"Focus on the Family," glass houses, a Philanderer and an "Ex-Gay" Gay

[Maddy McCall]

I guess Dobson thought the scandals of his own "ministry" had been forgotten. Well, here ya go!


A Philanderer:

Focus on the Family official resigns, admits extramarital affair
October 17, 2000
Web posted at: 4:05 PM EDT (2005 GMT)


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- A top official and radio announcer for Focus on the Family said he has resigned from the conservative Christian group because he had an extramarital affair.

Mike Trout abruptly quit last week. In an interview Monday with The Gazette, he admitted to an "inappropriate relationship with a woman other than his wife and had no choice but to resign from a ministry that stresses the sanctity of marriage."

Trout, 53, is best known as the on-air partner of the founder and leader of the ministry, James Dobson. Dobson is a key figure in the conservative Christian movement and earlier this year criticized George W. Bush, claiming the Republican presidential candidate was sacrificing conservative values to appeal to a broader base.

The ministry has declined to discuss the factors behind Trout's resignation, citing legal and privacy concerns.

Trout, who has been married for 31 years, declined to discuss details of the extramarital relationship, but said that the woman was not a Focus on the Family employee and that the relationship was over.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/17/conservative.resignation.ap/

The "ex-gay" Gay: (pffft!)

Focus On The Family Stands Behind Paulk
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (EP) -- Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson is standing behind John Paulk, who heads up Focus on the Family's homosexuality and gender issues division. Paulk, a former homosexual, attracted media attention recently after admitting to a visit to a gay bar in Washington, D.C.

Paulk, who initially claimed he only entered the bar to use the restroom, later admitted that he went to the bar to socialize. Speaking later on Dobson's broadcast, Paulk said guilt over his lies forced him to tell the truth. "Finally the Lord said to my spirit, 'You know, John, you are My son. You are accountable to Me, and you must walk rightly before Me. You must be honest with Me, and you must be honest with man...and then Satan can't hurt you,'" Paulk said.

Dobson said Paulk will be disciplined for his mistake, but added that the ministry will stand behind Paulk as he rebuilds his credibility.

"Christians have a reputation for shooting their own wounded," Dobson said. "Who among us has not flirted with temptation? We...won't abandon those who are wounded and hurt by their sin if they turn away from it. This was not a return to wickedness and depravity and we are going to stand with the Paulk family."

http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20001012d.htm


And Corporate Repentance: :wtf:

Focus on Family shows 'repentance'

Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS — Focus on the Family's 1,350 employees prayed, joined hands and circled the ministry's offices to show "corporate repentance and confession" after recent embarrassing revelations about two of its leaders.

"Satan has thrown just about everything in his arsenal at us in the last several weeks as you know," Focus on the Family President James Dobson told the staff in a recorded message Friday. "I am certain those who hate our cause are doing everything they can to undermine and to discredit it."

The $116 million Colorado Springs Christian ministry is going through tough times. Mike Trout, a senior vice president and well-known radio show co-host, resigned Oct. 11 after admitting to an extramarital relationship.

A Focus division chief, John Paulk, was allowed to keep his job after visiting a gay bar in September and lying about it. Paulk, an avowed former homosexual, has been pulled from the speaker list of Saturday's "Love Won Out" conference, which teaches that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice that can be overcome through prayer and therapy.

As a result of the Trout and Paulk incidents, the ministry has become the target of jokes on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Politically Incorrect.

http://www.rockypreps.com/news/1105focu5.shtml

[rodeodance]

1. works on air with Dobson, the guy who "outed" Sponge-Bob!!

[REP]

2. I'm Shocked, I Tell You! Shocked!

Was Paulk spotted with SpongeBob? Is that how they "know" SB is gay?

[ashiebr]

5. I suppose we now know.....

...the answer to the question about who gives best head, men or women. Paulk has done both and ends up where?

[goddess40]

3. did you ever notice it isn't until AFTER they get caught

that they step down. Sends a strong message that it's OK as long as you don't get caught.
It's the same message the right sent about Clinton's stupidity, it's OK to do Monica just don't lie to us white guys about it.

[cap]

7. these words were not said by the RW to Clinton

Dobson said Paulk will be disciplined for his mistake, but added that the ministry will stand behind Paulk as he rebuilds his credibility.

"Christians have a reputation for shooting their own wounded," Dobson said. "Who among us has not flirted with temptation? We...won't abandon those who are wounded and hurt by their sin if they turn away from it. This was not a return to wickedness and depravity and we are going to stand with the Paulk family."

[kweerwolf]

9. That explains it!

Dobson said Paulk will be disciplined for his mistake

Well, I guess that explains the all-leather fetish ensemble, the nipple clamps and the riding crop.:evilgrin:

[ashiebr]

11. Surely the point is........

...that he lied about it!!!!

[Crankie Avalon]

4. People with a well-adjusted attitude toward sex...

...don't go around obsessing over the sex lives of others.

These "Focus on the Family" and "Focus on Everybody's Bedroom" types ALL have mental disorders of varying degrees of severity related to their OWN sex lives (or lack thereof).

If they were normal, it would never even occur to them to pry into the sex loves of others. They know they're sick, which makes them think everyone else should be too, and trying to point out the supposed "sickness" of others is a defense and distraction from having to face the true sickness--their own neuroses.

[imenja]

6. sounds like a case for stoning

[MsTryska]

8. hmmm.....

"Paulk, who initially claimed he only entered the bar to use the restroom...."

hmm...i'm a striaght woman, and even i can say "glory-hole".

[kweerwolf]

10. Coming up on FOX ... "Dobson Knows Best"

Let's face it, all the shenannigans at Focus on the Family would make for a great situation comedy.

Makes me glad to wear one of those buttons that reads: Focus on your own damn family!

[Maddy McCall]

12. kick

[JHB]

13. Past hidden dirt on Dobson

About James Dobson, Focus on the Family
By Gil Alexander-Moegerle

UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES

Consider the story of two book publishing companies, Focus on the Family, Incorporate(;, and Word, Incorporated, one of the largest publishing houses serving the conservative Protestant world. Both solicit, sign, publish, and pay authors for manuscripts and then publish and sell those books in commercial bookstores, making a profit in the process. Both solicit manuscripts from exactly the same pool of author-- those written by conservative Christians on subjects that would be considered of religious or spiritual help to the reader. Both produce books for sale in exactly the same bookstores. Both advertise and promote. Both enjoy revenue from such sales. However, one of these companies does all the above and pays its fair share of taxes while the other insists that it should not have to pay taxes and does not do so. This second business claims that it has a right as a 501(c)3 to opt out of its share of taxes but still uses the government services that taxes pay for. Why? What is the difference between Focus and Word with regard to the book publishing enterprises of each? Is one a national treasure like the Grand Canyon that we've all decided to preserve and subsidize while Word is on its own to sink or swim in the great competitive marketplace? Are we, as American taxpayers, interested in digging a little deeper into our pockets when our tax bill arrives in order to support the publishing efforts of Focus on the Family, all the while discriminating against the equally valuable work done by Word by not subsidizing their enterprise?

Furthermore, taxes arc not some needless surcharge we inflict on wealthy business people for the fun of it, after which we lock the loot in our national treasury. Taxes pay for services that businesses need and receive from government agencies. The fact is that Focus and Word expect and require exactly the same city, state, and federal services in order to conduct their businesses. One of them pays for those services and one does not. Some of the local property taxes on a company pave the streets in front of its offices. Word pays for the streets its employees use. Dobson claims he should not. Those same taxes pay the electric bill for the lights on those streets. And they construct and maintain the water lines that feed those offices and the sewage lines that drain them. If either corporate staff dials 911, the police or fire fighters will do everything in their power to assist those employees with a crisis. One pays and one does not. Why do we tolerate the unfairness of one company paying for what it uses, while the other demands that everyone else in the community pay a portion of its bill when both compete nose to nose in the marketplace? Why do we accept the uneven competitive playing field created by this inequality?

Christopher Chang, a member of the staff of the city of Pomona, California, office of economic development supplied me with a report analyzing the precise impact on that city of the loss of property taxes, not to mention other taxes levied on normal businesses, when Focus on the Family was occupying office space in Pomona several years ago but not paying taxes. The report shows that Focus owned property with a valuation of $5,115,660, on which the property taxes during their three-year stay in Pomona would have totaled approximately $150,000. An estimated $150,000 in city services were used, but were not paid for by Focus on the Family. So who paid them?

The median annual household income in Pomona was $31,000 when Focus was located there. Pomona's population was 75 percent minorities. So minority families trying to survive in the Los Angeles area on $31,000 a year were given no choice but to pitch in a little extra so millionaire businessman Dobson, who lived twenty miles away in an upper-class white neighborhood, didn't have to pay any property taxes. Focus has not been able to sell its Pomona headquarters building since leaving town for Colorado in 1991. So that piece of property is still off the tax rolls to this day, and those neighbors are still paying for the street light in front of the vacant complex at 801 Corporate Center Drive. We can do better than that.
http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/fofcult4.htm

Or just Google for "Gil Alexander-Moegerle" for more sites

[Tigerlily1]

14. Invitation

The republican right wing nut jobs are without a doubt insane. Thankyou very much for this info! I have found a wealth of info here. I cannot start my own thread yet because I am a new member, but here is an invitation for you all . Please consider-
I would like to cordially invite you to battle out some crazy republican right wingers. I'm not very educated , but I am at least not stupid enough to be a republican right winger. The dems and libs on our forum are being squashed by the ruling republicans at that site due to moderators being staunch Bush supporters. They always favor the right wingers so dems and libs have to be intelligent enough to know the issues and speak politely. The site is actually about Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam an old rock/pop star. These right wingers do not hang out there because they like the guy, they hang out there to hush and dominate and spread fear and paranoia for republican right wing Christians. If you do decide you like a good battle please post something about Cats music first & trust no one . I believe with all my heart some organized right wing nutty organization is patrolling that site to enforce Islamophobia across the world and to promote GW's war agenda. Please come help I'm not eloquent enough or educated enough. The website is http://catstevens.com & you have to register first. Dobson has his supporters there in force *shrug*
Thanks,
Dana