Obama: Dobson 'Making Up Stuff'
By Robin Mazyck
CBNNews.com
June 25, 2008
CBNNews.com -- Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has accused Focus on the Family's James Dobson of "making stuff up."
During his radio broadcast Tuesday, Dobson charged the democratic nominee with "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview."
Dobson was making reference to a speech Obama gave two years ago to the Call to Renewal.
Obama said that the purpose of his speech was to "try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us."
Obama said Dobson was misrepresenting his words.
"Either he didn't read the speech, or he's just trying to score political points," Obama said. "Somebody would be pretty hard-pressed to make the argument" that he was distorting the Bible.
A group of pastors, spearheaded by Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, has created the Web site James Dobson Doesn't Speak for Me. Caldwell is pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. The church has a congregation of 14,000.
"He doesn't speak for me when he uses religion as a wedge to divide," a statement on the Web site says. "He doesn't speak for me when he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible."
Caldwell says he respects the work Dobson has done for the family, but his comments about the presumptive Presidential nominee was "a bit over the top" and "crossed the line."
"There has been a call for a higher level of politics and politicking," Caldwell said. "So to attack at this level is inappropriate and I think unacceptable and we at least want to hold everybody accountable."
Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family responded by saying "without question, Dr. Dobson is speaking for millions of Evangelicals because his understanding of the Bible is thoroughly evangelical."
Source: The Associated Press
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