Free Republic

An executive for one of the nation's leading evangelical groups says in a video voter guide that Mitt Romney has "acknowledged Mormonism is not a Christian faith," although the GOP presidential candidate has said he follows Jesus Christ and his church insists it is Christian. Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said in an interview Friday that the comment was his interpretation of Romney's December "Faith in America" speech that was meant to reassure voters about his religion. Minnery said that he spoke with the campaign after the video was...

Two of the nation’s most prominent family values organizations lambasted rising Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama as “extremely” liberal and “no friend” to values voters during an analysis this week of the New Hampshire primary. Obama, who won the Iowa caucuses and came in second in the primary, was denounced as a “fundamentalist left-winger” on social issues by Focus on the Family’s (FOTF) Tom Minnery. Minnery, FOTF’s vice president of public policy, pointed out that Obama is against the federal marriage amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman; is against the abstinence program in...

Focus on the Family Action has released the latest list of retailers that are censoring Christmas...and those that are not. Click on the link to view the PDF file.....

WASHINGTON – Some of the top leaders in Christian pro-family activism – including James Dobson of Focus on the Family – met in Salt Lake City yesterday to plot a strategy if Rudy Giuliani or another supporter of legalized abortion is nominated by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate. Not only was there a consensus among activists to withhold support for the Republican nominee, there was even discussion about supporting the entry of a new candidate to challenge the frontrunners. It's no secret that Dobson, founder of one of the largest Christian ministries in the country, has no use...

Dear Friends, You have probably heard at least a little bit in the past several days about Dr. James Dobson’s comments regarding presidential candidate Fred Thompson. It is true that Dr. Dobson, as a private citizen in an e-mail to friends, raised questions about former Sen. Thompson’s suitability to be president. What has not been true, in the days that have followed, is the media’s attempt to paint the incident as World War III among socially conservative Christians. Do some other evangelical leaders disagree with Dr. Dobson’s opinion about Sen. Thompson? Yes. But that is hardly uncommon in the realm...

Fred Thompson commented further, today, on the attack made against him by Dr. James Dobson over a week ago. Fred has said very little, despite the hateful and inaccurate attack made by Dobson in a "private" email, just privately calculated enough for all the world to see. Since the attack, clearly designed to keep Evangelical Voters from siding with Fred, Fred has been defended by other Conservative Values Leaders like Gary Bauer and Southern Baptist Richard Land. But when asked about it again today, Fred had a little more to say, and he said it very well: "Thompson again dismissed...

A well-known evangelical leader is encouraging conservative Christians to give presidential hopeful Fred Thompson and all other candidates a fair chance not long after another prominent conservative leader criticized the former senator for being too weak on key issues. Although he doesn’t endorse Thompson, former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer contends that conservative Christians should seriously consider him if they want to avoid a “nightmare scenario” where they are forced to choose between two pro-abortion, pro-gay rights candidates – Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. “He (Thompson)’s obviously against same-sex marriage. He doesn’t support quite the same constitutional amendment that some...

About the only thing worse than painting yourself in a corner is doing it when the floor doesn’t need painting in the first place. So I was doubly disappointed a couple of days ago when Dr. James Dobson, a one-time child psychologist who has become a leading Christian activist, absolutely skewered presidential candidate Fred Thompson in what was to me a dazzling display of dumb. I’ve long admired and adored Dr. Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” and believe he’s a genius when it comes to kids. This week, in what was called “a private e-mail to friends,” the doctor proved...

DENVER (AP) — James Dobson, one of the nation's most politically influential evangelical Christians, made it clear in a message to friends this week he will not support Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson. In a private e-mail obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, Dobson accuses the former Tennessee senator and actor of being weak on the campaign trail and wrong on issues dear to social conservatives. "Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what...

Today as I drove my Mom home from her dental appointment, we listened to Focus on the Family. All this week, FoF is focusing on "Radical Islam and the Family." I'd like to make a few observations. 1. Granted, we only caught the last fifteen minutes, but at no point was there any discussion of "the family and Islam," unless by this, one means something like, "Radical Islam wants to overthrow America and we should support the Iraq War." 2. Most, if not all, of the broadcast focused on Joel Rosenberg's bestseller Epicenter. 3. Consequently, we were treated to a...

After an extensive audit, the Internal Revenue Service has exonerated Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson of accusations from liberal watchdog groups that he violated his organization's non-profit status by endorsing GOP candidates -- including President Bush -- during the 2004 election. "No dings. No criticisms. Not a single allegation was found to have substance," Dobson said regarding charges made against him in 2005 by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Citizens Project, a Colorado group that states its purpose is "creating a community valuing diversity, equality and religious freedom." [ snip ] CREW's original complaint,...

The IRS closed a nearly 12-month audit of Focus on the Family and Dr. James C. Dobson by affirming that the organization committed no wrongdoing. The investigation, which ended last week, was sparked by allegations from two groups that routinely bash conservatives: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In particular, CREW falsely accused Focus on the Family and Dr. Dobson, in his capacity as the head of Focus, of electioneering by endorsing candidates for public office. It called on the IRS to conduct a "full-scale investigation" and to revoke...

DENVER (AP) -- Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson has been cleared of accusations that he endangered his organization's nonprofit status by endorsing Republican candidates in 2004, an Internal Revenue Service audit found. The IRS said Dobson, who backed President Bush's re-election bid, was acting as an individual and not on behalf of the conservative Christian ministry. The influential child psychologist announced the findings Monday on his national radio show. At least two liberal watchdog groups — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Colorado Springs-based Citizens Project — filed complaints with the IRS in 2005 against Dobson....

Colorado Springs - Rep. Doug Lamborn left two voice mails at the home of a couple who questioned his acceptance of campaign contributions from the gambling industry, saying there would be "consequences" if the couple did not respond. Jonathan and Anna Bartha wrote a letter printed in the Aug. 24 Woodmen Edition, a community newspaper. The couple raised concerns about Lamborn's receipt of $1,000 from International Game Technology PAC and a $500 contribution last summer from Marc Murphy, an executive of Bronco Billy's Casino in Cripple Creek. IGT makes gambling equipment. Jonathan Bartha, 34, is employed by Focus on the...

The conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family said it is a little hurt over the shock that came in response to its sponsorship and participation in a local bike race this weekend to raise funds for AIDS relief in Colorado. “There seems to be the perception that [because] AIDS is seen as typically associated with the gay community, that Focus on the Family wouldn’t care for these people,” said Devin Knuckles, a spokesman for the ministry, according to the Denver Post. “It’s kind of hurtful,” Knuckles said. “It’s our mission to help people who need help.” The Christian ministry...

Christians and non-Christians alike should be alarmed by the advance in California of a series of legislative proposals that target free speech and thought, according to Focus on the Family Action. James Dobson, the president of the action affiliate of Focus on the Family ministries, has issued an urgent call to the millions of radio program listeners to contact California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before he is asked to sign the bills. "What all four bills will do, they will reinforce homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism in a positive light," Focus State Issues Analyst Mona Passignano told WorldNetDaily. So what's wrong with...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 11) - Focus on the Family ministry founder James Dobson spoke in support Thursday of Mel Gibson and his film, "The Passion of the Christ," saying Gibson's drunken tirade during a traffic stop had nothing to do with "one of the finest films of this era." Gibson, 50, was arrested for drunken driving Aug. 1 in Malibu, Calif., and launched an anti-Semitic rant toward the arresting deputy. Gibson reportedly said, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked him, "Are you a Jew?" Dobson said in a statement that "we certainly...

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves will mix baseball with the gospel when they hold another “Faith Day” this weekend. But one of the country’s most prominent Christian organizations has been tossed out of the game. Focus on the Family, a group founded by James Dobson, was barred from participating in Sunday’s postgame activities after sponsoring the first such event at Turner Field last month. While the team wouldn’t provide a reason for its decision, several gay rights groups on the Web bristled with speculation that Focus on the Family was given the boot for promoting its belief that homosexuality is...

They started marching Monday, from the state Capitol toward Colorado Springs. And as the week progresses, their numbers will grow into the hundreds as they converge Saturday at the campus of Focus on the Family, where an estimated 1,000 people will pray for its founder, James Dobson. I plan to be there, to witness a courageous act: Hundreds of gays and lesbians praying for a man whose powerful organization lobbies for anti-gay legislation and spews damaging mistruths about gay people. The 1000-Watt March is being organized by Soulforce, a non-profit organization that confronts homophobic religious organizations and leaders using the...

Religious Right Power Brokers The Top Ten by Rob BostonThe United States is home to dozens of Religious Right groups. Many have small budgets and focus on state and local issues; the most powerful organizations conduct nationwide operations, command multi-million-dollar bank accounts and attract millions of followers. They have disproportionate clout in the halls of Congress, the White House and the courts, and they wield enormous influence within the political system.What follows is a list of the nation’s Top Ten Religious Right groups, as determined by publicly available financial data and political prominence. (For budgetary data, Church & State used...