There is an organization operating in America today that most Americans have probably only encountered in passing. Some, on the other hand, have had encounters with this organization that will continue to haunt them forever. This organization has worked to stop the education of children, ban consensual adults from pursuing loving relationships, and violate the medical privacy of individuals in difficult circumstances. As an organization that masks itself in the protection of family, it has actually condoned the emotional and physical abuse of children. All of this is done in the name of protecting the family from the attack from an apparently evil force. Who comprises this force? Most likely, you do, along with the majority of other Americans. Welcome to Jim's war.
Focus on the Family, founded by James Clayton Dobson, has been in operation since 1977, and shows no sign of aging. If anything, this organization is branching out more than ever before, attempting to recruit innocent bystanders in its crusade of fundamentalism. As Dobson's brainchild, this organization is particularly dangerous because of its seemingly righteous face.
Dobson attained a doctorate in child development from the University of Southern California in 1967. As a licensed psychologist, Dobson masks his extremist principles in medical and legal jargon. If your child is disobedient, Dobson states that hitting your child "lovingly and properly, is beneficial to a child because it is in harmony with nature itself." When asked about AIDS, part of Dobson's response was that AIDS could be "one avenue by which sickness and death befall those who play Russian roulette with God's moral imperatives." Is your child gay? Well, this is completely "curable" according to Dr. Dobson. First of all, homosexuality is not considered a disorder or disease by the DSM IV, and doctors are in unanimous agreement on the irreversibility of natural orientation. Dr. Dobson is misleading parents about the raising of their children only to promote his own religious viewpoints.
The very existence of Focus on the Family is to promote Dr. Dobson's extreme and harmful views. The social action faction of Focus on the Family went as far as lobbying against hate crime legislation and safe-sex education for children. When one family, having been personally harmed by this organization, attempted to deliver a letter to Dr. Dobson, Focus on the Family had them arrested for trespassing. To combat negative media coverage, the organization covered their monument with a tarp so that the location would not be as recognizable.
One cannot deny the scope of Focus' influence. Secret meetings, masked threats to elected officials, and a friendly face have helped this organization to maintain its hold on our country, and it's time we stand up to this bullying to put an end to this outrageous organization and its hold over America's families.
