c/news · by andros_rex@lemmy.world · 1y

James Dobson, influential founder of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, dies age 89

https://apnews.com/article/james-dobson-obituary-focus-on-family-51a9dbf50e26eaee2ac01d457e9d46aa

494 points · 96 comments · view on lemmy.world

96 Comments

expatriado@lemmy.world · 134 pts · 1y (1 reply)

sad, he died too old

nothingcorporate@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 1y

Rest in piss

neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 108 pts · 1y (7 replies)

In case you weren't sure how to feel about reading this obit, here's a handful of this guy's impact on the world...

Dobson viewed marriage as a transaction in which women exchange sex for protection: "The natural sex appeal of girls serves as their primary source of bargaining power in the game of life. In exchange for feminine affection and love, a man accepts a girl as his lifetime responsibility-supplying her needs and caring for her welfare. This sexual aspect of the marital agreement can hardly be denied." — James Dobson, Dare to Discipline (1970)
Dobson opposed sex education curricula that were not abstinence-only and supported private school vouchers (taking funding away from public schools) and tax credits for religious schools.
Dobson contended that tolerance and diversity are "buzzwords" that were being misused as part of a "hidden agenda" to promote homosexuality. (citation)
In 2012, Dobson said that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary (killing 26 people including 20 children) was a judgement by God because of American acceptance of gay marriage and legal abortion. (citation)
Dobson flip-flopped on his views on abortion, opting for silent support early in his career before changing course to be obstinately anti-abortion, insisting that abortion invites women to reject God, diverts women from their natural role as mothers, and prevents more Christians from coming into the world. (citation)
Dobson encouraged "daddy–daughter dating" in which fathers and daughters set aside time for special activities together. Because he believed heterosexuality must be cultivated, Dobson intended these romanticized attachments to model proper heterosexual partnership to girls age six or younger. (citation)
He viewed the gender binary as fundamental to humanity and waxed lovingly about historical periods where being transgender in a bathroom could get you killed. (citation)

I could go on, but I'm feeling the sudden urge to go dance in the street.

Update: for further reading, please have a look at the obituary written by Erik Loomis on the Lawyers Guns & Money blog. It's outstanding.

dan1101@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 1y

The more I learn about this guy, the less I care for him.

thegr8goldfish@startrek.website · 14 pts · 1y (4 replies)

I am pretty sure my Mom have me a copy of Dare to Discipline when my kids were preschool age. I never actually considered reading it though.

TipRing@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1y (1 reply)

It says if you really loved your kids you should beat them.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 1y

Conservatives are far more likely than the baseline population to have been beaten as children. It's a definite risk factor that should be eliminated.

kreskin@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (1 reply)

If your mom is still alive and relying on you in her old age, you should read it and apply the lessons to her care.

DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

Or, at least read it to her and suggest ways it might be applied to her care.

aceshigh@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

Was he ever accused on sexual harassment or assault? Did any minors accuse him of doing things? His resume sounds like someone who would do this kind of thing.

EvilEdgelord@sh.itjust.works · 60 pts · 1y

Hylactor@sopuli.xyz · 54 pts · 1y

It's a real shame when they go old like that.

Adderbox76@lemmy.ca · 42 pts · 1y (4 replies)

Sometimes I honestly wish heaven and hell actually existed and that I could see the look on the faces of people like this when they find out they aren't in the one that they expected.

SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 1y (3 replies)

If they did exist, they probably would go to the one they wanted. That's kind of the problem. They invented them to assert whatever fucked up ideas they have of the world.

callouscomic@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 1y (1 reply)

That's the beauty of this religion, especially in America. It's the best excuse book to hide behind. No matter which way anything goes, it was always God's will.

And, as my dad once said, I'll have to answer to God one day, but ONLY to him.

How fucking convenient you abusive pile of vomit.

Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 1y

Exactly. These people will claim that their religion is the only thing that can keep people moral (sign of sociopathy), but will then turn around and say anything they do is fine because they "believe" and just have to "ask for forgiveness." It's just narcissism and empathetic bankruptcy normalized.

cley_faye@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

I'm not so sure of that. When you consider the pope evil and the words of Jesus blasphemous, I'm not sure there's a good place in heaven for you when you're also claiming to be catholic or christian or whatever it is called.

sausager@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 1y

comador@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Will there be a public coffin defecation ceremony? I'd like to attend please.

misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 1y

[ removed ]

Typhoon@lemmy.ca · 34 pts · 1y

Oh man, terrible news today! I'm broken up.

I can't find my favourite pen.

Edit: Oh wait, here it is. Silly me. All is well.

cabron_offsets@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 1y (1 reply)

[ removed ]

Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 1y

Damn, came to make the same quip.

That's a shame, why not sooner.

klemptor@startrek.website · 27 pts · 1y

Good fucking riddance.

synae@lemmy.sdf.org · 26 pts · 1y

N0t_5ure@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 1y

Obligatory:

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Only the good die young..

TheLowestStone@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

But he was... Oh...

cmbabul@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Maybe it is true that that the good die young, but I’m much more certain that pricks live forever

bradv@lemmy.ca · 17 pts · 1y

Good.

TheBat@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 1y (1 reply)

[ removed ]

MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y

Technically correct, as his grave will also be a public toilet.

VeryVito@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 1y (19 replies)

Anyway, anybody seen the new Naked Gun movie? I hear it’s pretty good.

P00ptart@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (15 replies)

I've heard that as well but haven't seen it yet, I opted for nobody 2.

dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (14 replies)

Is the first one any good? I don’t like to jump straight into sequels without the obligatory background from the first ones.

P00ptart@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (12 replies)

Yup, really good. Like if John wick is a scalpel, this guy is a rusty machete. And John wick started over a puppy and a classic car, well, this guy starts his rampage over a "kitty cat bracelet" it's on Amazon prime.

dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (3 replies)

I have to say that is the most interesting critique of a movie I’ve seen in quite some time. You’ve piqued my interest.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 1y (2 replies)

It's good, watch it. Bob Odenkirk is great as always. Haven't seen the second one yet though.

kautau@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

My coworkers have spoken well about the second one too (haven't seen it yet but plan to). It's always great to see saul goodman getting his revenge.

dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

I’m watching it right now and John Wick better watch out! 🤣

dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y (7 replies)

Holy fuck! I’m not done yet, but holy fuck!

P00ptart@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y (6 replies)

You watching it now?

dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y (5 replies)

Just finished.

WOW

P00ptart@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Right?!? I love the guy who sees his tattoo and nopes TF out.

AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 1y

The first one has one of my favorite scenes in a movie ever.

The second one is more of the same and I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite surprise/hit like the first.

jordanlund@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y (1 reply)

It's mildly amusing. Neeson is fantastic. There are really only two LOL jokes and they give one away in the trailer.

The other one is even more subversive than that one...

kautau@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

I would say that's sort of the style of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker films. Airplane! was the same way, with a whole bunch of chuckle jokes throughout and then a few moments of genuinely laughing (at least in my experience)

lennybird@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y

Haven't yet. But saw the new Superman. I liked the part where (SPOILER) Bibi is dropped from the sky lol

i_dont_want_to@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 15 pts · 1y

I wish I had citations for this, but I seem to recall reading one of his books about preventing divorce. It could have been another god awful Christian couple book, though. I did read a few of his books.

If a hetero couple is married, and the man wants to leave his wife for another woman, the wife needs to just take it and do nice things for him in order to convince him to stay.

If he is not treating her right, she cannot outright say it. (If she makes him feel bad, it is her fault if he finds someone else!) No, instead she needs to lead him to good examples.

As a wife, a woman must cook delicious food. If she is a bad cook, she is a bad wife.

I don't remember if it was in another book, but if a man disciplines his daughter too harshly, the wife should not stop him. Instead, she needs to talk to the daughter separately, try to make her feel better, and not make the dad look bad. Because if you stand up for your child, you are emasculating him or something. (Enabler much?)

The only positive thing I saw was him seeing bisexuals as distinct from homosexuals. Not that he had anything good to say about either, but... No bi erasure?

This dude really fucked me up as a youth, rest in piss.

ieatpwns@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 1y

Maybe he can influence the rest of them to fuck off somewhere

dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net · 14 pts · 1y

Another piece of shit who lasted way too long before being flushed into hell.

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 1y

noxypaws@pawb.social · 12 pts · 1y

I hope his passing was painful and slow. Genuinely.

shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 1y

RIPiss

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 12 pts · 1y

John MacArthur and now Charles Dobson.

But there’s a horde ready to take his place.

Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 1y

Rest in Piss

inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1y (3 replies)

And nothing of value was lost.

cley_faye@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

It probably made the world a tiny teensy bitty better place, so there's that.

Oh, right, we should not enjoy people death. Thought and prayers, and all that jazz.

kreskin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I imagine some perfectly good land is now wasted to hold his remains. He will live on and be remembered as a beacon of a lot thats wrong with christians and religion in general. A grifting mean spirited racist clown who serves the world better as a corpse than he ever did in life.

inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

The world needs a public restroom still.

muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 1y

Wasn’t he supposedly pro-life? Fucking hypocrite.

k0e3@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 1y

May he rest in agony.

kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y

May his memory and legacy rot as quickly as his corpse.

TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y

🎉

jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y

Interesting day in hell today. So much confusion except for everyone there but him.