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.

Story continues below

advertisement

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."

___

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

Comments

[rextrek]

hey Dobson..in the words of John Denvers character in the movie "OH GOD"...whe­n he was sent by GOD aka George Burns with a message for you...."GO­D says to SHUT UP!"

[primordialsoup]

Since the Bible is open to interpretation, any interpretation can be interpreted as being a distortion.

[lovethebomb]

I don't know if Dobson is a Christian or not. That is not for me to judge. A lot of Christians have grown cults around themselves and mind-control people to their will. However, these people have never made a peep about the mass murder in Iraq done with their gleeful endorsement or the rank corruption in the so-called reconstruction, true evidence the entire occupation is a war profiteering racket. So, to summarize; they have no problem with mass murder, war crimes and the theft of the public treasury, but bleat and squeal whenever someone of faith dares to speak the truth which unveils their sordid Oz empire of greed and deceit. I wish this kind of deluded imp were irrelevant, but the republican party sold it's soul to his kind long ago to get the votes of the poor south. So unfortunately, his incoherent drivel must be adressed.

[ebm]

Very true, very true!

[quintus]

Excellent points.

[davesideas]

As a fundamental, evangelical Christian I have always found Dobson and other ultra-conservative preachers truly offensive, blasphemous, and divisive. Dobson and his kind have made it difficult to practice all that I believe and have been taught in the Old and New Testament. Fortunately, there is a major movement amongst many church leaders to communicate that Christians are not a bunch of small minded bigots. I would encourage open mindedness on the part of Huffington Post readers; and hope that they would recognize and respect others beliefs.

[kissmygrits]

As an atheist, I hear you, and you make a good point. I think a lot of us non-religious people have felt totally backed into a corner by the religious zealotry we have seen in Washington for years, and it makes us angry. Sometimes we lash out at the wrong people.

[AngryMonkey]

The right people to lash out against are people like Dobson, Falwell and others that spout hatred based on not believing as they do.

[gnorrfa]

when are these "church leaders" going to behave like christians? love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, forgiveness, 10 commandments, etc. never happens with this bunch. hatred, intolerence. greed. it goes on and on and on.

[situationcritical]

Regardless - you religionists need to stay the f**k out of politics, and out of my bedroom.

[quintus]

Dobson and his like-minded ilk display a split as wide as the Grand Canyon between their world view, way of life and values and the words of Jesus.

[editrix66]

I agree. I think Obama is trying to take way the idea that certain people "own" religion and therefore trying to reduce the power of the religious right. I am a Christian, but I fully believe in separation of church and state. I want toleration of all religions by those in the government, including Islam, and also toleration of those who don't believe in God at all. I am tired of these bigots who think they speak for all Christians. They go through the Bible and find verses that justify their own prejudices. It's deplorable.

[TheNewHampshireLiberal]

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

The pot calling the kettle black.

[lewes17266]

dobson robertson hagee and their fellow powermongering legalists are ALL about political organizing and that is why i do not understand their tax exempt status
their "religion" is not Christian, the core of their "religion" is self promotion, profit and power

they like rules and place law above compassion, above God's children
they like to focus on the sin, on specific sin
they like to tell us who God is punishing
i do not recognize this "religion" they profess
i would like to ask Obama why he granted an interview to CBN the "news network" run by pat robertson who is the grandest of all the frauds, the most gross of all the self-aggrandizers, the meanest of all the hatemongers
i wonder how long now it will take McCain to sit down with that "agent of intolerance" pat robertson who tied the terrorist attacks to an angry God and a sinful nation and who said God sent the terrible storms as punishment for our terrible sins

they all sell out for votes
the media loves the kooks the most they help the frauds by giving them a voice by giving them the attention they so crave, pat robertson especially
the people who lose are the faithfuls who are being manipulated and bilked and of course democracy loses too, and that is all of us, religious or not

[Insideout143]

I have no regard at all for any of Dobson's points of view. Whatever he says is just words, not the word of god.

[Kalima]

"Here I go again
I hear those trumpets blow again
All aglow again
Taking a chance on smear."

Sorry, but it's not working this time.

[jfior]

a great summary of the bible from 1872 written/spoken by Robert Green Ingersoll.­...while its scholarship is a bit dated...it is full of wit and great analysis of the so-called good book and the abominable christian doctrines of punishment/hell, etc...

http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/some_mistakes_of_moses.html

[quintus]

Enlightening to say the least. Thanks for suggesting it.

[ComnCents]

If you are a Christian, you need to ask only one question:

Who would Jesus vote for ?

[AnotherTry]

Neither.

Leave onto to Caesar that which is caesar's.

[kissmygrits]

He would vote. Being a good citizen was an ethos in the bible.

[vlebje]

True. That would be Obama. :-)

[rjlwis]

He couldn't..­.He's not a citizen of the United States.

[ebm]

He would not get involved just like he did not during his time when they wanted to make him King. He came with his word and was not here to get involved in political matters.

[LCRover001]

Doesn't matter what Jesus would do, he was Middle Eastern and brown skinned so automatically the right would label him as a Muslim.

The right has time and time again shown that they do not follow the teachings of Christ. They use religion as a political tool to misguide the sheep in the directing their corporate handlers tell them to go.

Abortion is a wedge issue. They had control of the entire government and did nothing about abortion. If they wanted to change things they would have. Nothing stopped them from doing what ever they wanted with anything else.

Televangelist and radio evangelist are as unholy as they come they are in it for the money not the saving of souls. If I'm wrong then look at their homes and their bank accounts. A true blue Christian and servant of God would use that money for God's work not the materialistic trappings of man.

You will know a true Christian by their deeds not their words.

Besides writing books and telling others how to live their lives what has Dr. Dob done? Has he done anything but talk and write books?

None I can find besides writing books and being the Rush of the politicized religious radio waves.

[carlgt1]

new GRE analogy question:

Dobson:Chr­istianity:­:Bin Laden:Islam

[escobar]

DOBSON IS AN UNABASHED HERETIC
He has learned to read but cannot understand the message.
There is nothing Christ-like about being a self indulgent bigot and carnival act healer.
He'll want to lead an inquisition next...tor­ture is already big part of the New American Century.
Good thing for the seperation of church and state, or he would.

[exmun]

Dobson's remarks have the ring of Pharisees and Sadducees when they attacked Jesus' message. The lesson proved then has been proved over and over again, most recently with the election of President Bush: religion and government should not be mixed. I’m not saying that people should not vote based on their convictions of which government official will uphold their spiritual views. But this whole hog aggrandizement of the political process hurts the religion more than anyone. Anyone who has read the Bible, for example, understand that “thou shalt not kill.” There wasn’t an exception to this. Yet, we’ve got religious leaders like Dobson endorsing George Bush and trying to shove it down our throats that Bush does the “will of God” when he attacks countries preemptively to dethrone that country’s leaders. Give me a freakin’ break.

The thesis of Obama’s criticized speech is correct… whenever the government gets in the business of sponsoring religion the question that always presents itself is: which religion does the state sponsor (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism?)… and which subset of the chose religion do we sponsor. Will the government conform to the Catholic version, the Episcopal version, the Baptist version (which Baptist?), the AME version, the so-called ‘evangelical’ version? We should be a moral nation, but religious leaders distort their own message when they try to get lock step into a government machine created and designed for purposes different than those found in Holy Scripture.

[Nyla785]

How dare Obama suggest that we shouldn't be working to put ONE VIEW of religion into effect for America, imposing it onto everyone through legislation! It's unheard of.
Thank god, someone is finally saying the truth out loud. This is a secular country--with MANY religions--favoring one sects views over others is wholly un-American. Regardless of any 'roots' our system might have.

[Clairvaux]

The fundamentalists see it all slipping away.

They had their 7 1/2 years, and it has damn near destroyed our republic.

Bible thumping lunatics are on the way out, I'm happy to say.