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February 2010
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Focusing Focus on the Family (Action)

One of the more important, if not crazy nuts, organizations in the United States is Focus on the Family.

Focus on the Family’s goal is to help family thrive, and claims as its mission:

Focus on the Family is a global non-profit Christian organization with a vision for healing brokenness in families, communities and societies worldwide through Christ. The purpose of the ministry is to strengthen, defend and celebrate the institution of the traditional family and to highlight the unique and irreplaceable role that it plays in God’s larger story of redemption.

Its guiding principles include: (1) being evangelical, (2) the permanence of marriage, (3) value children, (4) sanctity of human life (5) social responsibility, and (6) value of male and female.

Reducing their bullshit, you get: (1) convert everybody, (2) no man on man or woman on woman marriage, (3) kids need to be brainwashed into believing the Bible, (4) abortion is bad, (5) support family, church, and (conservative) governments, and (6) girls belong naked, barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen serving their Man.

Now, not to be confused with Focus on the Family is Focus on the Family Action, which is:

Focus on the Family Action is a cultural action organization that is completely separate from Focus on the Family, legally. It has been created by separating out of Focus on the Family those activities which constitute lobbying under the IRS code so that they can be expanded in scope. It will provide a platform for informing, inspiring and rallying those who care deeply about the family to greater involvement in the moral, cultural and political issues that threaten our nation.

Like any good organization, every once in awhile the folks at Focus on the Family Action go through a (re-)visioning process where they ask their constituencies what should be done in the future.

What do you think of social policy? What are the issues you’re concerned about? Rising Voice is a forum for discussion and a channel for you to give input and help us shape social policy at Focus on the Family Action. We want to hear your thoughts, learn your needs and, hopefully, provide helpful information and resources to help you impact your corner of the world.

So, on with the survey:

What are the social and political issues you care about?

I believe deeply in four issues: (1) gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer rights (including, but not limited to: gay marriage, gays in the military, employment non-discrimination act, as well as banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in all organizations, including religious based institutions); (2) environmental protection; (3) banning/eliminating nuclear weapons and nuclear energy; and (4) economic development policies that benefit everybody—it is not a zero-sum game and a rising tide lifts everybody.

How do you decide what issues are most important?

I believe that humans should not hurt other humans. I also believe that humans should minimize their impact on the planet to the most reasonable possible extent.

What can we do to reach your generation with a conservative message (what obstacles do we need to overcome)?

In order to reach my generation with a conservative message you will need to get into the schools and actively prevent the teaching of evolution, encourage the use of the bible as text in classes as diverse as biology, sex education, and history. At the same time you should strive to reduce the high school graduation rate to the lowest possible rate, encouraging students to drop out and spend more time in church with the bible instead of reading fact- and reality-based books.

How would you change the way groups like Focus on the Family Action engage in culture or politics?

I would encourage you to quit.

What inspires you to get involved in a political cause?

I am inspired by hope for the future: the opportunity to make all people, regardless of race, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or whatever, equal.

How can we help equip you to make a difference in your community, country, and world?

Osama bin Laden is inspired to counter your message, so I would encourage you to quit. Whenever your organization speaks out it sends the wrong message about western values to everybody, both people in the so-called Judeo-Christian “western” world and to people in the Muslim world.

Maybe you would like to offer Focus on the Family Action your own thoughts as well at the Rising Voice Survey.

3 comments to Focusing Focus on the Family (Action)

  • “What are the social and political issues you care about?” You forgot a really important one; the unequal Social Security benefits that cost us (collectively) hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
    Loved your answer to “What can we do to reach your generation with a conservative message (what obstacles do we need to overcome)?” At first I thought you were serious, but I finally awoke to the truth.
    “What inspires you to get involved in a political cause?” I have given up on politics in the US. Obama was the last straw. I actually used to believe that voting made a difference. Now, I know it makes no difference at all. Not with the two-party system we have here.
    Osama Bin Laden is dead. Has been for several years.

    • I’m not really familiar with social security benefits — if you’re talking about differences between different gendered married couples and same sex (non-married) couples, that might not have been specifically listed in my list, but it’s covered.

      As for Obama — he is making a huge difference. He might not be going as far as I would have liked, but he’s such an improvement over his predecessor on so many levels that it’s hard to express it accurately. On the most important issue to me (when it comes to picking between McCain and Obama)–international respect–Obama has done more to restore America than I ever could have imagined. Hillary could not have done what he has accomplished. (And remember, it could have been McCain and PALIN in office–that would have been really awful.)

  • Oh great! Now they are fracturing ino non-profit and for-profit wings.

    I think we can call the for-profit one Hate Inc.