James Dobson: 'Sorry Ted, I'm Too Busy To Cure You Of The Gay'

How was your Thanksgiving? Good good.

Instead of realizing that being gay is not a choice and that gays are not just in big cities, but all around us in our friends and families, and that society forcing gays to repress themselves does great emotional and psychological harm, the leaders of the religious right learned the opposite lesson from the Rev. Haggard revelations.... if a gay person is revealed in your midsts, you must force them back deeper and deeper into the closet and pray away their gay. If you have the time.

Via Think Progress-

Ted Haggard was one of the most prominent evangelical leaders in the nation until he admitted to having a sexual relationship with a male prostitute and buying meth.

Focus on the family founder James Dobson, who considers Haggard a “close friend,” told CNN’s Larry King last night that he was “asked to serve on a three person restoration panel.” One purpose of the panel, Dobson acknowledged, was to “restore [Haggard] from being gay to not gay.” Dobson said he didn’t have time to participate, however, because such a process “could take four or five years.”

If meth hadn't been involved, it might only have taken two or three years.

And Andrew Sullivan shares a 1981 quote from former Republican senator Barry Goldwater-

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them...

There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'"

Remember- It is people like Mr. Dobson, not Mr. Goldwater, who have controlled the Republican party for the last 25 years or so. Are the members of the party willing to reverse this sad course? Did the election teach them a lesson about the price of extremism? All indications thus far (ie. this talk of Mitt Romney as the '08 presidential candidate) point to 'no' as an answer. They want to all sit around and pretend they're the party of Goldwater and small government and civil liberties and fiscal responsibility, while ignoring that they drove the car off the cliff, and sniping at the Democrats for the way they are attempting to tow that car. Just as well. The longer they stay their course, the longer they will remain out of power.