James Dobson
James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Jr. (born 1936) is an American psychologist, counselor and conservative political activist.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Dr. Dobson, ...in the Daily Oklahoman, [you were] quoted saying, "Patrick Leahy is a God's people hater. I don't know if he hates God, but he hates God's people." Now, Dr. Dobson, that doesn't sound like a particularly Christian thing to say. Do you think you owe Senator Leahy an apology?
DR JAMES DOBSON: George, you think you ought to lecture me on what a Christian is all about? You know, I think -I think I'll stand by the things I have said. Patrick Leahy has been in opposition to most of the things that I believe. He is the one that took the reference to God out of the oath.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But Dr. Dobson, excuse me for a second. You use the word hate. You said that he's a "God's people hater." How do you back that up?
DR JAMES DOBSON: Well, there's been an awful lot of hate expressed in this election. And most of it has been aimed at those who hold to conservative Christian views. He is certainly not the only one to take a position like that. But I think that that is -that's where he's coming from. He has certainly opposed most of the things that conservative Christians stand for.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apology?
DR JAMES DOBSON: No apology.
KING: Franklin Graham called Islam a very wicked and evil religion. More recently, he said that Muslim leaders haven't done enough to show their sorrow over 9/11. Do you agree with that?
DOBSON: Well, I certainly agree that many factions within Islam are very, very violent. I mean, how can we deny that? The war against the west and against Israel certainly didn't start with 9/11. For us, it began really in 1979 when the Iranians, you know, invaded the embassy there. And from that point on, they've been doing things like this, so there's a lot of violence within the Islamic faith.
KING: But you don't think the faith is violent? You don't think American Muslims are, by nature, violent, or Muslims are by nature violent or do you?
DOBSON: I think some Muslims are, but certainly...
KING: Well, some Christians are.
DOBSON: Yes, but that...
KING: There's a lot of killing in the name of Christ in history.
DOBSON: Yes, there has been down through the years, but I don't think that's the predominant factor. I mean, if you look at the teachings of Christ, the centerpiece is love. That's been the essence of what He has thought.
KING: Not Mohammed — Mohammed did not teach love?
DOBSON: Not to that degree, no. There's a lot — you know I'm not an expert on this subject. I told you that last time we were here, and so I can just give you my impressions about it. And there are very, very violent people within the Islamic faith. There are also some that are not violent.
KING: You're an outspoken supporter of Israel. You and Bill Bennett co-authored an op-ed piece on the subject, responding to a letter from a group of prominent Evangelical Christians who urged George W. Bush to employ an even handed policy toward Israel and Palestine. You don't want an even handed policy?
DOBSON: Well, I do. It depends on what you mean by that. I feel very strongly about Israel. You know it is surrounded by its enemies. And it exists primarily because God has willed it to exist, I think, according to scripture, but also, because America has stood with Israel. If we ever abandon it, it's gone. There are six million Jews in Israel. There are 400 million Muslims around them that hate them and want many of them -- hate them and want to drive them into the sea. And that is a major concern to me. It's the only democracy in the Middle East. Why wouldn't we support them?
KING: And the Palestinian people are the only people without a state...
DOBSON: Yes.
KING: ... of any kind. Should they have a state? Do you agree with the president there? There should be a Palestinian state?
DOBSON: You know, here again, I'm not smart enough to figure out that conflict. That's been going on — that's ancient. It goes way back. And I'm not sure that I'm — in fact, I know I don't have the answer for that. But whatever the solution, whether it's a Palestinian state or whatever the answer to it is, it has to involve security for Israel. And that's where I make my stand.
After September 11 Dobson was asked whether "God withdrawn His protective hand from the US," Dobson is quoted as saying:
Child discipline
- "[P]ain is a marvelous purifier. . . It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely."
- From Dare to Discipline, pages 6 and 7
- "Some strong-willed children absolutely demand to be spanked, and their wishes should be granted. . . [T]wo or three stinging strokes on the legs or buttocks with a switch are usually sufficient to emphasize the point, 'You must obey me.'"
- From The Strong-Willed Child, pp. 53-4.
Comments on Senator Leahy
...exchange [Nov 7, 2004] between George Stephanopoulos and James Dobson on ABC's This Week:GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Dr. Dobson, ...in the Daily Oklahoman, [you were] quoted saying, "Patrick Leahy is a God's people hater. I don't know if he hates God, but he hates God's people." Now, Dr. Dobson, that doesn't sound like a particularly Christian thing to say. Do you think you owe Senator Leahy an apology?
DR JAMES DOBSON: George, you think you ought to lecture me on what a Christian is all about? You know, I think -I think I'll stand by the things I have said. Patrick Leahy has been in opposition to most of the things that I believe. He is the one that took the reference to God out of the oath.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But Dr. Dobson, excuse me for a second. You use the word hate. You said that he's a "God's people hater." How do you back that up?
DR JAMES DOBSON: Well, there's been an awful lot of hate expressed in this election. And most of it has been aimed at those who hold to conservative Christian views. He is certainly not the only one to take a position like that. But I think that that is -that's where he's coming from. He has certainly opposed most of the things that conservative Christians stand for.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apology?
DR JAMES DOBSON: No apology.
Homosexuality
- "Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth."
- On gay marriage, from The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 23rd, 2004
Islam
- Exchange between Larry King and James Dobson that aired on September 18, 2002 on CNN's Larry King Live
KING: Franklin Graham called Islam a very wicked and evil religion. More recently, he said that Muslim leaders haven't done enough to show their sorrow over 9/11. Do you agree with that?
DOBSON: Well, I certainly agree that many factions within Islam are very, very violent. I mean, how can we deny that? The war against the west and against Israel certainly didn't start with 9/11. For us, it began really in 1979 when the Iranians, you know, invaded the embassy there. And from that point on, they've been doing things like this, so there's a lot of violence within the Islamic faith.
KING: But you don't think the faith is violent? You don't think American Muslims are, by nature, violent, or Muslims are by nature violent or do you?
DOBSON: I think some Muslims are, but certainly...
KING: Well, some Christians are.
DOBSON: Yes, but that...
KING: There's a lot of killing in the name of Christ in history.
DOBSON: Yes, there has been down through the years, but I don't think that's the predominant factor. I mean, if you look at the teachings of Christ, the centerpiece is love. That's been the essence of what He has thought.
KING: Not Mohammed — Mohammed did not teach love?
DOBSON: Not to that degree, no. There's a lot — you know I'm not an expert on this subject. I told you that last time we were here, and so I can just give you my impressions about it. And there are very, very violent people within the Islamic faith. There are also some that are not violent.
-
- http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0209/18/lkl.00.html, CNN's Larry King Live Aired September 18, 2002 - 21:00 ET
Mel Gibson/The Passion of Christ
- In a statement Dobson announced he supported "Mel Gibson and his film, The Passion of the Christ, saying Gibson's anti-Semitic remarks had nothing to do with "one of the finest films of this era." He explained further that "we certainly do not condone that racially insensitive outburst," but added, "Mel has apologized profusely for the incident and there the matter should rest." On the movie, "Our endorsement of it stands as originally stated. We did not believe it was anti-Semitic in 2004, and our views have not changed," Dobson said.
- August 11, 2006 http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/articles/_a/james-dobson-lends-support-to-mel-gibson/20060811064809990001?cid=918
Palestine & Israel
- Exchange between Larry King and James Dobson that aired on September 18, 2002 on CNN's Larry King Live
KING: You're an outspoken supporter of Israel. You and Bill Bennett co-authored an op-ed piece on the subject, responding to a letter from a group of prominent Evangelical Christians who urged George W. Bush to employ an even handed policy toward Israel and Palestine. You don't want an even handed policy?
DOBSON: Well, I do. It depends on what you mean by that. I feel very strongly about Israel. You know it is surrounded by its enemies. And it exists primarily because God has willed it to exist, I think, according to scripture, but also, because America has stood with Israel. If we ever abandon it, it's gone. There are six million Jews in Israel. There are 400 million Muslims around them that hate them and want many of them -- hate them and want to drive them into the sea. And that is a major concern to me. It's the only democracy in the Middle East. Why wouldn't we support them?
KING: And the Palestinian people are the only people without a state...
DOBSON: Yes.
KING: ... of any kind. Should they have a state? Do you agree with the president there? There should be a Palestinian state?
DOBSON: You know, here again, I'm not smart enough to figure out that conflict. That's been going on — that's ancient. It goes way back. And I'm not sure that I'm — in fact, I know I don't have the answer for that. But whatever the solution, whether it's a Palestinian state or whatever the answer to it is, it has to involve security for Israel. And that's where I make my stand.
-
- http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0209/18/lkl.00.html, CNN's Larry King Live Aired September 18, 2002 - 21:00 ET
September 11
After September 11 Dobson was asked whether "God withdrawn His protective hand from the US," Dobson is quoted as saying:
- "Christians have made arguments on both sides of this question. I certainly believe that God is displeased with America for its pride and arrogance, for killing 40 million unborn babies, for the universality of profanity and for other forms of immorality. However, rather than trying to forge a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the terrorist attacks and America’s abandonment of biblical principles, which I think is wrong, we need to accept the truth that this nation will suffer in many ways for departing from the principles of righteousness. "The wages of sin is death," as it says in Romans 6, both for individuals and for entire cultures.
- http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=4257 People for the American Way, "Right Wing Organizations: Focus on the Family