End World Poverty OR Kill Sponge Bob – Focus on the Family’s James Dobson Speaks Out on the Critical Issue of our Time, Subversive Sponges!

I started this blog in an effort to explain conservative Christianity. I wanted to demystify it in a way that would break down barriers and end nasty stereo types of Conservative Evangelicals. I had this vision of telling everyone about the efforts and resources evangelicals pour into the world to help the poor and the sick and the needy. I was going to do this until I did some research on where conservative Christians really put their money and learned that they spend as much or more on politics in the US as they do on helping the poor. Its hard not to be cynical.

The truth is I spend hours with these folks every Sunday morning. They are nice, well educated and pleasant to be with. But for reasons I fail to understand they just fawn all over nut cases like James Dobson.

So, the Los Angeles Times ran a story on the UN’s Mellemnium project to end world poverty. That’s right, there is a plan in place to end extreme poverty in the world. I will post more on this later. But what does the Religious Right do? Do they jump at that chance to end world poverty? No, they have decided that the greatest threat to humanity is a poorly animated talking sponge! Are these people loopy? From CNN:

The wacky square yellow Sponge Bob is one of the stars of a music video due to be sent to 61,000 U.S. schools in March. The makers -- the nonprofit We Are Family Foundation -- say the video is designed to encourage tolerance and diversity.

Here’s what has the red staters upset:

The video is a remake of the 1979 hit song "We Are Family" using the voices and images of SpongeBob, Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, the Rugrats and other TV cartoon characters. It was made by a foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to promote healing.

Christian groups however have taken exception to the tolerance pledge on the foundation's Web site, which asks people to respect the sexual identity of others along with their abilities, beliefs, culture and race.

"Their inclusion of the reference to 'sexual identity" within their 'tolerance pledge' is not only unnecessary, but it crosses a moral line," James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement released Thursday.

OK, attack Barney, knock the stuffing out of Winnie the Pooh and please do away with Rugrats but no one takes a shot at Sponge Bob and gets away with it! Dobson, you’re going down!

Just imagine, rather than wasting millions of dollars on feeding the hunger, clothing the naked or helping the poor, the things that annoying Jesus guy kept talking about, Dobson is putting his money where his mouth is. Yes, the formidable resources of the religious right are now focused on eliminating a cartoon sponge.

And you wonder how Bush won a second term?

Earth to Dobson and his followers, ask your doctor to up the voltage on your next shock treatment.