prisoners who will not rehabilitate even though they have reparable conditions, the 44,000 who don't have healthcare, inequitable opportunity for families who are slaves to failed welfare, and on and on… Peace resolves death and nothing else does. People who cannot eat cannot achieve peace.