The Audacity of Dope

On Tuesday, Dr. James Dobson, the Pied Piper of a deliberately distorted Christianity who art in Colorado Springs, used his radio program to attack Sen. Barack Obama for "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology."

Well.

The question must be asked: When was the last time the Focus on the Family head looked in a mirror? Dr. Dobson is a leading expert on the distortion of the Bible and the construction of confused theology -- a Jesusless religion that can accurately be called "ChristianityLite".

Sen. Obama had asked an enthusiastic audience at the 2006 Call to Renewal Conference, "Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is abomination? ... Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount ... ?"

Now, Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery and Dr. Bill Maier accuse Sen. Obama of wrongly equating Old Testament texts and dietary codes that, in their words, "no longer apply" to Jesus' teachings in the New Testament.

Old Testament codes that no longer apply? That's very interesting. How do self-proclaimed biblical literalists determine which Old Testament codes no longer apply?

Why is it that we are to believe that a man lying with a man is still an abomination to God, but eating shellfish is now acceptable? In Leviticus God is said to have used exactly the same terms to condemn both male homosexuality (interestingly, there is no mention of female homosexuality, so what basis the self-identified literalists have for condemning lesbians is anyone's guess) and eating shellfish: "You [men] shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22) and "Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you" (Leviticus 11:12) Daily Show host Jon Stewart once neatly satirized this bit of hypocrisy by showing a demonstrator holding a sign reading: GOD HATES FAGS AND SCALLOPS.

But now, in his all-too-fallible wisdom, Dobson tells us that he has reconsidered God's stance on shellfish and slavery, and decided that He was mistaken about them. Homosexuality, though, remains an Old Testament-style abomination.

And what of "Jesus' teachings in the New Testament"? As I discuss in my new book, Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America, according to the canonical Gospels, Jesus never said a word about Dr. Dobson's two favorite "Christian" issues: homosexuality and abortion. If, as Dobson and his fellow travelers believe, these are indeed the two greatest evils facing mankind, it seems odd that Jesus never mentioned either.

Sen. Obama might talk of just sticking with the Sermon on the Mount, but some of the Jesus Thieves will tell you that "the Sermon on the Mount is more like suggestions." The red lines in the New Testament are their unread lines. Their exegesis X-es out Jesus. They are Xians, not Christians.

Among the other laws of the Hebrew Bible that the Xians still apply to modern life is the well-known call for violent retribution in Leviticus 24, often used to justify the death penalty. They ignore the fact that Jesus reversed this rule: "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, 'Do not resist the evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.'" (Matthew 5:38-39)

Many "literalists" would tell us that the wine Jesus created at the wedding at Cana in Galilee was really grape juice. I know of a woman in Mississippi who insisted that Jesus didn't drink wine. Finally, when she was told, "Yes, Jesus drank wine; it's in the Bible," she sputtered, "Well ... well ... then Jesus was wrong!"

And that's precisely the attitude held by hijackers of Christianity like Dr. Dobson when it comes to the "Suggestions on the Mount." They say they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but they totally reject him as their teacher.

Dr. Dobson objects to Sen. Obama's statement that in America, people of good will must respect each other's beliefs: "Am I required in a democracy to conform my efforts in the political arena to [Sen. Obama's] bloody notion of what is right with regard to the lives of tiny babies?"

But when it comes to the bloody notion of what is right with regard to war, Dr. Dobson and his fellow Jesus Thieves say, "Oh, shut up, Jesus!"

Dobson accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of having a "fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."

Love your enemies? Turn the other cheek? Help the poor? It is easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter heaven? From Dr. Dobson's perspective those are all fruitcake ideas.

These "literalists" whine about drinking wine, but the red, red, blood of war makes them feel so fine.

I'll take the Christianity of a Jesus Follower like Barack Obama over the Xianity of a Jesus Thief like James Dobson any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The End Times are near for Dr. Dobson and the rest of the Xians, as actual Jesus Followers reclaim our religion. The Rupture is approaching for these wolves in sheep's clothing.

"He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter," Dr. Dobson 's radio program said of Sen. Obama. For someone whose biblical understanding rarely rises from the gutter to make such a charge requires the audacity of a would-be pope -- or the audacity of (a) dope.

It is a shame that George Carlin did not live to see this latest example of the hypocrisy of the Un-Christian Wrong. My guess is that George and the God in whom he claimed not to believe are shaking their heads together at Dobson's comments and saying, "Oi vai iz mir!"

{Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. His latest book, from which this piece is adapted, is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America (Crown).

Comments

[seawolf77]

As was famously stated in of all things an Oliver Stone movie "The organizing principle of society is war. The power of the state over it's people resides in it's war powers." Consequently you cannot have such quaint ideas as turn the other cheek and the meek balh blah blah and be able to organize a bunch of nazis at heart. They have to be able to tell you what to do. How you are doing it wrong. What a fool you are for not being like us. You are going to hell for this or for that. No matter they can't explain why or where ever did they get the notion they were the judge. They just say it, and say it louder if you object,and then hit you or send the cops after you when you fight back. May the whole lot of them find that lowest rung in hell that Dante reserved for the traitors.

[LittleBrother]

Dobson's the guy who recommended that daddies take their male children (I THINK it's only male children) into the shower to get the proper perspective on the existence and nature of the male weenie-- for the prophylactic purpose of warding off the disease of homosexuality.

Anyone who considers him an authority on ANYTHING-- apart from ludicrousness-- can be deterred from voting by merely giving them a stick of gum. Because this benighted minority will never be able to walk to the polling place as long as they're chawin' on a stick of gum.

[alkamm]

If you read the preface to Shaw's ANDROCLES and the LION you can see how a detailed and dramatically sophisticated reader relates to the bible. Shaw notes that until Jesus, the best anti-establishment prophet was Micah who laughed at the Jews for thinking they could buy redemption from burning animals.

Shaw notes that Jesus emphasized bringing fresh water to mankind in order that they lead more abundant life. This fresh water was not to be mixed with the dirty water of Leviticus etc. Shaw argues that people refuse to implement Jesus's economic message (compassionate liberalism) to help the poor, soothe the afflicted, and care for the incarcerated.

Dobson and his ilk are as guilty as St. Paul (to Shaw and any intelligent reader of the gospels) of imposing their souls on a greater soul. What a travesty, having people like Dobson imposing their spiritually bankrupt souls onto Jesus's message of love. Their message is not one of compassion but rather pushing government to favor the rich and powerful.

Dobson's message is the counterfeit that serves to prove that there is a real coin of compassion and hope in the world, and Obama will serve to deliver us from those who try to peddle false prophecies--wholesale and retail.

[TimeJumper]

I do not give credence to those who regard themselves as the ultimate authority in religious theology, especially when their doctorate is in child psychology.

[Nofoolhere]

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD, JAMES, CHAPTER 2: 14-26 (By their fruits they shall be known)
"14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe"and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? ...24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 FOR JUST AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS ALSO DEAD." [emphasis added]

To see nine examples of "works" that the religious right can identify with the policies and practices of Obama, go here:

http://www.ot-mp.net/notes.html#Jesus

[Intelligentia]

Those who carry the heaviest Bibles and shout the name of Jesus the loudest are not necessarily serving God. What did you think the day you received the Holy Sacrament from a Roman Catholic Priest, who you later found out was one of the pedophiles that were convicted. On the day you received the sacrament, I bet, you thought that that Priest was very close to God. Were you surprised? So, take these Bible tumpers (sp?) with a grain of salt! If you want to talk to your God, you do not need any religion to do it. Just call upon your God on your own and you will be okay. That is what I do, and I am fine spriitually! I once had this shyster who wanted ten percent of my income, but in his church you have members who are starving. I said, nope, I will rather give the ten percent to the starving people than to you. It did not work out well. I left the church! They are all crooks. I'm sorry to generalize, but that's my feeling.

[jfor]

Uttering the words "pro life" in America mean nothing when in our country we have sick children with no health care, we have hungry children with no food, we have homeless children, we have parentless children, we have lost children in our state and federal programs, we have abused children in those programs, we have chldren who cannot read, we have children who have no hope, we have children who will never be loved. We have children who are here now who suffer daily while our political and religious leaders stand on their soapboxes and scream about how important an unborn child is. We have a Christian President and administration who believe torturing a terrorists child is justifiable including the crushing of that chld's testicle. We have millions of christians in America who support war, turn thier back on genocide, hate choice, need the government to dictate who they can marry and support torture all in the name of Jesus Christ,

The silence of the masses is deafening.

[Sundialsvc4]

"Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap."

"By their fruits shall ye know them ..."

"My sheep know My voice, and a stranger's voice they will not follow."

Men and women like these are nothing new; they have been with us since the beginning of time. In one way or another they seek their own aggrandizement and they do it in the name of whatever Deity happens to be nearby. "But the truth is not in them."

And it's just as simple as that. Don't listen, don't follow. Yes, speak out against them (as you have no doubt been charged to do), so that those within the reach of your voice will be duly warned in case they have not caught-on yet, but also bear in mind that God needs no Defender.

"He who would be greatest, must be least."

[Chillinout]

And this article is why I left the church. Because of hypocrisies from the people in them just like these.

[Yohomegirl]

To the religious people who vote McCain simply because of Roe V Wade: Say God was/is against abortion. Say you had an abortion, regretfully, lived your life and died. When you got to the Gates, and Peter wouldn't let you in, do you think you could make a case with a Supreme Court ruling? So don't worry about the American law, go ahead and vote for Obama because he is GOOD, and let God take care of the rest.

[Sundialsvc4]

Regardless of whom you vote for ...

"Judge not."

" ' Woman, who is left to accuse you?' 'No one.' 'Neither do I accuse you. Go in peace.' "

We cannot truly divine the thoughts of God, but if someone who presumably had the power to call down the wrath of fire, or to turn the woman into a pillar-of-salt, or whatever else said to her, "Go in Peace," maybe we should do likewise.

Maybe we should try to help to cool the burning fires of guilt or pain or hardship or whatever-pain-we-may-find in that woman's heart, in a spirit of Love Only, and no matter what we may in our hearts feel about her, seal our lips and silently repent of those thoughts.

"Go in Peace."

[dumboldfarmer]

I agree with you Unfortunately, there are those who will not allow you to "go in peace". For those, you either "turn the other cheek" or fight back.

[mlaiuppa]

While you're at it, you're going to need to address the "Paul Problem".

Jesus trumps Paul

Paul is not the expert on Jesus.

Paul never met Jesus.

Paul wasn't even a disciple.

Since when is Paul the sole arbiter of interpreting what Jesus did and did not mean?

We have four gospels and Paul isn't in any of them.

I'm not so sure Paul wasn't the Dobson of his day.

[Halsey]

ml...I so agree.. I think Paul (nee Saul..before the scales fell from his eyes)...was a nut job...an erstwhile fanatic without a clue...a zealot of the worst kind ...I stick with the Gospel as guidance..words written by those who actually met Jesus... I wish I could find the ambition to read those books not included in King James...like Thomas...

what ever happened to the Greatest Commandment of all "to Love one another, as I have loved you"..

what does Dobson and his flock of Constantines say about that?

[brighterside]

Are you Jewish? If your not then your not allowed to be Christian. Because of Paul those that are Jewish (Gentiles) are able to share the same Christian faith as their Jewish brothers.

So you don't believe in the majority of the new testament? Because Paul wrote the majority of it.

And you do know the conversion story about Saul into Paul right? Jesus choose Paul for a reason.

Without Paul christianity would not exist today.

[CEKChuck]

Amen Mr. McElvaine.

[ButImNotSureAboutU]

I do think that religion in general is reaping the what the social conservative Jesus thieves and their Republicans enablers have sown. The problem for those of you who wish to reclaim your religion is that what you will reclaim is a shell of it's former self. Many have voted with their feet and walked away, but walked away with a skepticism that will make it difficult for you to convince them to return. I wish you well but I think we are seeing the beginning of the end of religion in this country.

[brighterside]

Yes these social conservatives and right wingers really have done a disservice to Christianity. The main reason why people are moving away from the church lifestyle is because religious right wing nutjobs try and push their rhetorical political views onto their people. Jesus said make disciples of man not to make them into voters for the republican party. But this is exactly what their doing and their not doing what Jesus told them to do.

There is no better of time to make the separation of church and state ever so clear. We don't need these nutjobs telling uneducated voters who to vote for. We need more people to speak out against them. Because in no ways do they talk for all people of faith.

[lvdragonlady]

This was great reading and I totally agree with the writer.
Who is Dobson, to decide what is true and what isn't? Just another Bible thumper trying to keep people from seeing the truth.....

[Storm]

Is this post trying to suggest we shouldn't be ruled by Christian fundamentalists? Then why does it take every Christian assumption about the "Old Testmanent" for granted.

(1) You wrote a book about the Bible and you are saying that Leviticus 11:10 and 18:22 use the same word???? Wrong. 11:10 uses "shekets" which is associated with vermin. Abomination is not a tortured translation, but it is not the same word that 18:22 uses: "to'evah" which has a much different connotation, even if the English version uses the same word. "To'evah" in Deuteronomy (probably a different author, so this many not carry much weight) seems not so big a deal, and is connected with using bogus weights and measures, and some things that the Egyptians did--and sometimes to non-Kosher food.

Much of the Torah is about "separating" Israelites from their neighbors. Things that were "to'evah" were often connected with the Prostitution Cults, Baby Sacrifice, and other practices of the Canaanites.

There is further a credible argument that Leviticus 18:22 DOES NOT PROHIBIT homosexual relationships of the kind we think of. Based on other passages in the Torah, there is a strong argument that this refers to anal rape of one man by another. This is consistent with "separating" the Israelites from some of the practices of their neighbors and is exactly what is described in Sodom in the Abraham cycle. The Sodomites weren't trying to make love to the angel of God--they were trying to rape.