Dobson: We have lost all our battles so far, but the fight goes on

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

James Dobson, 72, who resigned recently as head of Focus on the Family - one of the largest Christian groups in the country - and once denounced the Harry Potter books as witchcraft, acknowledged the dramatic reverse for the religious Right in a farewell speech to staff.

“We tried to defend the unborn child, the dignity of the family, but it was a holding action,” he said.

“We are awash in evil and the battle is still to be waged. We are right now in the most discouraging period of that long conflict. Humanly speaking, we can say we have lost all those battles.”

Despite changing the political agenda for a generation, and helping push the Republicans to the Right, evangelicals have won only minor victories in limiting the availability of abortion. Meanwhile the number of states permitting civil partnerships between homosexuals is rising, and the campaign to restore prayer to schools after 40 years - a decision that helped create the Moral Majority - has got nowhere.

Though the struggle will go on, the confession of Mr Dobson, who started his ministry from scratch in 1977, came amid growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

...

Ray Moore, president of Exodus Mandate, a South Carolina-based group which organises home-schooling for Christian children, said: “Political involvement by Christians is not wrong, but that’s all the big groups did for 25 years. They were more concerned with fund-raising and political power than they were with our children’s welfare.”

“It’s a failed movement,” he said. “We will end up like England, where the church has utterly lost its way.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...des-defeat.html

[mr and mrs 187]

We will end up like England

great! i quite like tea, and cricket, and warm beer (<3).

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

oh joy.

[fozzie 41]

Woo Hoo

We are coming to reclaim what was once ours!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

We are coming to reclaim what was once ours!

The wingnuts are ignoring the real reconquest, but fixated on this ####### instead:

[Mags 112]

Though the struggle will go on, the confession of Mr Dobson, who started his ministry from scratch in 1977, came amid growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

Nothing wrong with that!

Now, excuse me, my crumpet has just popped up.

[dalegg 143]

Wasn't it part of Revelations that faith in God would be low before the end of days?

[Dan J 277]

Though the struggle will go on, the confession of Mr Dobson, who started his ministry from scratch in 1977, came amid growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

Nothing wrong with that!

Now, excuse me, my crumpet has just popped up.

Ironically, decline in church attendance is often the result of the state supporting a particular church or religion, or a religion becoming too political. So it is partly the existence of his organization that has resulted in the decline of a church attendance.

[PB&JAM 1]

Wasn't it part of Revelations that faith in God would be low before the end of days?

yes. men's hearts will "wax cold".

[alienlovechild 75]

Ironically, decline in church attendance is often the result of the state supporting a particular church or religion, or a religion becoming too political. So it is partly the existence of his organization that has resulted in the decline of a church attendance.

That has happened where the church allys with the state but there is no Church of America nor is Dobson's close to that kind of power. The irony is that this doesn't apply to Islam which is the only growing religion in Europe.

[alienlovechild 75]

double post

Edited April 13, 2009 by alienlovechild

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

Church attendance is going down, but America is still very religious, with an incredible 92 percent believing in God or a universal spirit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8062300818.html

What has changed, is people are personalizing those beliefs, along with a rediscovery of the pagan ways of thinking, for example, a reverence for nature, the "tree huggers" and Gaiaism:

http://gaia.meetup.com/

As far as a non-religious argument worth consideration against abortion:

http://prustice.wordpress.com/2009/04/12/m...-kathy-ireland/

Edited April 13, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[Dan J 277]

Ironically, decline in church attendance is often the result of the state supporting a particular church or religion, or a religion becoming too political. So it is partly the existence of his organization that has resulted in the decline of a church attendance.

That has happened where the church allys with the state but there is no Church of America nor is Dobson's close to that kind of power. The irony is that this doesn't apply to Islam which is the only growing religion in Europe.

Its happened in the US but in another way. Being part of a church is in a way associating yourself with a particular political ideology. When Church becomes part of a political identity, people will shy away from it.

[Dan J 277]

growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

Church attendance is going down, but America is still very religious, with an incredible 92 percent believing in God or a universal spirit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8062300818.html

I wouldn't say very religious. An agnostic would believe in God, but would you really call them religious?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

growing concern that church attendance in the United States is heading the way of Britain, where no more than ten per cent worship every week.

Church attendance is going down, but America is still very religious, with an incredible 92 percent believing in God or a universal spirit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8062300818.html

I wouldn't say very religious. An agnostic would believe in God, but would you really call them religious?

I suppose it depends on how you define religious. Webster says someone who is pious or devout is religious, so anyone who holds strong beliefs would fit that definition, whether or not they believe in God, or a universal spirit. If we define religious as those who believe in a higher power beyond perception, then religious would be more inclusive. If 92 percent hold that belief, then would it be safe to say Americans are typically religious? Can you be religious without participating in organized rites?

Edited April 13, 2009 by Mister_Bill