The War on . . . SPONGEBOB!!
Yup. You read that right. Dr. James Dobson has declared war on the heathen cartoon sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
"Does anybody here know SpongeBob?" Dr. James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, asked the guests Tuesday night at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies to celebrate the election results.
SpongeBob needed no introduction. In addition to his popularity among children, who watch his cartoon show, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."
Now, Dr. Dobson said, SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."
So, promoting tolerance is bad? Well, Gooooleeee, I gues we have our values all out of whack. I am sorry, but this is just as STUPID as when Dobson's buddy Falwell got into a tizzy claiming that The Teletubbies were gay.
For being 2 of the most visible faces of the Christian community, these guys are making me ill. You do not have to condone or even accept others lifestyles, but last time I checked tolerance was a good thing.
If you are claiming to be a preacher of the Gospel, for cryin' out loud. Do it. The Gospel preaches tolerance and forgiveness and love. The judgement this is best left to the Big Guy.
This has gone on longer than I expected, but i guess it must have struck a nerve.
(BTW hat tip to Oliver Willis for pointing out the article.)
4 comments:
Well, I see one big difference: I don't think Dobson wasn't calling SpongeBob gay. He was objecting to the use of a popular media character to advance beliefs that are antithetical to the Gospel. (On the other hand, if he was calling SpongeBob gay, so, too, are gay men.)
Another difference: Dobson, and many other Christians, believe homosexual practices to be sin. Christians cannot tolerate sin without being complicit in such sin. The toleration of "sexual identity" is little more than the call to tolerate a set of sexual practices. (More to the point: to assume that children have a sexual identity is just flatout unscientific and, in my view, a form of child abuse.)
So, I think what you take for Dobson's intent is deeply mistaken--he does not advocate a lack of tolerance as you claim.
Tolerance is to live the golden rule. The ad is teaching kids to look at people as people (religion, race, sexual identity). No matter how one feels about homosexuality one should agree with that.
I feel that acceptance is what you are getting at. I think that is different than tolerance. (I am working on a post about that).
As you say, maybe (and I hope this is the case, but from what I have heard/read from/about Dobson that is iffy) Dobson is not advocating intolerance, why is it then that homosexuality is what is so evil. According to the logic you present shouldn't he be bubblin' over about those who are not Christian instead.
Why is it better to attack homosexuality for being outside the gospel, but make no mention about of other faiths being outside the gospel?
That is why I question Dobson's motives. Maybe this logic makes sense only to me, that is fine, but why is homosexuality the whipping boy (no pun intended)?
Forgive my incohearance, for I am not the greatest communicator via the written word.
(I posted a comment earlir, but it has not loaded...weird. Here is my attempt to recreate it)
Tolerance is to live the golden rule. I don’t think anyone disagrees with that. Tolerance does not necessarily mean acceptance. Some Christians believe homosexuality to be a sin. They do not have to accept it. That does not mean they should not show tolerance. Treat them as they would like to be treated. Treat everyone as a human no matter race, religion or sexual identity. That is what the ad is saying.
You say that Dr. Dobson is not teaching intolerance towards homosexuals. I don’t know. Things I have read/heard from/about him make me think that is iffy. Why is homosexuality the thing he and other fundamentalist evangelicals seem to get so hopped up about? Because it is living contrary to the Gospel (in their reading of it)? What about the fact that the ad is advocating that people treat people of different religions as humans? Shoot, I would say that that is living contrary to the Gospel? Why is it ok to marginalize gays and not non-Christians?
This is why I am worked up about this. You can tolerate things about people and not necessarily accept those things. (I am working on a post about tolerance and acceptance).
It just seems that Dr. Dobson and his friends pick and choose.
This argument may make sense to nobody but me. Please forgive me, as I am not the best at communicating through the written word. (Let’s talk)
Christians are commanded to love all people, which means loving sinners, no matter what their prefered sin is. This does not mean, however, in downgrading our knowledge of what sin is so as not to appear "intolerant" (a word that has lost most of its meaning). If the Christian community seems overly-focused upon homosexuality, it is not because they have some sort of morbid homophobia inherent in all "unenlightened" Christian traditions, but because our society pushes the idea that homosexuality is perfectly acceptable.
We are called to accept all people as they are, but the Church would be failing her mission if she simply told them to remain that way. She bears witness to the fact that mankind is messed up: we're beat up, broken, dysfunctional. Turn on the news if you don't believe me. The sickness in mankind is sin, and it comes in many guises and modes. The Church offers to diagnose the sin, and offers the cure, Jesus Christ. Just as the Church must offer Christ, she must also faithfully diagnose sin, and not try to obscure it or modify her understanding to conform to the surrounding culture. To obscure the truth and meld into overcrowding society's demands would be cowardly. Rather, the Church must lovingly present the truth, with the object of providing the healing of the sinner, not his condemnation.
Post a Comment