Dr. Dobson Praised for Telling Californians: Get Your Kids Out Of Public Schools

(Fresno, CA, March 28, 2002) — In a statement to supporters, Marshall Fritz, President of the Alliance for the Separation of School & State, said: "For years, James Dobson has supported three options for Christians: Public schools, Christian schools, and home schooling. With today's courageous and insightful statement, Dr. Dobson joins the millions of Americans who have concluded that many public schools are no place to train new generations of Americans."

Dr. James Dobson, President of Focus on the Family, stated on his daily radio broadcast on March 28: "In the state of California, if I had a child there, I wouldn't put the youngster in a public school.... I think it's time to get our kids out. And I'm going to get hit for [saying] that." Dr. Dobson's full remarks can be heard at http://family.org/fmedia/bcpast.cfm. Dr. Dobson's broadcast is heard by 200 million people daily in over 100 countries, and his comments on the state of public schooling may mark a key turning point in the critical education discussion.

Many other Christian leaders have expressed concern that public schools are too dangerous for Christians, notably Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries; T.C. Pinckney, recently elected Second Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention; and Dr. Tim LaHaye, author of the popular Left Behind series of novels.

General Pinckney's address to Baptist leaders, titled "We Are Losing Our Children," is considered by Fritz to be one of the clearest expositions of the difficulty of Christians in today's American public schools. The transcript is available at http://sepschool.org/SIG/losing.html. Rev. E. Ray Moore, founder of ExodusMandate.org, also supports Dr. Dobson by saying, "Indeed, it's time to leave behind Pharaoh's schools and go to the promised land of Christian schools and home schooling."

Fritz notes that approximately 15,000 have gone so far as to sign a Public Proclamation for the Separation of School and State that calls for the end of government involvement in education. Scores of religious leaders, including Kennedy, Pinckney, and LaHaye, have endorsed this concept. See their names at:

Protestant: http://sepschool.org/VIPList.html#protestant

Catholic: http://sepschool.org/VIPList.html#catholic

LDS: http://sepschool.org/VIPList.html#lds

Jewish: http://sepschool.org/VIPList.html#jewish

Fritz urged his supporters to send their support to Dr. Dobson: "You could hear him wince; he knew some will not like his message. Let's show him that he has supporters, too." Write, fax, or call: James C. Dobson, Ph.D. Focus on the Family, 8605 Explorer Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1049; (800) 232-6459 voice and (719) 548-4670 fax.

Politics and education don't mix. You can sign the Proclamation on-line at /Proclamation.

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