3 hours ago
2
Dobson, who advised Trump and 4 different US presidents, was a fierce hostile of termination and LGBTQ rights.
Published On 21 Aug 2025
James Dobson, a arguable and profoundly influential Christian activistic who advised respective presidents, including US President Donald Trump and campaigned against termination and LGBTQ rights has died.
Dobson died connected Thursday astatine the property of 89, according to the Dr James Dobson Family Institute, which highlighted his relation successful “creating 1 of the largest faith-based organizations successful the world”. No origin was fixed for his death.
Born successful 1936 successful Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson, who was a kid psychologist, started a vigor amusement counselling Christians connected however to beryllium bully parents and successful 1977 founded Focus connected the Family.
At the tallness of his power successful the 1980s, Dobson was viewed arsenic 1 of the astir almighty figures successful the alleged “religious right” oregon “Christian right”. Critics viewed him arsenic an cause of intolerance, but helium had wide enactment successful the US heartland, wherever his folksy benignant and emotion for hunting went down well.
His organisation astatine its highest had much than 1,000 employees and gave Dobson a level to measurement successful connected authorities and service arsenic an advisor to 5 presidents.
Dobson successfully pushed for blimpish Christian ideals successful US authorities alongside fundamentalist giants, specified arsenic Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, campaigning for bringing spiritual conservatives into the governmental mainstream. With his regular vigor broadcasts heard connected much than 3,000 vigor stations successful North America, helium promoted his blimpish docket and promote like-minded radical to ballot for candidates who reflected their views.
This usually meant Republicans, although Focus on the Family’s tax-exempt presumption prevented it from explicitly endorsing parties oregon candidates.
Decades later, Dobson served connected a committee of evangelical leaders that advised Trump successful 2016. He supported Trump successful each 3 of his statesmanlike campaigns.
Dobson was a ferocious hostile of termination rights and cheery marriage, viewing some arsenic attacks connected the “traditional family” and, by extension, his imaginativeness of a functioning society. But helium denied charges from opponents that helium was a bigot.
“It is chiefly the homosexual activistic assemblage that has an docket and sees maine arsenic a menace to it, and truthful they mischaracterise maine arsenic hateful and vicious. I’ve been connected the vigor for 30 years and you volition not find 1 azygous remark [like that],” helium told Reuters successful an interrogation successful 2007.
He celebrated the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade – including Trump’s blimpish appointments to the US Supreme Court credited with the landmark determination that allowed states to prohibition abortion.
“Whether you similar Donald Trump oregon not, whether you supported oregon voted for him oregon not, if you are supportive of this Dobbs determination that struck down Roe v Wade, you person to notation successful the aforesaid enactment the antheral who made it possible,” helium said successful a ministry broadcast.
On societal media, portion immoderate mourned his loss, galore highlighted the trauma they had endured arsenic a effect of his work. Dobson had encouraged corporal punishment of children and was a fierce advocator for alleged conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific signifier aimed astatine forcibly changing the intersexual predisposition oregon sex individuality of LGBTQ youth.
“I cognize we’ll person to contend with James Dobson’s bequest for a agelong time, but I felt specified alleviation this morning,” Sarah Jones, a New York Magazine writer, posted connected X. “He committed his full beingness to unit and cruelty and present he’s gone. I’ve been waiting to constitute his epitaph since I was a child.”
Zach Lambert, a Texan pastor, wrote connected X: “It’s genuinely hard to quantify the symptom helium and his enactment are liable for. I’ve walked with hundreds and hundreds of radical who experienced terrible trauma (spiritual, emotional, physical, etc.) due to the fact that of his teachings.”
James Dobson’s bequest isn’t “family values” — it’s intolerance.
He blamed wide shootings connected LGBTQ rights & termination and reduced matrimony to a sexist bargain.
FFRF volition support warring the Christian nationalism helium championed.https://t.co/AtCBxY3OnQ
— FFRF (@FFRF) August 21, 2025
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·