In an e-mail last week, James Dobson, president of the influential Focus on the Family, said that he won't support Dobson. According to the Washington Post, Dobson wrote:
Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?
I'm going to tackle two issues here: Defending Thompson as a great presidential candidate and why supporting a Christian candidate outright just because he's a Christian is a bad idea.
While it is true that Thompson does not support a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, I think it's important to realize that this is a battle that is not going to be won anytime soon, especially not in the next four to eight years. The real battle will be the opposite: a Constitutional amendment abolishing the establishment of marriage. This is a law I see entering congress within the next ten years.
Yes, I believe a legally-backed marriage should only be defined between one man and one woman. However, to discount Fred simply on this one issue is tantamount to throwing out the Bible simply because you disagree with one verse. (Oh yeah, I went there!)
This leads me to my next point: evangelical Christians should be cautious backing a candidate simply because he is a Christian. Unfortunately, Thompson has been remarkably silent concerning his faith. Yes, I believe this is a very important part of a person. I believe it's dangerous to simply get behind someone even if he is a fully devoted Christian, goes to church every Sunday, volunteers at the soup kitchen, and tucks homeless children to bed.
I would rather vote for a satanic devil worshiper who believes in building a strong national defense, lowering taxes, is pro-life and against abortion, family oriented, willing to secure the border, and appointing judges that will defend the constitution than a Christian who punches a Sunday-time card...and that's all we know about him.
I think it would be great if Thompson talked more openly about his faith. I think it would only help him. What I don't want Thompson to do is pay lip-service to Christians when he's really an atheist. I think the ladder would be far worse.