Dr. Dobson's Narrow "Focus"
As has been widely reported of late, Dr. James Dobson, evangelist and founder of Focus on the Family, has been making the rounds declaring he and a group of other pro-family values advocates will throw their weight behind a third-party candidate if the GOP nominates Rudy Giuliani or any other pro-choice Republican. Dobson recently stated further that this would still happen even if doing so proved advantageous for the Hillary Clinton campaign. If Dobson fully understood the consequences of another Clinton presidency, he would flee from this position faster than Rosie O'Donnell from a Weight Watchers meeting...because if he and his cronies pursue this, it almost certainly will hurt the Republican candidate.
The threat of Islamo-nazi fundamentalism is the most important issue of our time. We need our next president, whoever it is, to continue the fight to prevent this despotic extremity from conquering our land. The war in Iraq has been a vital stage in this effort. Mrs. Clinton, after initially voting to authorize the use of force("I cast this vote with conviction," she said at the time), now says she will end the war immediately upon taking office. Or was it 60 days? This Washington Post article tries to untangle the confused web of her constantly changing stance on the conflict.
A third-party candidate simply will not win in this country: not now, maybe not ever. The primary reason for this is the ingrained two-party tradition that is just too deep to overcome, short of another 1776-style violent revolution. We saw how Ross Perot's 1992 and 1996 candidacies for president helped Mr. Clinton win two terms. Dr. Dobson is throwing his hat into a ring of quicksand, and for what?
History shows that it's almost always the Republican candidate whose vote count is negated by a third-party comer. Enough people vote for the person out of a desire for something perceived as radical and different, but there is never enough to bring that change about. Also, many third parties either try to find a safe middle ground which pleases everyone yet satisfies no one, or their platform is so extreme in one direction or another as to be either laughable at best or fearsome at worst.
Dobson says, "Winning the presidential election is vitally important, but not at the expense of what we hold most dear." Perplexed says, "Losing the war on terror will result in the loss of everything we hold most dear, which is why winning the election is 'vitally important' with no 'buts'! Besides, Giuliani has already said he would appoint originalist judges to the Supreme Court if elected. An originalist judge rules according to the original intent and meaning of the US Constitution...they don't seek to shred it the way Hillary and her ilk do every day. An originalist judge will very likely vote to overturn Roe v.Wade, a long-stated goal of pro-family advocates. They have a better chance of success in this with Rudy at the helm. But it would be a symbolic victory at best.
While I am certainly not opposed to Roe v Wade being overturned, it is naive beyond imagining to think that striking it down will magically stop all abortions everywhere in the US. Yes, pregnant young women everywhere are going to say to themselves, "Oops, no more Supreme Court decision...guess I have to keep it now!" We live in a fallen world full of sinful, proud people who want to do as they please without consequence. They want to have sex outside the security of God's boundaries and have the evidence conveniently sucked into a sink later. If the sink isn't available, they'll use coat hangers. If coat hangers aren't available, they might try drinking bleach or something similar to attempt to "take care of the problem".
Dobson's trust in the political arena to address Christian concerns will only betray him and those of like mind in the end. The care of "most dear" issues needs to reside in one place: the family of believers. Legislation might help, but ultimately the burden must be placed upon the body of Christ to reach out to those contemplating such a severe act as abortion, either offering to pay birth-related medical expenses or locating someone who can, finding a home for the unplanned and unwanted child, or perhaps even adopting the child themselves. Even just a hug and a prayer could be a catalyst for change in the lives of these women. This will not be accomplished by any political feat, but by those who feet are "fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."(Eph. 6:15)
Spiderbeavis
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i think abortion and giving up children for adoption should be outlawed. I mean, you wanted it, you enjoyed it, you did it but knew the risk and wasn't ready, now you got preggers, face the responsibilities and the consequences. sheesh, don't pass it to other people or go the fast way out, abortion.
But then, couples who can't have children can't adopt anymore....mmm, ok, i can't make up my mind.
The government cannot legislate morality. Didn't work with the Jews and it won't work with people who allow no absolute authority in this life. But I do understand the frustration as to our responsibility as Christians to vote responsibly. I suppose you are voting for the lesser of two evils. But how does change come about? By showing in this election that we are a majority and you can't win without us? Or fall in step (which I am surprised at you spider for doing) because nothing can ever change and so don't try, even if it means giving up our comfort in this generation for the next generation to wake up and quit saying we stand for nothing, because that leaves the door open for the islamics that do stand for something to give people a cause? Does God control the heart of kings or not? Is God moving now to cause this and wake up Christians to take a stand to avoid a greater calamity in the future?
i hope you send a copy of what you've written to the dobson people.
Sorry for the length here folks...Michele raises noteworthy concerns and I want to address them as fully as I know how at the moment:
Am I to equate "falling in step" here with any implied support for Rudy Giuliani? The truth is, I haven't made a hard-and-fast decision yet, as it's still too early in the process. I'm actually noticing Fred Thompson a lot more these days. His support continues to grow, and he is a strong, conservative, pro-life candidate. He also supports the fight against terror and increased border security, hence everyone gets what they want. Why don't Dobson and his cronies throw their support behind him, instead of propping up some third-party tool whose presence in the general election will only guarantee we hear the words, "President-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton" on Nov. 9, 2008? Oh, but he recently admitted he doesn't attend church regularly...so I suppose that disqualifies him in evangelical circles.
Many Republicans, Christians, and conservatives--keep in mind these aren't always mutually inclusive--tried flexing their "we're a majority" political muscle in 2006...by staying home on election day. Far from taking a stand, the strategy here seemed to be taking a seat. And what did they get for their "trouble"? The Democrats regained control of both houses. The resulting congress now has an all-time-low 11% approval rating, having done virtually nothing apart from trying to destroy President Bush, impugn and betray our troops in Iraq, and play political games with 300 million lives.
So, let's follow this train of thought all the way to the station. Believers can keep staying home or voting for off-the-wall candidates and teaching the pro-choice Republicans a lesson. Democrats like Hillary will keep getting elected and undermining our efforts at national security, as well as continuing to rapidly advance the very social "choices" that Dobson and others have fought against for so long. Since we've seen how invested in defeat the Democrats are concerning the war on terror, the inevitable result will be more attacks on America's shores, and a slow but eventual takeover of sharia law will occur. The time to wake up is now, not when some terrorist is about to separate you from your head!
Dr. Dobson is not my messiah...if anyone is "falling in step", it's those who have virutally elevated him to such a position through their unquestioning allegiance to his myopic platform. The body of Christ cannot afford to surrender the security of this nation on the basis of one issue. That is exactly what will happen if his path is followed, for the reasons I went into last paragraph. We need to see the bigger picture here. Even if Dobson's candidate were successfully elected, there's no guarantee that person will be an agent of change. It is true that God is in control and still moving hearts. That said, the church has been sucked into accepting the premise that government should serve as its arm to advance the ideals and aims of the Gospel. Jesus clearly stated that responsibility starts with us at an individual level. If Islam is allowed to take over, we won't be taking a stand on abortion...because few of us will be alive to stand for anything ever again. Their demonic religion will see to that. In fact, they've already gotten the ball rolling!
there is an old song that states 'if you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice'. in some cases it is difficult to make a stand without knowing all the facts and circumstances of a matter. in fact it can often be detrimental if a decision is made without considering all obtainable information and foreseeing as many probable outcomes as possible. but not making up our minds is just as detrimental, if not more so. sometimes you do have to choose the lesser of two evils, especially given that there are so very many that will deliberately make a wrong choice. you have to make a choice and try to lessen the damage as much as you can. yes, people will get hurt. this is unavoidable. Christ said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Not that there would be no burden. Part of the reason this world is in such a wretched state is that we have not been carrying our burden, we have not been living up to our responsibilities. We have sat on our collective arse and let these atrocities slip into our society. Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I do not believe in abortion as a form of birth control. I do know that it will happen, whether it is permitted or not. It is up to us to teach our daughters to do the right thing. This means standing beside them them and giving them support when they face difficult situations. Everyone makes mistakes. They need love and wisdom, not condemnation. I am appalled every time I hear of children killing other children at schools. I am appalled because these children were taught to seek vengeance rather than forgiveness. I could go on on about our failings, but that would serve little purpose. What is done is done. It was not done in an instant. Nor can it be UNdone in an instant. We do need to make a choice, we do need to make a stand, and we can make a change. We will have to do it one person at a time, from the bottom up, not from the top down. Lest we forget, God is the one at the top. If we work from our end and let him work from his end (toward HIS ends rather than ours) we will meet in the middle. It may not seem as if there is any progress being made. It may seem as if we are losing the battle. But God has already won the war. God can see the big picture and the little changes that are made within it, and within us. Not sure which choice to make? "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man." "Yet not my will, but yours be done."
I believe we are very close to the end, and the USA will have much less impact on world events. If Hillary wins, keep your eyes to the skys. She will help to destroy this great nation, probably has an eye on a World government position.
Governments always legislate morality. We have laws against murder, and should extend that legal protection to the most defenseless.
As for making decisions based on single issues, which issues are comparable? Many of the same people who support the "choice" of murdering children also support assisted suicide, euthanasia, genetic manipulating human DNA unethically (thinking we can do better than God), cloning, and same sex "marriage", Personally, I have trouble trusting anyone who condones killing babies.
There have been lots of shelters and support for women really wanting a choice, started over the last couple decades. If there isn't one in your neighborhood, help start one. If there are, support them and refer women to them.
We have some time before the election, and I appreciate Dr. Dobson reminding the Republican party that it will be problematic if they push candidates like Rudy on the party. If it wasn't for Reagan, I doubt that the Republican party would have leaned in favor of the unborn. They are on the edge of abandoning the pro-life plank.
The Republican party's greatest enemy is the Republican party. The Democrats didn't will the last election cycle, it was given to them. The Republicans need to be reminded that they can't take our votes for granted. We expect more from them.
We are facing elections here in late November. For months we have had the unofficial election campaign. We have the two major parties, one of which will take power. Then there are numerous independent parties all vying for a share of the electoral vote. These parties are usually focussed on one or two issues, often things like saving trees etc, but if elected they may hold the balance of power and be a force to reckon with. In recent years one of the parties to be reckoned with is one based on Christian values. It was founded by Christians and has a lot of support out there, to the extend where the major parties are looking to this party for support. No one ever expected this party to do as well as they have. They don't go around preaching the Bible or pushing issues on the basis of a Christian view point,however everything they do is from a Christian worldview. Suddenly there seem to be a lot more candidates in the two major parties no longer afraid to claim that they are Christian and looking to support Christian values. And it all started with maybe a handful of people willing to take a risk and stand for what they believe.
Here's something that might interest you guys...an interview/debate featuring Dr. Dobson and conservative commentator Sean Hannity. I post, you decide! *hehe* After reading this transcript, I see great points being made by both men. However, I still maintain that letting Hillary into the Oval Office just because we're miffed at a Republican being pro-choice will impose an infinitely greater price on the future of this nation. Speaking of Reagan, he once said the following: “My 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy.”
I hate the killing of unborn life as much as any of you. But if we lose this war we are currently embroiled in, all life will be at risk, born and unborn. Winning it is vital for the future of both, and that will only happen if a Republican remains in the White House. If you need a preview of what's to come if we allow fascism to overtake us, read Bruce Bawer's book, While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying The West From Within. This is why, to me, the Islamic threat is, at this perilous time in world history, definitely a comparable issue!
Thanks to all for the great comments and discussion.
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