James Dobson: The Most Dangerous Man in America

In the Spike Lee film Malcolm X, there is a scene in which Malcolm disperses an angry mob with a single hand gesture. A police captain that witnesses the event has only one comment: "That's too much power for one man to have." That same thought could be applied to Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and the undisputed head of the Religious Right in America today.

As other evangelical leaders have either been brought down by scandal or seen their influence diminish because of idiotic statements (such as Pat Robertson's call for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez), Dobson's star continues to rise. And he has built himself quite a launching pad for that star; according to the Focus on the Family website, his radio broadcasts reach 220 million people worldwide every day, and he appears on 60 television stations daily in the US.

And what exactly is this pediatric psychologist turned religious media giant telling these millions of people? He is telling them that in a marriage, the wife must submit to her husband's authority and defer to his decision in matters of conflict. He opposes all forms of school sex education except for the teaching of abstinence. He believes that tolerance and diversity are simply part of a sinister homosexual agenda. And he is most passionate about his opposition to gay marriage and, in fact, homosexuality in general.

Dr. Dobson manages to blame almost every issue he cares about on the scourge of homosexuality. He says that homosexual behavior is a choice, and that this choice can be changed. His ministry's Love Won Out program is specifically geared toward "curing" gays and bringing them back to heterosexuality. He also writes that every civilization in the world has been built upon heterosexual marriage, and laments that the legalization of same-sex marriage would effectively destroy Civilization as we know it.