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The New York Times: James Dobson takes off the gloves
For years, Focus on the Family head Jim Dobson has been careful to distinguish speaking out on ethical and moral issues from "politics," by which he meant direct electoral politics. Focus on the Family engages in education and information for the benefit of the family, the organization said, not political advocacy.

As Dobson said in a 1995 letter (which he repeated verbatim in 1998), "My concerns—and the concerns of millions of evangelical Christians—are not political in nature. They are profoundly moral and ethical, and we are determined to defend them with our very lives, if necessary."

Things have changed. Now Focus on the Family will still be careful to avoid electoral politics (to do otherwise would risk its not-for-profit status), but Dobson has entered the political fray with, if it can be said, reluctant gusto.

"This year, amid the debate over same-sex marriage and the presidential election, he is throwing himself into the fray, creating a political organization, stumping for candidates, drawing a crowd of 20,000 to a rally against same-sex marriage and backing a drive to register conservative Christian voters," New York Times conservative beat reporter David D. Kirkpatrick writes today. He continues:

Dobson has never kept his views on what he calls moral issues to himself. He has worried aloud for 30 years about abortion, divorce, gay rights, and contraception. Every few years, he has publicly warned Republicans not to take conservative Christian votes for granted, and two decades ago he set up a separate organization, the Family Research Council, to press social conservative causes in Washington. But until now Dr. Dobson has held back his most potent asset, his own public persona and the reputation of his organization.

It's the gay marriage issue that has forced his hand, Dobson told the paper. "There are dangers [to endorsing candidates and engaging in other electoral politics], and that is why I have never done it before," he said. "But the attack and assault on marriage is so distressing that I just feel like I can't remain silent."

Dobson's new political organization is called Focus on the Family Action (Weblog can't find a web site for it), and some think it may be confused with the original group.

"We are definitely going to try to crank up our communications capacity about what Focus on the Family really is," Focus CEO Don Hodel told the paper. "We are going to try to make the point that Dr. Dobson is going out into the political arena not because that is what he wants to do; it is because that is what he feels he has to do. From where I am coming from, we want to emphasize repeatedly that our brand is still evangelical outreach through the family."

More Christian organizations respond to Abu Ghraib scandal
Several organizations named in Tuesday's Weblog as having not commented on the abuse of Iraqi prisoners have done so in the last few days.

Concerned Women for America has in fact issued two pieces on the abuse, both of which blame American pornography for the soldiers' actions.

The pornography industry "cannot be allowed to hide behind the First Amendment and 'art imitating life,'" says CWA chief counsel Jan LaRue.

This is an industry making billions by creating degrading images that "imitate" a reality that is rightly condemned. Tragically, many who join in expressing condemnation and outrage at the Abu Ghraib photos find no harm in the imitation. Pornography is named by our enemies to 'justify' their hatred of America and our military. There is little doubt that regularly viewing pornography desensitizes and makes viewers more likely to imitate "art." Porn-viewing doesn't excuse the conduct—it helps to explain it. Pornographers call it "turn-ons." … We don't need any more "turn-ons" like Abu Ghraib. War is Hell enough.

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May (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48