Rev. Welton Gaddy Scolds President on Dobson Visit on Iraq

Washington, D.C. – On this weekend’s “State of Belief,” The Interfaith Alliance Foundation’s show on Air America Radio, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy reads an open letter to President Bush chastising him for meeting with Jim Dobson and other Religious Right leaders about foreign policy issues.  Rev. Gaddy believes the meeting was intended to revive support for the war in Iraq with conservative Christians.

Addressing Bush directly, Rev. Gaddy says, “Frankly, the whole thing reminds me of your meeting with Pat Robertson back in early 2003 where you reportedly got Pat to jump on board with your plans to invade Iraq by suggesting …the whole thing would qualify as one of American’s finest moral hours,” said Rev. Gaddy.

This combination of religion and politics is especially dangerous because many Religious Right leaders hold a literal interpretation of the Apocalypse: that a conflict in the Middle East is necessary in order for Jesus to make his second coming on Earth.  Dobson left the meeting with renewed passion for foreign policy, an odd change of pace for someone usually concerned with school vouchers, gay marriage, and abortion.  He said on his radio show that it is only a matter of time before the United States “loses a city, or two, or three, or four” at the hands of Radical Islam.

Rev. Gaddy tells the president needs to face the facts: “With only a year and a half left in your term, the days of drumming up support for a gay marriage amendment and right-wing judges on our courts are over.  Your priority for the final 19 months is one that the American people overwhelmingly oppose.  Your decision to continue along this course is your own.  But your attempt to create an army of supporters by turning this into a religious message is a decision that smacks of desperation… and reeks of dishonesty.”

Also on the show: Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity, a coalition of gay and lesbian Episcopalians; Joe Mackall, author of Plain Secrets: An Outsider Among the Amish; Rev. Jim Burklo of the Center for Progressive Christianity and national coordinator of Pluralism Sunday.

Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.