James Dobson: Connecticut Shooting a Result of God Allowing Judgment to Fall on America
James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, said Monday that he believes the Connecticut shooting is a result of God allowing judgment to fall on America because it has turned its back on Him.
"And a lot of these things are happening around us, and somebody is going to get mad at me for saying what I am about to say right now, but I am going to give you my honest opinion: I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think He has allowed judgment to fall upon us. I think that's what's going on," Dobson told listeners of his "Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk" program.
Monday's broadcast was titled "A Nation Shaken by the Sandy Hook Tragedy."
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A description of the program Monday read: "We are all still in shock trying to process the senseless shootings which occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut last Friday. How could such a thing happen ... and why can't we protect our innocent children? Tune in as Dr. James Dobson responds to this tragedy and offers his assessment of where we are as a nation."
Dobson is an evangelical Christian who has dedicated his life to strengthening families through Focus on the Family. In addition to being a psychologist and prolific author of books on children, Dobson is also an outspoken conservative who has defended traditional marriage as being between one man and one woman and the sanctity of life.
During his program Monday, Dobson also pointed to abortion and gay marriage as indicators that America has gone against God.
"Our country really does seem in complete disarray. I'm not talking politically, I'm not talking about the result of the November 6th election; I am saying that something has gone wrong in America and that we have turned our back on God.
"I mean millions of people have decided that God doesn't exist, or He's irrelevant to me and we have killed 54 million babies and the institution of marriage is right on the verge of a complete redefinition. Believe me, that is going to have consequences, too."
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee also made similar comments on Fox News on Saturday following the shooting.
"We ask why there's violence in our school but we've systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools have become such a place of carnage? Because we've made it a place where we don't want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability," Huckabee said on Fox News.
Huckabee later clarified that he wasn't suggesting the shooting wouldn't have happened if prayer were allowed in schools but making a point about the important role of God in culture.
"We've escorted Him right out of our culture and we've marched Him off the public square and then we express our surprise that a culture without Him actually reflects what it has become," said Huckabee.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., claimed the lives of 28 people including the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza.
Police say he killed his mother Nancy Lanza at the home they shared before driving to the school. Officials say he broke into the school, fatally shot 20 children and six adults, and turned the gun on himself before authorities could arrest him.
Funerals for the victims are being held throughout this week.
