Larry King Live

[StL_Dan]

Did any of you happen to watch Larry King Live tonight?

His guest was Dr Jim Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.

He is a repeat guest of Larry King's show and together, they addressed several national and local societal issues.

The hot topic of the show, though, was homosexuality and the homosexual agenda in our nation.

Dobson was very forthright about what God says about these issues in the Bible, but was classy and noncondescending (is that a word?) at the same time.

[SonicBoi]

Ah yes, the homosexual "agenda." I wish someone would tell me what is on that bacause I always thought it was stuff like legally recognised merrage, cival rights, and stuff. Apairently us gays are going out of our way to distroy america. BWAHAHAHAH! Calling it the "Homosexual Agenda" has always bugged me. Like all str8 people agree on anything. There are differing views in the gay communities. Most of us pretty much agree that the basic cival rights granted to other americans should be available to us as well. In fact, the majority of the times, when gay rights legislation hits, it includes str8 people as well. (Domestic partner benefits and what not.) My employer gives deometic partner benefits to any couple regardless of marital or sexual orientation status. And that is how it should be.

[tat2kc]

Oh yes, Focus on the Family is not condescending at all. They were, of course, one of the major backers and sponsors of Colorado's Amendment 2. For those not familiar with this little bit of evil legislation, when it passed in 1991, it immediately overturned all gay rights ordinances in the state. It also forbade those who were gay or lesbian from even bringing a suit in state or local courts. Had the law not been challenged, its effect would have been a disaster. I could have been refused service or goods anywhere, from a hotel to McDonald's. I could have been fired from my job. I could have been barred from most places of business and employment in colorado, with no legal recourse. I would have been barred from even seeking help from the justice system. Thankfully, a lawsuit was filed immediately, and the US supreme court overturned the ammendment.

Focus on the Familiy, and James Dobson specifically, felt that allowing gays and lesbians to even petition for help from our legal system would undermine those "family values" he is trying to uphold. I have abolutely no respect for any man or organization that not only wants to allow me to be prevented from having access to housing, employment, or even the right to enter a shopping center, but wants to prevent me from even seeking help through legal methods.

They should change the name of their organization to : Focus on the white, middle class, Christian, non-divorced family. Then it might be a more accurate name.

Dobson was very forthright about what HIS interpretation of God's word is. Thank God we don't live in a nation (yet) in which one man can force his extremely narrow view of what is right and wrong on the rest of his. Not all Christians believe as he does. He is welcome to his beliefs and welcome to make sure his followers believe as he does. But he and his group need to stay way the hell away from me and mine. I would never trust my welfare and safety to leaders who follow these types of teachings. It makes me a bit nervous to have someone smile sweetly at me and say: "I love you as a Christian, but you are an abomination in the eyes of God, and you will burn forever in hell". Yea, definately has my best interests at heart. Bet you lots of money that he and his group will be in town, lending all the help they can to reverse the city's domestic partner regtistry and the city benefits.


*sorry for the rant, but the blood pressure was a bit high around Focus.

[QueSi2Opie]

Watched South Park tonite, that sums up relgion for me

[Brooksider]

I'm with you Tat. I got Dobson out of my newspaper as a regular feature.

[StL_Dan]

Soooooooooo.......did any of you besides Que watch the show and hear the dialogue?

[QueSi2Opie]

Soooooooooo.......did any of you besides Que watch the show and hear the dialogue?

Basically a new evil prophet, magician David Blaine, was starting up a suicide cult. So Jesus Christ trys to convince Blaine's followers not to kill themselves, however, the powers of Christ are no match for David Blaine's magic. After Christ realizes that he cannot defeat Blaine alone, he calls up his Super BEST Friends to assist him. These friends consist of Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed and Krishna. Together they defeat Blaine and save about 75% of his followers...poor Kenny was among the dead of course. Anyhow, the moral of the story was that if all of Earth's religions can work together they can defeat evilness

[SonicBoi]

Um, I don't think that was the show he meant.

[DanCa]

Focus on the Family is basically nothing more than an anti-gay propaganda organization. They create false statistics to demonize and de-humanize gay people. The statistics are so outrageous that Fred Phelps quotes them. Things like the average gay male life span is 38 years old (lesbians not much better at something like 45), average gay man has hundreds of sex partners per year, has sex in alleys, spreads disease that could kill your children, gay couples fight and batter each other. These people use religion to spread fear and hatred and further their own political and financial agendas.

That said, is this really an appropriate topic for this board? I don't come here to discuss religion. No one is going to change anyone's mind or beliefs.

[StL_Dan]

Focus on the Family is basically nothing more than an anti-gay propaganda organization. They create false statistics to demonize and de-humanize gay people. The statistics are so outrageous that Fred Phelps quotes them. Things like the average gay male life span is 38 years old (lesbians not much better at something like 45), average gay man has hundreds of sex partners per year, has sex in alleys, spreads disease that could kill your children, gay couples fight and batter each other. These people use religion to spread fear and hatred and further their own political and financial agendas.

That said, is this really an appropriate topic for this board? I don't come here to discuss religion. No one is going to change anyone's mind or beliefs.

That's a pretty generic, emtionally based reaction.

Have you ever actually tried listening to the basis for Focus' "anti-gay" agenda and approaching it from a logical standpoint?

BTW.......Focus on the Family, nor any other true Bible believing church, promotes, accepts or encourages "Christians" like Fred Phelps and his actions/agenda. He is clearly a false prophet-like individual that USES the facade of Christianity and distorts Christ's teachings for his own hateful agenda.

Satan is clearly using him to marginalize, compromise and destroy the image of Christians in the eyes of the secular world. And, judging by your comments, he has been successful.

And for that, I apologize.....

The Bible says that "by our fruits will shall be known.". The fruits of Phelps and his following are most definitely NOT those of a life guided by Jesus and the Bible.

[StL_Dan]

That said, is this really an appropriate topic for this board? I don't come here to discuss religion. No one is going to change anyone's mind or beliefs.

Yes....the "General KC" sectio of this forum is a perfectly acceptable place to discuss such issues.

I believe our moderator, KC, will uphold that statement.

[DanCa]

I still don't find this an appropriate place to post this sort of thing. What does it have to do with Kansas City or urban development? Nothing that I can see. I have no reason to discuss religion with you.

[StL_Dan]

I still don't find this an appropriate place to post this sort of thing. What does it have to do with Kansas City or urban development? Nothing that I can see. I have no reason to discuss religion with you.

I don't think I can answer that question without referencing two facts:

General Kansas City - talk about anything here.

AND there is a "KC Sports" section on the forum.......what does discussing wins/losses and other stuff about the Chiefs, Royals and KU have to do with urban development?

[stlouguy]

I agree DanCa, I think this was posted just to stir the pot.

[/quote]That's a pretty generic, emtionally based reaction.
Have you ever actually tried listening to the basis for Focus' "anti-gay" agenda and approaching it from a logical standpoint?[quote]

What is logical about lies that are used to try to turn people against others?

[StL_Dan]

I agree DanCa, I think this was posted just to stir the pot.

A. I didn't post it to "stir the pot". There has been lengthy, respectful, willing conversation between myself and others on this forum regarding this issue a few days before Dobson appeared on King's show. Since the Dobson interview focused on the same subject that a few of us were dissecting, I thought it would be interesting to see if anyone had seen the interview and had comments about it. Those that responded were not the posters I originally had the conversation with.


B.

What is logical about lies that are used to try to turn people against others?

That is merely your opinion.....definitely not anywhere close to fact.

[GuyInLenexa]

Many things that Dobson wrote about regarding raising children I agree with, however creating a “homosexual agenda” is something I do not agree with.
To be totally UN-PC, I would say the major threats to organized conservative Christianity is themselves and Islam.
Being gay is not a “chosen lifestyle”. It is something that can not be changed, no matter how hard you try or pray for it to. I have friends that went to such ministries as Exodus, the ended up sleeping with the ministers.
As far as this being a forum for such discussions, I think this is an issue and particularly an urban issue.
All people’s rights should be respected. Including Dobson’s.
The Bible only mentions gay sex in maybe five to ten parts, it says nothing though of women with women.
Many other sins such as hate, jealousy, adultry are mentioned many more times, we just don't seemed to be as interested in these sins.
God will judge, not people
LG

[tat2kc]

there is no homosexual agenda. I just double checked my membership packet, could not find it. Maybe I lost it.

Seriously, no one who is active in civil rights or is concerned about equality, actually believes there is some kind of agenda. All we want is to be treated with respect and dignity. If thats an agenda, then yes we are guilty.

[GuyInLenexa]

I agree, the only gay agenda I have is working out and tanning.
I do believe there is a right wing Pseudo Christian agenda that seems to be rearing its head.
In order for TV evangelist to raise money, they need a scape goat. Communists are gone. Muslims fire back. Who else is there to go after?
The Christian world had same sex rites until around the time of the Crusades, this is in the Vatican.
Sexual morays are more cultural than relegious. Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, if it was such an important issue, he would have.

LG

Yes, there are gay people in Lenexa....

[QueSi2Opie]

[quote="GuyInLenexa"]Being gay is not a “chosen lifestyleâ€

[Rooster_Ties]

My wife and I both saw the Larry King show in question, with Jim Dobson as the guest. We were amazed, saddened, and at times disgusted with much of his "logic" for why gays and lesbians are supposedly out to "destroy marriage" and to "destroy the American family".

One of the supposed "facts" that Dobson cited (and presented as if it pertained to nearly all homosexuals), is this amazing quote, which I'm paraphrasing very closely to the original quote (I taped the show, and we played this quote back several times, listening with amazement at this claim)...

Dobson said he "couldn't understand why gays would even be interested in marriage, since studies have shown that gays normally have as many as 300 to 1,000 sex partners over their lifetime."

When in fact a very small percentage of both gay and straight people have that many sex partners. The way Dobson presented this statistic, he clearly aimed to paint nearly all gays as being extremely promiscuous.

My wife and I have a number of friends who happen to be gay or lesbian. And never, not even once, has their sexual orientation been the least bit threatening to me, or to my wife, or to our marriage. (Nor do we think that their sexual orientation has ever been threatening to any of the straight friends that we all have in common.)

If you follow Dobson's logic literally, then straight people who aren't having children (by choice) are just as much of a threat to "the American family" as gay people. After all, one of the main faults Dobson finds with gays is that they cannot be a family, since "they will not and/or cannot have children".

By the way, I don't believe this post of mine is highly charged, nor is it filled with hate for Dobson or anyone who believes similarly to him (about the subject of homosexuality). My point is to point out where his logic falls entirely flat.