Obama: Dobson "Making Stuff Up"

LOS ANGELES — Barack Obama said Tuesday that evangelical leader James Dobson was "making stuff up" when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible.

Dobson used his Focus on the Family radio program to highlight excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.

Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, "try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us."

Obama added, "I think you'll see that he was just making stuff up, maybe for his own purposes."

In his program, Dobson focused on examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy. For instance, Obama said Leviticus suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination. Obama also cited Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, "a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application."

"Folks haven't been reading their Bibles," Obama said in the speech.

"I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology," Dobson said.

Asked about Dobson's assessment, Obama said "somebody would be pretty hard-pressed to make that argument" that he was distorting the Bible.

Obama supporters also responded to Dobson.

The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, a Methodist pastor from Texas and longtime supporter of President Bush who has endorsed Obama, said Tuesday he belongs to a group of religious leaders who, working independently of Obama's campaign, launched a Web site to counter Dobson at . The site highlights statements from Obama and Dobson and asks visitors to compare them. http://www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com

Caldwell said he has great respect for Dobson's advocacy for families, but said the criticism of Obama was "a bit over the top" and "crossed the line."

"There has been a call for a higher level of politics and politicking," Caldwell said. "So to attack at this level is inappropriate and I think unacceptable and we at least want to hold everybody accountable."

Tom Minnery, a senior vice president at Focus on the Family, responded: "Without question, Dr. Dobson is speaking for millions of evangelicals because his understanding of the Bible is thoroughly evangelical."

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AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski in Denver contributed to this report.

Comments

[insaneredneck]

My personal opinion of religion can be summed up like this: "person of faith"=gullible fool,"religious leaders"=snake oil salesmen. The human race has got to move beyond all this superstitious mumbo jumbo or it is doomed.

[bascombe]

I like it. The repugs used religion to demonize democrats.

Well Obie say: you make stuff up! It ain't true!

and the message in the bible gets a voice that is not the voice of racist misogunistic white male hatred but a voice of redemption and inclusion.

that twists up the dobsons and the willfully blind followers.

[helonias]

The believers asked Brian what to do.

Brian told the believers to f*ck off.

The believers asked how should we f*ck off.

[BlackWidowPilot]

"A few friends?!! You brought a multitude!!"

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

("Bloody Romans!!")

[smoo]

Dobson is a Pimp. Pimpen Dob... You don't raise to his level of evangelical influence without doing some pimpen.

[smoo]

How about a Rev. that tells an Professor of constituitional law that he has "Fruitcake" interpretation of the Constitution. Damn! Now that is some thing! To say that Obama has a fruitcake interpretation of is an agrument that his creditials can hold up. But a Rev., Dobson specifically, tells a past president of the "Harvard Law Review", and a formal Professor of "Constitutional Law" that his interpretation the constitution is "Fruitcakish.." Sh@t! Man... These people are cRazy.

[msmaggie]

Ok, here's the deal: Obama stops commenting on religion and Dobson stops commenting on politics. I think we can all live with that.

Though I would miss this Dobson character, they don't come much smarmier, he is good for some yucks.

[gladys46]

In the meantime, O is being harranged by Hillary .... pay bills ... A.Mitchell says, why don't you help pay "her" bills ah, enthusiatically!

Does O have time for this sh$t from Dobson!!?? I think not!!

[3in1]

obama "the recitation" Dobson is wasting his time They are not looking at the same book.

[theplaintrutho1]

I've been nailed pretty hard here at Huffpo for my religious comments, and that's OK too. I have replied, that people misunderstood my meaning, and that too is OK.

About some of you that have written the Bible is for personal or private interpretation is wrong, because that is not what the Bible states at all.

It states it has it's own interpretation, NOT LEFT FOR MAN.
Examples:
The Word=
Lamb=Christ,
Day=year
Year=century, other times=one thousand years, as the same for a God-day!
Pentecost=first fruits, which can also mean Christ.
Sabbath=seventh or Saturday (4th commandment) which man has privately interpreted into Sunday.
I can easily give you 90 or more examples, but for lack of space... Especially in the book of Revelation, where the Beasts represent Govt's. and the Heads Of The Beast are Govt. leaders, and the Beast Of The Sea are the people, as the Beast O The Land is the establishment, and so on.

Dobson is clearly one of these type Ministers / Preachers that make up His own rules & interpretations of Scripture to keep His Congregation in line with his BS. We can all do that. We can all become ad-Ministers of the Bible (S. Y. Moon) and make claim to some special knowledge we and only we personally vision.

Read it for yourself: Obama quoted the Scriptures, Dobson is NOW making PERSONAL interpretation!

[comacoma]

Religion is a pox on humanity gladly suffered by people seeking escape from death and the promise of immortality. The rest of us are capable of thinking for ourselves.

[msmaggie]

Really? So the majority of people who practice a religion, aren't capable of thinking for themselves? And how nice for you that you've escaped this "pox"; but then again being capable of thinking for yourself, you no doubt said to yourself: "Self, let's avoid any kind of pox".

Well good thinking there comacoma.

I always enjoy the self-congratulatory tone of posts that condemn large groups of people where the real message is "hey, look at me! I may not be much but I'm better than (fill in the blank)". Such horseshit.

[helonias]

So your a chosen one too.

Cool beans.

[comacoma]

Yep.. that's right.

[comacoma]

And try not to sound so righteous.. and jealous.

[gladys46]

"When you love you should not say, God is in my heart, but rather, I am in the heart of God. And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course."


Kahlil Gibran .. The Prophet

Maybe helpful to the good Rev. Dobson too!!

[CharlieMarlowe]

msmaggie, your response to comacoma seems to be one of anger. Please remember what Jesus said about anger. It is the moral equivalent of murder. This demonstrates, quite neatly, the problem of living the religious life: everything that is said and done can be construed as hypocritical-it violates some rule, commandment or guideline. So in your defense of religion (I'm assuming it is Christianity for the sake of argument) you are violating one of its precepts. (or to say it simply, "turn the other cheek")

Your response to comacoma raises an interesting question. Can anyone who is religious be said to be thinking for themsleves? Unless you invented the religion yourself, then you are following along with what others have thought, long before you were born.

[Felicty]

Jesus is for simpletons.

[BlackWidowPilot]

OK. So now I am a simpleton.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[helonias]

When will they mention the one true church?

Tthe northern deformed, 3rd day visogoth of christ the geologist.

Its free to join and if you help out a few people less fortunate than yourself we'll make you a bishop.

If help out a lot of people less fortunate than you we'll make yourself a cardinal.

[CharlieMarlowe]

Actually it is Zoroastrianism. I once heard author Paul William Roberts say something that every believer should know: If Christianity is considered a Judaic heresy then Judaism is a Zoroastrian heresy. It all goes back to the ancient religion. Aslo, the Genesis story is a re-telling of the Mesopatamian creation myth, the Enuma Elish.

(I've read the Bible a few times, mostly for academic study--I can't seem to find any mention of the United States-perhaps these pastors should be showing some humility)

[noamjunior]

Obama is being very charitible to Dobson here.
Given that Dobson completely misreprented Obama's words, in effect baring false witness, Obama characterizes Dobson as making stuff up, NOT the more accurate characterization of a policical operative lying to exploit ignorance.

[bigpat]

In what field of study is this guy's phd and from where did he receive it? Seriously-I mean these people present themselves as experts and they could have gotten degrees in shild-smackin' from Revelations U. Does anyone know?

[spiffarino]

Dobson has a Ph.D in psychology. He doesn't know sh*t about constitutional law, but he is well-qualified to manipulate the malleable minds of gullible twits.

[ohiodem250]

Went to the site. Dobson got served. And I think the guy who made the website was the reverend who performed Jenna Bush's wedding. Interesting.

[TovSquirrel]

Well, if Sen. Obama is making stuff up, Mr. Dobson should feel right at home.