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September 15, 2000/15 Elul 5760, Vol. 52, No.53
Dr. Laura's call to faith
TV provides pulpit politicians would envy
SARAH BLUSTAIN and
SUSAN WEIDMAN SCHNEIDER
Special to Jewish News
Vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman has called for more faith in our public dialogue. He is an Orthodox Jew.
Radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger, also an Orthodox Jew and now a nationally syndicated TV host, calls for a bigger role for the biblical commandments in our public life.
Lieberman is backed by the gay-friendly, abortion-supporting Democratic Party. Schlessinger, who has been under serious attack from the gay community, is backed by the fringes of the Christian right. While we're all busy inviting the angels in, we need to note that there are important differences between these two.
With vitriol worthy of the name "hate radio," Schlessinger has used her "moral health show" on radio stations the world over to promote a platform one might expect from the Christian right. Anti-abortion, anti-divorce, anti-homosexual, anti-working mother and anti-secular, Schlessinger waves high the flag for the acceptance of "God's word as the ultimate authority."
Gay rights activists have taken issue with her oft-repeated theory that they are the results of a "biological error," and in cities across the country they protested in an unsuccessful attempt to block her Sept. 11 TV launch. But anyone concerned about the separation of private faith from public policy should beware. With 14-20 million radio listeners daily, and a new TV platform, Schlessinger has a pulpit any politician would envy.
What's the problem with Schlessinger's call to faith? For one thing, she seems to believe that her views and interpretations of Jewish law - or what has become known as "Judeo-Christian" law - ought to be universal, whether we're Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or other; whether we're straight or gay, religious or atheist.
Morality, she has said, means "The Commandments," the biblical commandments.
For another, her interpretations of those laws are absolutist and inflexible, dismissing all liberal branches of Judaism and Christianity and hewing to the hard - and often cruel - line. For example, she says she supports abortion only when the life of the mother is in danger and not when the pregnancy is the result of rape. In the latter case, she argues, the woman should give birth, then either offer the child to a "two-parent family" or raise the child herself with an invented story that "mommy made a mistake."
Christian evangelicals can't get enough of Schlessinger. As reported in a recent report in Lilith, the publisher of one supportive book says she's "more evangelical than some evangelical pastors." Another itinerant preacher compares her to Jesus: "Everyone is looking for a way to bring her down." They all admit that her Jewishness takes the curse off her religious preachings, and they're happy to support her in her time of need. Check out back issues of the evangelical World magazine, or the Web sites of Jerry Falwell and the Family Research Council.
She's appeared on Pat Robertson's "700 Club," televangelist Robert H. Schuller's "Hour of Power," filmed at California's Crystal Cathedral, and James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" radio show.
But it's her goals, as much as her supporters, that should sound the loudest alarms. Quite simply, line between private faith and public law. Schlessinger and the where Lieberman honors the power of faith in a general way, Schlessinger would impose on others the very details of hers. Lieberman's voting record has proven he has no interest in blurring the right wing that supports her are more than happy to take those extra steps.
In the guise of religious fervor, Schlessinger is on the warpath against all who have benefited from the liberation of the last four decades, and claims that her views come straight from God "Himself." She admits, for instance, that "homosexuals are probably more than capable of providing for and loving a child." But she says she begs gays and lesbians "not to have or adopt a newborn but ... be available to take in older, harder-to-place children whose welfare would be increased by such a placement." As if those Schlessinger deems imperfect parents and children deserve one another.
The scary thing is, Americans seem to like Schlessinger's hard line. Millions are listening to her. Pat Buchanan thought enough of her to float her name as a vice-presidential running mate.
And in a recent online poll of more than 20,000 people by MSNBC, 49 percent said they believe she is a "credible moral voice." The poll asked the wrong question, however. It should have wondered, "Is Dr. Laura a credible voice for democracy?"
Dr. Laura is scary not only because of her connection to right-wing groups but also because she is, now, probably the best known Jewish woman in America, her Jewish star prominently displayed around her neck, just beneath her toothy smile. The absolutist "Jewish" dogma she puts forth is far removed from the beliefs and practices of most American Jewish lay people and clergy.
Sarah Blustain is associate editor of Lilith: The Independent Jewish Women's Magazine and author of "The Stealth Politics of Dr. Laura" in the summer 2000 issue. Susan Weidman Schneider is the editor-in-chief of Lilith.
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