Dobson, who advised Trump and four other US presidents, was a fierce opponent of abortion and LGBTQ rights.James Dobson, a controversial and deeply influential Christian activist who advised several presidents, including US President Donald Trump and campaigned against abortion and LGBTQ rights has died.Dobson died on Thursday at the age of 89, according to the Dr James Dobson Family Institute, which highlighted his role in “creating one of the largest faith-based organizations in the world”. No cause was given for his death.Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson, who was a child psychologist, started a radio show counselling Christians on how to be good parents and in 1977 founded Focus on the Family.At the height of his influence in the 1980s, Dobson was viewed as one of the most powerful figures in the so-called “religious right” or “Christian right”. Critics viewed him as an agent of intolerance, but he had broad support in the US heartland, where his folksy style and love for hunting went down well.His organisation at its peak had more than 1,000 employees and gave Dobson a platform to weigh in on legislation and serve as an adviser to five presidents.Dobson successfully pushed for conservative Christian ideals in US politics alongside fundamentalist giants, such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, campaigning for bringing religious conservatives into the political mainstream. With his daily radio broadcasts heard on more …
