Dr. Dobson's Study > In Defending Marriage Take the Offensive! |
Dr. Dobson's Newsletter: April, 2004
In Defending Marriage Take the Offensive!
Dear Friends:
I write to you today with a profound sense of concern and apprehension for the welfare of the family, and indeed, for the future of our nation. I do not recall a time since the beginnings of Focus on the Family, 27 years ago, when the institution of marriage faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against it were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself. This is a time for concerted prayer, divine wisdom and greater courage than we have ever been called upon to exercise.
For more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family. The institution of marriage, along with an often weakened and impotent Church, is all that stands in the way of its achievement of every coveted aspiration. Those goals include universal acceptance of the gay lifestyle, discrediting of Scriptures that condemn homosexuality, muzzling of the clergy and Christian media, granting of special privileges and rights in the law, overturning laws prohibiting pedophilia, indoctrinating children and future generations through public education, and securing all the legal benefits of marriage for any two or more people who claim to have homosexual tendencies. These objectives that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago have largely been achieved or are now within reach. All that remains is for the movement and its friends in the media, the entertainment industry, the professions, the government and the military, to deliver the coup de grace to a beleaguered institution that was given to humanity by the Creator in the Garden of Eden. We in North America and Europe are not simply "slouching towards Gomorrah," as Judge Robert Bork warned in his best-selling book1; we are hurtling toward it.
To cite another metaphor, the old earthen dam that has held and protected the reservoir of Judeo-Christian values and beliefs since the days of our Founding Fathers has been leaking for decades. Even the most casual observer has witnessed greater structural damage each passing year. But in recent weeks, the entire superstructure appears to have given way. What thousands of homosexuals in San Francisco have achieved represents the collapse of the rule of law, with no legal or governmental official being willing or able to stop it or provide more than a temporary stay. A revolution of striking proportions now looms before us.
This is distressing for many reasons, including the historical perspective of Focus on the Family. We have fought for "the preservation of the home" since I left academia in 1977. That phrase appeared at the bottom of the first printed stationery, which summarized what we were attempting to do. We've been frantically waving a red flag ever since, warning our listeners and readers that the family was in mortal danger. Aided and abetted by arrogant, unaccountable and unelected judges who are determined to implement their vision of political correctness, thousands of unlawfully "married" gays and lesbians are fanning out across the nation, preparing civil rights suits and demanding recognition by the courts. Given the outrageous decision in Lawrence v. Texas (the so-called "sodomy case") and the disturbing rationale for it written by one of the most dangerous men in America, Justice Anthony Kennedy2, there can be little doubt that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon "find" a provision in the Constitution that guarantees homosexual marriage. If the people accept that decision passively, the issue will never be in question again. The institution of the family will have been destroyed.
Well, so what? How would sanctioning marriage between homosexuals be harmful to society? Why shouldn't the family, which they see as outmoded and irrelevant, be broadened and modernized? What harm could possibly be done by yielding to the demands of gays and lesbians? These are among the questions being asked frequently by the secular media, which is almost always biased in its responses. Columnist Steve Blow, for example, recently published an op-ed piece in the Dallas Morning News that addressed the question, "Gay Marriage: Why Would It Affect Me?" Blow said he had read one of my recent letters on this subject and disagreed emphatically with my perspective. He wrote:
". . . when opponents talk about the 'defense of marriage,' they lose me. James Dobson's Focus on the Family just sent out a mailer to 2.5 million homes saying: 'The homosexual activists' movement is poised to administer a devastating and potentially fatal blow to the traditional family.' And I say, 'Huh?' How does anyone's pledge of love and commitment turn into a fatal blow to families?"3
I will try to help Mr. Blow understand our concern, although I doubt if he really wants to "get it." He seems committed to "political correctness," along with others who hide in places where logic and facts cannot penetrate. Nevertheless, I'll offer 10 powerful arguments against lumbering into this untested and unprecedented social experiment, as follows:
This apocalyptic and pessimistic view of the institution of the family and its future will sound alarmist to many, but I think it will prove accurate unless—unless—God's people awaken and begin an even greater vigil of prayer for our nation. That's why Shirley and I are urgently seeking the Lord's favor and asking Him to hear the petitions of His people and heal our land. As of this time, however, large segments of the church appear to be unaware of the danger; its leaders are surprisingly silent about our peril (although we are tremendously thankful for the efforts of those who have spoken out on this issue). The lawless abandon occurring recently in California, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington and elsewhere should have shocked us out of our lethargy. So far, I'm alarmed to say, the concern and outrage of the American people have not translated into action.
This reticence on behalf of Christians is deeply troubling. Marriage is a sacrament designed by God that serves as a metaphor for the relationship between Christ and His Church. Tampering with His plan for the family is immoral and wrong. To violate the Lord's expressed will for humankind, especially in regard to behavior that He has prohibited, is to court disaster.
Here's the question of the hour: How can we stop the imperious courts and rogue local officials from overriding the will of the people, who continue to oppose homosexual marriage by a wide margin? There is only one answer. It is for the Congress and the state legislatures to pass a Federal Marriage Amendment to define this historic institution exclusively as being between one man and one woman. That is the passion of my heart at this stage of my life. Seven times in the past few months, I have joined more than 50 pro-family leaders in Washington, D.C., imploring members of Congress to protect the family while there is still time. I'm told that there is a brief window, now that the President has expressed his strong support, when a Federal Marriage Amendment might be possible. Still, the opposition to its passage is formidable.
It is terribly difficult to pass a constitutional amendment under the best of circumstances. It requires a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress and passage by three-fourths of the state legislatures. That has only occurred 27 times in our 228 year history.14 It will certainly not be easily accomplished this time. As I write, 34 senators (seven Republicans and 27 Democrats) are reportedly planning to vote against the FMA.15 Nothing short of a national outcry by the citizens of this country will secure the necessary support. We heard that repeatedly last week when we were on Capitol Hill. This is a time of destiny for our great nation.
Despite the danger that confronts us, I am hopeful that the death of the family can be averted. Most Americans still believe in the Judeo-Christian system of values, and millions of them are people of faith who are calling on the Lord for a miracle on behalf of our nation. That is the source of our confidence at such a perilous time.
As we approach the National Day of Prayer (NDP) on May 6, I am beseeching our brothers and sisters to pray in the public square for the survival of the institutions of marriage and parenthood, and to rally for the restoration of our First Amendment rights that are being stripped away, inch by inch. The theme of this year's NDP is "Let Freedom Ring," taken from Leviticus 25:10, which reads, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants" (NIV).
In addition to gathering on the National Day of Prayer, we are suggesting that our friends and supporters participate in what the NDP Task Force is calling "Freedom Five." The purpose is to commit five minutes a day to pray for the five centers of power. They are education, the media, the church, the family and the government (especially the judiciary). Perhaps a million people across the country will join in this effort. For information about NDP or about other prayer observances in your area of the country, please see the clickable map found at www.nationaldayofprayer.org.
I will leave you with this familiar story told in 2 Chronicles 32. There we read about King Hezekiah who had served God "wholeheartedly" during his reign. However, he eventually faced a terrible crisis when Sennacherib, King of Assyria, invaded Judah with 185,000 well-armed and trained warriors. They wiped out the defenders of every city that lay in their path. Then they laid siege to Jerusalem and demanded that Hezekiah surrender or be totally destroyed.
These are the irreverent words shouted by Sennacherib to Hezekiah and his defenders who were standing on the wall:
"Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? Who of all the gods of these nations that my fathers destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!"(2 Chronicles 32:13-15, NIV).Hezekiah along with the prophet Isaiah did what you and I would have done under those distressing circumstances. They cried out to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for deliverance. Hezekiah also encouraged his countrymen with these inspired words: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the King of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles" (2 Chronicles 32:7-8, NIV).
And indeed, the Lord did intervene as a result of the prayers of His people, delivering them from the hands of their enemies. That story should be of great encouragement to every believer who faces overwhelming odds at a time of great distress.
To summarize, let me say that Focus on the Family will not waver during this time of national urgency. By working with the other pro-family organizations and thousands of committed churches throughout the nation, we will strive to defend the principles that matter most. In so doing, we will likely be attacked, misquoted and maligned by the liberal media and by those whose views on marriage and sexuality are radically different from our own. We would covet your prayers during this time of intense debate. No matter what the odds, we are determined to stay the course. And may our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, bless us as we do.
Will you join me in this closing prayer?
"Heavenly Father, our great and magnificent King, we ask You to intercede on behalf of the institution of marriage and plead with You to save the family from those who would destroy it. With them is only 'an arm of flesh,' but our appeal is to the God of the universe who has never lost a battle. We do not deserve Your mercy, but we kneel humbly before You today and repent of our sin and disobedience. When the history of this era is written, let it be remembered as a time when righteousness was rediscovered and when the wickedness of this day would be transformed by a nationwide spiritual renewal that would sweep through the land. For this, we and future generations will be forever grateful."
Sincerely,
James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Founder and Chairman
HALLOWEEN: HARMLESS KID'S DAY OR SATAN'S PLAN OF DECEPTION?
By Pastor Greg DeWolf
It's October 1st Children, teenagers, and adults are all getting ready for that special "trick or treat" day when they can dress up in costumes and go to the neighborhood Halloween party. For years the veil had been drawn across the true origins of Halloween, Harvest festivals, and All Saints Day. This short presentation of the facts was put together to help you decide if you want your church, school, or children playing in Satan's backyard.
We will first look at the history of Halloween, which dates back some 2000 years before the days of Christianity, and see how this festival has evolved into today's modern celebration. Halloween is believed to have evolved from a people known as the Celts. The Celts followed religious beliefs that focused on pastoral deities and seasonal transitions. November 1st is when the Celtic winter and New Year begins. The feast, celebrated on October 31st, was for their god of death, known as Samhain. "Samhain marked the end of preparation for winter when the flocks had to be secured and harvested crops stored."1 This particular night brought excitement and fear. "The herds that were raised during the year were too plentiful for their primitive agriculture. Keeping the herd alive all winter wasn't possible, so only minimum breeding stock was kept. The rest were slain and salted to preserve the meat. Also, on Samhain the crops had to be gathered and anything unharvested was abandoned because Pooka, a nocturnal, shape-changing hobgoblin who delighted in tormenting humans, was believed to spend Samhain night destroying or contaminating whatever remained unreaped."2 This part of the festival has survived as today's Harvest Festival. This was just the beginning of the growing anxiety within the masses on this occasion. "The eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when the barrier between human and supernatural worlds were broken. Fiery tributes and sacrifices of animals, crops, and possibly human sacrifices were made to appease supernatural powers that controlled the fertility of the land. Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of non-human forces that roamed the earth during that period."
The overseers of the religious activities of the Celts were known as Druids. The Druids "were the religious sect of the Celtic people of Gaul and the British Isles. The Druids were the learned class of the day. They had independent hierarchy, regulating everything including the appointment of the high king, and all kings, nobles, and chiefs. They acted as priests, judges, physicians, educators, poets, astrologers, and magicians."4 The training to become a Druid was lengthy and is estimated to have taken some twenty years. Grades of initiation consisted of three classes: prophets, bards, and priests. The Druids taught and held the following beliefs: reincarnation, astrology, magic, divination, power of the circle, mysterious powers of plants and animals, worship of the sun, animal and human torture and sacrifice. The Druid's cruelty and magic were well known with the people of the day, being used as sacrifices, or being beaten, tortured, and sexually molested before they were killed by having their hearts torn out while they were still alive. A striking link between the Druids and witchcraft "is the fact that the Great Sabbats of the witches are identical with the four great yearly festivals of the Druids in Celtic countries; namely Beltane (30th April), Lughnessadh (1st August), Samhain (31st October), and Imbolcor Oimelc (2nd February)."5 The pagans were celebrating so well that the Catholic Church figured they would attempt to Christianize the celebration. Therefore, "in the 12th century, May 13th disappeared from the liturgical books,"6 as the day of All Saints and was moved to November 1st making October 31st All Hallows Eve or, as we know it today, Halloween. "The attempts to discourage the pagan celebrations were so unavailing that the festival was eventually banned from the church calendar. It was not until 1928 that the Church of England formally restored All Hallows to it's calendar, on the assumption that the old pagan associations of Halloween were, at last, really dead and forgotten; a supposition that was certainly premature."7 Halloween was also known as a great fire festival of the Celts. The Druids "had the people put out their hearth fires. The Druids built huge new years bonfires of oak branches, which they considered sacred. They burned animals, crops, and possibly human beings as scarifices."8 The customs we associate with Halloween today come from Irish immigrants in the 1800's and these activities have directly descended from the Celtic customs.
Halloween was, on the lighter side, "the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes."9
Now that we've seen the background of the Halloween celebration you're probably saying, "well, we don't practice any of those things, so why not celebrate this day and let the kids have some fun?"
I trust that after this next section you won't have those same questions. Let us now look into the symbols of today's Halloween and trace them back through history to see their origins: Bobbing for Apples: This part of the pagan festival was used for divination. In fact, the first person that caught an apple would have the blessings of the best crops. Apple bobbing was also used to predict future marriages and the assurance of that persons love.
Roasting Nuts: Nuts were thrown into the fire in hopes of finding the one you would marry.
Costumes: The use of costumes was part of the Festival of the Dead. The people would wear masks to be a visible representation of ghosts, goblins, or dead loved ones that lurked about on Halloween night.
Pumpkins: The Druids carried with them hollowed out turnips with a candle lit inside which is believed to have been made with human fat. This turnip was believed to contain the Druids personal evil spirit. This evil spirit was released upon any house that didn't participate in the giving of food to the Druids. Another way the turnip was used is this. The Druids would go house to house asking for food or for a virgin. If the house participated, the Druids would leave behind their turnip, which contained their evil spirit, and when the demons rose from the grave they would see the turnip on the front step and bypass that house, saving it from destruction. When Halloween came to the United States, the turnip was dropped for the much larger pumpkin, which is still in use today.
Trick or Treat: The Druids would go house to house and ask for food or a virgin for the sacrifice. If the people didn't give them what they wanted then the Druids would play a trick on the household. Another practice was the spirits would rise from the grave on October 31st and go to the home of their origins. If there weren't food offerings left, then the spirits would play a trick upon the house (burn down the house, poison the well, cause disease in the household or in the herds). Today, "trick or treat" is still being practiced with kids doing destruction to personal property if there is no treat.
Today, these past-times are handed down to our children as harmless games, but are they really harmless?
Now you can see how Halloween, All Saints Day, and Harvest Festival are tied into the occult. But you say, "That's still not enough!" Okay, lets look at Halloween today! Halloween is still the witches and Satanists most powerful day. In fact, records show us that murders, suicides, rapes, fires, graveyard desecrations, and all out chaos happens more on Halloween than any other night of the year. Newspapers explode with articles starting about a week before Halloween and continuing for weeks afterwards. Public schools start the Halloween propaganda on October 1st, getting more and more information to the children on or before this occultic day. In fact, some school have taken children out of the classroom to see mock rituals performed where the teachers pretend to be witches right before the children's eyes. By the way witchcraft and Satanism are legal religions and enjoy tax-exempt status. What else takes place on Halloween? Witchcraft and satanic covens get together and prepare for their rituals. These rituals come in many different forms, from the Great Rite, animal and human sacrifice, to the practice of modern divination. The sacrifices come in many different ways, from ritual murder, to the poisoning and tampering with candy or fruit. Also, on this night there is an increase of abducted children, teenagers and adults, who are believed to be used in the coven rituals.
What then should the response of the Christian be? We should stick to God's Word!
Deuteronomy 18:9-14
9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in {10 Or who makes his son or daughter pass through} the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
This scripture makes it quite clear that we are to stay away from these practices.
Deuteronomy 29:26, 27
26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.
27 Therefore the LORD's anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.
This verse shows us to stay away from other false gods.
1 Thessalonians 5:22
22 Avoid every kind of evil.
1 Corinthians 8:9
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
God's Word is quite clear what our stand is to be, and that brings up the point of, what are we to do on Halloween? Empty the churches on this occultic day. Get to the streets to witness the salvation of Jesus Christ. Stay at home and have another family over for dinner and fellowship. Hand out tracts instead of candy that could be tampered with. Petition your school that this religious day should not be recognized. Contact your pastor and express your concerns over Harvest Festivals and their celebration.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) The Encyclopedia of Religion
Macmillian Publishing 1987
2) The Witches Bible Vol. 1
Janet and Stewart Farrar 1984
Magickal Childe Publishing Page 121
3) The Encyclopedia of Religion
Macmillian Publishing 1987
4) Witchcraft, Magic, and Occultism
W.B. Brow 1979
Wilshire Book Company, Page 100
5) An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present
Doreen Valiente 1984
Phoenix Publishing Company Page 97, 98
6) New Catholic Encyclopedia
McGraw-Hill Volume 1 1967
The Catholic University of America Page 318
7) An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present
Doreen Valiente 1984
Phoenix Publishing Company Page 165
8) The New Encyclopedia Britannica
Volume 5 1986
Page 646
9) The World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Inc. Volume 9 1986
Page 24-26
All Bible Quotations taken from New International Version Bible.