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Dobson’s Focus on the Family humiliated by ‘Pray for Rain’ video

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As reported here over the weekend, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family employs Stuart Shepard to make short, “clever” religious-right videos for the evangelical powerhouse. Shepard creates these videos regularly, and most of them are entirely forgettable.

Last week, however, Focus unveiled a new video, asking politically-conservative Christians to pray for rain on Aug. 28, in order to disrupt Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Shepard called for “abundant rain, torrential rain … flood-advisory rain.” He adds, “I’m talking about umbrella-ain’t-gonna-help-you rain … swamp-the-intersections rain.” Explaining why he wants everyone to pray for rain, Shepard explains, without a hint of humor, “I’m still pro-life, and I’m still in favor or marriage being between one man and one woman. And I would like the next president who will select justices for the next Supreme Court to agree.”

In other words, Obama disagrees with the religious right on culture-war issues, so Focus on the Family wants God to smite Obama with rain. Got it.

Yesterday, some Colorado reporters picked up on this, last night, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann featured Shepard as the “worst person in the world,” and today, Focus is a little humiliated. (via my friends at Right Wing Watch)

Focus on the Family Action pulled a video from its Web site today that asked people to pray for “rain of biblical proportions” during Barack Obama’s Aug. 28 appearance at Invesco Field in Denver to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

Stuart Shepard, director of digital media at Focus Action, the political arm of Focus on the Family, said the video he wrote and starred in was meant to be “mildly humorous.”

But complaints from about a dozen Focus members convinced the organization to pull the video, said Tom Minnery, Focus Action vice president of public policy.

“If people took it seriously, we regret it,” Minnery said Monday.

Um, Tom? People took it seriously because Focus took it seriously.

Focus has disabled its own video clip, and has yanked it from online video sites

antibiotici-acquista.com

, but as it turns out, someone managed to post an additional copy to YouTube.

Shepard said yesterday, “It’s called hyperbole. It is meant to be humorous.”

Watch the clip. I don’t think he was kidding.

Comments

  • Lance

    says:

    Shepard said yesterday, “It’s called hyperbole. It is meant to be humorous.”

    It was meant to energize the Theocrat Wingnuts. There is nothing funny about that Shep.

  • The New York Crank

    says:

    Somewhere in the world it’s gonna rain that day. It’ll be hurricane season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if torrential rains fall, say, in New Orleans or Florida.

    When it does, let’s all remind the people whose homes get destroyed and basements get flooded that Shepherd was the one whose highly powerful prayers caused it.

    And when he declares what we’re saying is an outrage, let’s tell him, “Hey, it’s hyperbole. Where’s your sense of humor?”

    Crankily yours,
    The New York Crank

  • PJ

    says:

    Would it be so wrong if I pointed out what a pusillanimous, pedestrian, putz this guy is? Yes? OK, I won’t. It was just hyperbole.

  • God

    says:

    Ha ha, I always think flooding is fun to watch, especially when lots of people drown. And it’s all good: If bad people drown they died because they were bad, if good people drown it’s because I wanted them to come be with Me.

    Don’t like my attitude? Get ready for some Tornadoes.

    Worship me, or die.

  • burro

    says:

    Amazing how everytime they lift up their heads and show their faces covered with the dirt and poo that they wallow around in, they crack a big smile and say it’s all a joke. They are pathologically incapable of being accountable for anything.

    They’re hilarious if your sense of humor runs to Jackass and blenderizing live goldfish.

  • chrenson

    says:

    “Hyperbole?” Sounds like a fancy, elitist word!

    Would it be wrong of me to ask God to do any one thing to prove he even listens to these nutjobs?

  • sniflheim

    says:

    Shepard explains, without a hint of humor, “I’m still pro-life, and I’m still in favor or marriage being between one man and one woman. And I would like the next president who will select justices for the next Supreme Court to agree.”

    So the next time someone says this, it’s just a joke. The punchline is coming any minute. How are we supposed to be talking morals and values with these people again?

  • Racer X

    says:

    If it’s “just a joke” then they should leave it up, not try to hide it. Maybe put a little disclaimer on it, but scrubbing it makes you look… guilty?

  • NonyNony

    says:

    Yeah – the Focus folks overstepped a bit. There aren’t many Christian denominations that think it’s acceptable to pray for God to do bad things to people. The Phelps clan, a few other whacky fringe groups, and, I guess, the Focus on the Family folks. The “it was a joke” thing is probably for the non-fringe folks they expect to donate to the cause. I doubt it will mitigate things much because, really, those types of folks don’t joke about prayer.

  • NHCt

    says:

    Man, someone needs to explain to the right what humor is. Why is it that the things they find humorous are always mean-spirited, vindictive, and not actually funny? Makes me think they’re all douche bags.

  • slappy magoo

    says:

    I want all of these neoconservatice Christians to die from rectal cancer, and be force-fed to their children, who will explode from the cancer they’ve eaten so they can all be up with God together, and leave us heathens down here to clean up their Godawful mess…

    What? I’m JOKING! That means it’s not offensive! Right?

  • RepublicanPointOfView

    says:

    As Christians, we should attempt to do what Jesus would do. As Christians, we obviously should use our prayers to call for flooding in Denver. As Christians, we obviously should not use our prayers to call for rain in drought-striken areas of our country and the world.

    Just remember, Jesus would support republicans and would condemn democrats. As Joel Orsteen and other prosperity gospel preachers would tell you, Jesus taught that ‘It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a poor man to go to heaven.’

  • Skitso

    says:

    Humor, like truth, has a liberal bias (e.g. Stewart & Colbert). That’s why the wingnuts are so bad at it.

  • Lance

    says:

    Skitso said: “Humor, like truth, has a liberal bias (e.g. Stewart & Colbert). That’s why the wingnuts are so bad at it.”

    Now that is funny.

  • OkieFromMuskogee

    says:

    Re: Buba @ #14:

    The God in which a person believes indicates a lot about the believer.

    Buba believes in a loving God.

    Dobson and Shepard believe in a God who is a spiteful a**hole.

    Draw your own conclusions.

  • Steve

    says:

    Shepard is obviously joking. I called his “god” into the office the other day, explained in the most courteous of terms why his performance the past couple millenia hadn’t quite measured up to the very clear requirements of his job description—he was really behind on his Philistine-smiting quota, and tried laying some pathetic excuse on me about there being no Philistines left to smite (What the hell do you think all those nasty Republicans are—Salvation Army bell ringers? I said to him)—and I fired him on the spot.

    Y’see, Shepard’s “god” was one of those “at-will” employees. I can fire him without cause or ample notice, just as he could have quit without ample cause or notice.

    But since I fired him, I don;’t think Shepard could have been very serious about praying to some up-in-the-sky deity who’s not up in the sky any more.

    And there is no category for deities in the national jobs database, so Shepard’s “god” isn’t drawing unemployment checks, either….

  • joey (bjobotts)

    says:

    Wink and a nod bullshit. He was as serious as a heart attack. I have an email asking for prayer to “stop Obama before we become a nation under Allah”. It states that Bush was a prophet and is leading a holy war against Muslims. That Muslims are trying to take over the country and Obama would help them do that. Praying for God to smite those they disagree with politically is truly repulsive but to claim it is being Christian is pathetic.

    Christians have been praying for an end to war and torture and secret government..praying for change…a chance for change comes and now they have a choice between continuing this evil disaster or ending it…and these idiots want us to pray to stop this change we’ve been praying for. Yeah sure, more Christian to pray for “more wars”, torture, economic disaster, and the destruction of our environment.

    Insanity is some times defined by doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…so obviously, voting against Obama is continuing this insanity. How much more destructive does it have to get before these idiots recognize…this has got to change. Just pathetic

  • Writing Athena

    says:

    On August 5, I wrote an outraged indictment of this video and posted it on my own site and on MSNBC’s Newsvine.

    James Dobson’s Minion Urges Followers to Pray for Rainout of Obama Speech

    You would not believe how many visits that post has received, ESPECIALLY from Colorado Springs, Colorado. It seems that a few people at Focus on the Family are paid to monitor internet publicity about their creepy organization.

    Clearly, they should have done more in-house monitoring, because this video very aptly illustrates the cynical, unprincipled spirit at the heart of everything Dobson does or stands for.

  • skippy

    says:

    luckily, according the colo spgs newspaper article, several actual christians called up and pointed out how wrong it was to pray for harm coming to other people.

    by the way, an orange is colored orange.

  • Capt Kirk

    says:

    These guys just can’t help themselves. But haven’t you heard that “…every violation of the law is not necessarily a crime”? (It’s a new Mukasey.) I’m sure the same applies to the ten commandments. Good luck at the Pearly Gates with that!

  • slappy magoo

    says:

    I’m sure, during the Republican convention, lots of married neocons will be “making it rain” in strip clubs throughout the city.

    It will, of course, be under reported, if reported at all.

  • Richard

    says:

    Well…I suppose the real reason they pulled that turkey was the possibility of no rain. Certainly no torrential rain. If so what doe that say say about God and Dobson? That God does not listen to Wingers? That God is pro Obama?
    This was not an attempt at humor as anyone with half a brain can see. It was a stupid ploy that quickly was seen as such.
    The Dobson folks are liars.
    Richard

  • T-Rex

    says:

    It is excruciatingly tempting to pray for a rain of frogs and a plague of locusts at the Republican convention. But I don’t think I will, because if there is a God, She has a very twisted sense of humor. As you may recall, when Pat Robertson predicted that God would smite Disneyworld with a hurricane for hosting a Gay Pride event, the hurricane veered off course and plowed right through the heart of Robertson’s parish.

  • PeteCO

    says:

    Actually, we got that rain in Denver last Friday evening (about two inches in an hour) and it’s unusual to get more than one of those in a year.

    Having said that, what a stupid, infantile wanker that man in the video is. No doubt, I will see him in Hell.

  • davesmom

    says:

    I hope Focus on Family has paid its taxes. Or is it exempt? As it seems are most corporate groups…errr corporations.

  • Philippe

    says:

    In french, “Focus” reads as “faux-cul” ( wrong ass), which is slang for “hypocrite”… Seems to be fitting 🙂

  • MovingCool

    says:

    I pray that one day, the evil Conservatives will quit using abortion as the basis for all their evil doings. How can you combat one evil by committing another. You aren’t suppose to use prayer to wish harm upon others. How many people could possibly be killed while driving to and from the event if such weather came to be. This man is a typical, conservative, religious hypocrite. May the Lord deal with this fool as He sees fit.

  • Elbows

    says:

    Look I despise the religous right as much as the next guy but I don’t really think that was a SUPER SRS video. It seemed pretty lighthearted to me. Stupid, but I don’t think they were taking themselves too seriously.

  • Erik in Maine

    says:

    So if it doesn’t rain in Denver that night then it’s a sign that god wants obama to win and dobson will be voting for him….

    Right?

  • Dane Eidson

    says:

    I was offended by Stuart Shepard’s video, “Pray for Rain on Obama.”
    I am a father of Two Iraq war veterans. I speak only as a parent of Soldiers and not personally for soldiers.
    My youngest son was disabled by an IED just before Christmas of 2005. One of his buddies was kiiled while he was in flight back to the states for surgery to treat his wounds. Since this time more of his 2004 graduate Classmates of West Point and soldiers have died in action. My other son will be going back for a third tour to Iraq by the end of this year. He lost friends too.
    As a parent of Iraq war veterans and Obama supporter I know that the majority of Soldiers support Obama over McCain.
    I called Focus on the Family on August 15th, 2008. I shared this all the above with them. I told the Rep that by their actions that she and Focus on the Family believes God is a Republican, the Angels are Neo Cons and you have to be a far right wing conservative to make Heaven. This is when she began to yell at me. I told her that from the video of Mr. Shepard I believe she belonged to a cult. That they were deceived. The yelling continued. (Please Remember this conversation would have never began if it were not for the video.)
    She asked for my name and telephone number. I gave the information to her. The she asked if I were on their mailing list or received anything in the mail from their organization.
    The Rep told me that they were exercising Freedom of Speech and they had that right too. I agreed but I also reminded her they were the ones preaching to honor others and be respectful and we as Christians were to go the extra mile.
    No apology was offered from her or anyone from Focus on the Family. The only “apology” I seen was another video of Mr. Shepard and he was arrogant and mocked those who were offended by his video.
    Yes, Mr. Stuart Shepard was serious. And it is untruthful for him or Focus on the Family to state otherwise.
    As far as I know Focus on the Family or Mr. Shepard have not produced one video that addresses the hardship many of the Soldiers, disabled veterans, their families and the love ones of our fallen heroes go through each day. For a Christian ministry to have the focus on the family not to focus on these greatest of all our citizens speaks volumes of their sin of being a hypocrite.
    I am sick on the Evangelical movement being hijacked by far right Neo Con religious zealots that through their actions preach God is a far right neo con. I have stood against this shame for years now. And I have received a lot of heat for it from fellow pastors and Christians. I will continue to do so. And I do not hide behind a login name.

  • Just Wondering

    says:

    Since Tropical Storm Fay has been dumping torrential rain onto areas of the south that could very well be the areas where those evangelicals have been praying for rain to fall on obama, would that mean that God was not pleased by their “humourous” video request and decided to show them what torrential rain was all about?

  • Just Wondering

    says:

    on another note.

    Remember that other religious wacko that supported McCain? Hagee?

    He claimed Hurricane Katrina flooded out New Orleans because they had been planning to hold a gay pride parade the day she came ashore? I wondered after he claimed that what Mississippi had done to also be destroyed by Katrina’s wrath.

    And I often wondered this past spring, what sort of evil doing had been going on in the midwest for God to have caused all that flooding in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

  • Cloudhawk

    says:

    Monday morning, August 25, and the National Weather Service forecast for Denver for this Thursday evening: Clear skles, light winds, about 80 degrees, and a ZERO percent chance of rain. It seems that even God has a sense of humor when it comes to hate-mongering Christo-fascists like Dobson and his ultra-warped clown brigade.

  • Josey

    says:

    I think there’s a certain irony that the Focus on the Family prays for rain on the DNC Convention then God delivers a hurricanes/tropical storms. First Hurricane Fay, dumping record rainfalls in excess of 30″ on the Bible belt. Now Hurricane Gustav, what could be the coup de grace on New Orleans, on Monday the first day of the Republicans Convention up in Minnesota.

    God apparently has a hard on for those self-righteous bastards at Focus on the Family.