By Dr. James Dobson
Dear Friends,
Let me speak candidly to conservative Christians. I sense that many believers are struggling at this time. A spirit of fear and apprehension has gripped us as our nation has swerved to the far Left. Not since the Civil War has there been such consternation about who we are as a people and where the culture appears to be headed. America has been guided since the days of our founders by the Judeo-Christian system of values that was rooted in biblical truth. Now, every vestige of that identity is in the clutches of politicians who despise it.
Thirty years ago, I called this struggle a “civil war of values.” I also said that unless we rose to defend it, the battle for the heart and soul of our nation would be lost. That is exactly what was and is happening. Good people slept through the years when we could have preserved our freedoms. But now that foundation is being laid low. If it is destroyed, so will be our families, our Constitution, our schools and universities, our economy, our liberty to speak and worship as we choose, our sense of brotherhood, and our glorious military, whose young men bled and died to protect “America the Beautiful.” Indeed, Western Civilization appears to be on the verge of collapse. Today, the land we and our forefathers loved is being “fundamentally transformed,” as Barack Obama phrased it during his presidency. He never explained what he meant by that declaration, but we are seeing it coming to pass day by day.
I know many of you are discouraged, but the good news is that it is not too late to save what is left of this constitutional republic…if we act now! We simply can’t cut and run. We must defend what we have inherited. Our progeny will either thank us or condemn us for what we do right now. The first objective of today’s revolutionaries is to tear down monuments, rewrite textbooks, and sow discord throughout the nation. Their movement has many names. One of them is the “cancel culture,” which seeks to demolish everything that made America great. Would you have believed a time was coming when George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln would be scorned? That day is here. I worry especially about millions of children who are being taught to hate this country and disdain its heroes.
I could give many examples, but there are two bills in Congress that will, if they pass, be a coup de grâce for America. What Democrats are doing represents a consolidation of power like nothing our nation has ever seen. If these two bills become the law of the land, there will never be another free and fair election that will serve as checks and balances in the halls of government.
Elections have consequences, and in this case the victors will have seized the power to destroy this government that was designed to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” These new rulers now hold all the marbles. It might be too late to stop them, but we have to fight with all our resources.
Let me tell you about these two pieces of legislation that are being fast-tracked through the Congress. The first is a masterpiece of deception from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. It is HR1, falsely titled, “For the People Act of 2021.” It passed in the House on March 3rd. Every Democrat but one voted for it. Each Republican voted against it. As I write, this legislation will soon be considered in the U.S. Senate.
This outrageous bill seeks to dismantle our constitutional republic. That will be accomplished by changing election laws to tilt the balance of power irrevocably to the far Left. Before the last election, we warned that if Democrats assumed control of the White House and Congress, they would quickly move to ensure that they will never have to give up power again. HR1, and the act I will describe next, will be the realization of that nightmare.
My friend, Gary Bauer, succinctly summarized HR1, which will alter the election laws. (1)
• It bans commonsense measures like state voter ID laws.
• It mandates same-day voter registration, which increases the potential for voter fraud.
• It mandates voter registration when individuals sign up for welfare benefits and other public services. This will result in many illegal aliens being registered to vote.
• It mandates taxpayer-funding of political campaigns.
• It forces states to immediately register convicted felons to vote after they are released from prison.
• It forces all states to conduct redistricting by commissions, rather than the elected legislature.
• It dramatically expands the use of mail-in balloting.
Clearly, Democratic representatives are willing to override any sense of election integrity to produce a power grab. The only question is, will the Senate join this brazen plan to undermine our constitutional republic and destroy forever the integrity of U.S. elections? We cannot allow this to happen on our watch! America needs its patriots to stand strong and to be heard.
The second piece of legislation being rammed through the Senate is even more dangerous. It is called the “Equality Act.” This horrendous partisan measure has also been passed by the House of Representatives (again entirely along party lines). Despite its name, this bill has nothing to do with “equality.” On the contrary, it creates special rights based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” at the expense and detriment of all Americans. These are its mandates: (2)
• It would allow biological boys and men to enter locker rooms designated for girls and women, putting them at great risk. Schools in several states have already willingly embraced this lunacy. In Georgia, this absurd policy led to the sexual assault of a five-year-old girl. Sadly, there will be many more victims.
• Biological men will be allowed to compete in women’s sports, depriving female athletes of the chance to compete for championships and potential scholarships. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference allowed two male students (who identify as female) to compete against girls at the Connecticut track and field championships. Those men have now earned—or should I say, “stolen!”—no less than 15 women’s state titles that rightfully belonged to girls.
• Most damaging, this reprehensible legislation will gut existing protections for people of faith under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which provides a layer of protection against laws that infringe upon religious freedom. The bottom line—Christians and people of faith will become second-class citizens as LGBTQ ideology will trump God’s truth and biological reality. Ministries and churches could be forced to hire people that do not share their values and convictions regarding the sanctity of marriage and God’s design of men and women.
• It would harm both children and parents. Boys and girls in our overloaded child welfare systems could be left without a home when faith-based providers are forced to close their doors or abandon their beliefs that children do best in a home with a married mother and father. And parents could see their kids forcibly removed from their homes when parents refuse to enthusiastically support “gender transition” treatments for their children.
• Nearly all employers and recipients of federal funding would be barred in acting consistent with biblical beliefs about marriage or human sexuality.
• Nonprofit ministries, for profits, and even faith-based colleges and houses of worship will be coerced to compromise their biblical convictions and yield to the LGBTQ agenda or face defunding, fines, penalties, and potential closure.
• It will force medical professionals to abandon their oath to “do no harm” by participating in abortions or radical procedures related to “gender transition.”
To say the Equality Act is abhorrent is a gross understatement. The Senate is now on deck to consider this disastrous legislation; if it passes and is signed into law by President Biden, America will have raced past the point of no return in its embrace of LGBTQ orthodoxy. Attorneys are already lining up to bring suits against those who violate the provisions of this radical legislation.
Indeed, it seems there is no facet of life that wouldn’t be irrevocably marred. I can’t imagine a more comprehensive and malicious attack on faith, freedom, and family.
So, what is our hope? What stands in the way to keep these two legislative measures from passing?
We, the people, do and the legislators we put into office. And our voices must be heard.
Now is the time to engage our legislators like never before—we must write, email, and call our senators to let them know that we unequivocally stand in OPPOSITION to both HR 1 and the Equality Act. We cannot afford to be idle while our country is hijacked by the Left-driven agenda of the Democrat Party. If we do not act now, this window of opportunity that we have to save what we hold dear will close quickly, and America’s shining light to the world will go out. Please contact your senators and tell them to vote NO for HR 1 and the Equality Act.
We must also pray for God’s divine intervention. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin implored his fellow statesmen toward prayer as they were attempting to draft our U.S. Constitution. The challenges were many as the framework of our young country was being birthed. The future of America hung in the balance.
I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel… I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business. (3)
And now, we, too, face a watershed moment in the history of our nation. As I write this, Easter approaches. As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, let us anchor ourselves to the hope that lives within us, and pray fervently that we and future generations will retain the right to worship freely and independently from governmental restrictions. We must have free and independent elections if we are to protect this precious right.
God bless you and your family.
P.S. President Biden issued another dictatorial executive order on March 7, seeking to further entrench Democrats in Washington. As if Nancy Pelosi’s proposed bill, HR 1, doesn’t go far enough in changing election laws and stripping power from the states, Joe Biden has now issued his own decree on the matter. Democrats will leave no stone unturned in biasing the electoral process in their favor!
The President claims he wants to “improve access to voting.” Given recent events, and considering the content of HR 1, it is easy to see the Democrats’ vision for America. Do you want the President to change election laws unilaterally, to strip power from states, and to otherwise ensure that Democrats retain power permanently?! Or do you, like me, want to see our sweet land of liberty restored? There is no room for apathy anymore; let your voice be heard today!
To contact your senator, call (202) 224-3121, and ask the U.S. Capital switchboard to connect you with your senator’s office or visit online at www.senate.gov/senators to locate their contact information. You may also call the White House switchboard at (202) 456-1414.
(1) Bauer, Gary, “Leftists Seek To Guarantee Permanent Power,” Campaign for Working Families, End of Day email, March 3, 2021, https://www.cwfpac.com/wednesday-march-3-2021-leftists-seek-permanent-power-democrats-struggle-covid-bill-bidens-border
(2) Kramer, Sarah, “Think the ‘Equality Act’ Will Spare Churches and Religious Schools? Think Again,” Alliance Defending Freedom, February 10, 2021, https://adflegal.org/blog/think-equality-act-will-spare-churches-and-religious-schools-think-again
(3) Franklin, Benjamin, “Constitutional Convention Address on Prayer,” delivered June 28, 1787, American Rhetoric website, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/benfranklin.htm
(4) Somnmez, Felicia and Gardner, Amy, “Biden signs executive order promoting voting rights on 56th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday,’” Washington Post, March 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-voting-bloody-sunday-order/2021/03/07/ce45b082-7f60-11eb-9ca6-54e187ee4939_story.html
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