Obama Defines Christianity to Include Leftist Ideals -- Updated
By Janice Shaw Crouse
He’s putting a religious patina on tired, liberal policies. Democrat Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has made headlines recently by talking about religion and politics. In the process, he has alienated Democrats and Republicans alike: Democrats were offended when he said “not every mention of God in the public square is a breach to the wall of separation,” and conservative Republicans were outraged when he kept referring to religious conservatives as “those people” and described them as “heavy-handed.”
Democrats were just as uneasy as Republicans when he argued that his political party ought to make a place in public discourse for religious rhetoric and a place in public policy for faith-based issues. While Obama’s warning to the left that “nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith” was greeted across the board as long overdue, there was considerable discomfort with his assertion that the secularists were wrong to insist that believers should “leave their religion at the door before entering the public square.”
Overriding everything, though, was Obama’s tone. There is no question that he is smooth and rhetorically gifted. Nevertheless, he can also come across as patronizing and condescending to the religious right, even though he wants to bring enough of them under his party’s tent to win majorities in the midterm election.
While Obama’s remarks were described aptly by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as “secularism with a smile,” at least he doesn’t have a tin ear when it comes to understanding the importance of faith. He likened inauthentic efforts to reach out to evangelicals and other religious Americans to “clapping off-rhythm to the choir.” Far too many politicians –– from the right as well as the left –– are happy to resort to religious rhetoric when they think it will be helpful in relating to a particular voting demographic. The left is especially adept at wrapping a cloak of moral certainty around their controversial priorities: poverty, economic parity, the environment, social justice and gay marriage.
Hardly anyone questions Obama’s faith, but following the axiom that “actions speak louder than words,” we must point out that he has a 100-percent pro-choice voting record, and he argues that Christianity embraces “universal values” such as “inclusiveness and diversity” –– both code words for a liberal agenda. [More]
I have to disagree with Ms. Crouse on one thing here -- Obama is not smooth and rhetorically gifted. He evidenced good speaking skills only on one occasion and that was when he gave his canned speech at the Democratic National Convention. On all other occasions, when I have heard the man speak without a script, he is a terrible speaker! I am not exaggerating! During one five minute extemporaneous talk he gave to the press, I counted him saying "uh" 33 times. This is not unusual for him -- during the three debates in IL with Alan Keyes, he stuttered and stammered almost non-stop and struggled to come up with responses to Alan Keyes' statements and questions.. Not only is the man very dim-witted, but he is a poor imitation of a Christian. Someone who votes 100% pro-death has no right to call himself a Christian.
Related Articles on Catholic Fire:
SEN. BARACK OBAMA’S REMARKS ON RELIGION
The Extinction of a Race
Most Recent Letters from Senator Durbin
Light Blogging & Alito Skates Through Questioning
Ridiculous Remarks -- Funny Quotes “I don’t want ...
A Pro-life Prayer for Statesmen, Politicians, Judges, and Lawyers
He’s putting a religious patina on tired, liberal policies. Democrat Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has made headlines recently by talking about religion and politics. In the process, he has alienated Democrats and Republicans alike: Democrats were offended when he said “not every mention of God in the public square is a breach to the wall of separation,” and conservative Republicans were outraged when he kept referring to religious conservatives as “those people” and described them as “heavy-handed.”
Democrats were just as uneasy as Republicans when he argued that his political party ought to make a place in public discourse for religious rhetoric and a place in public policy for faith-based issues. While Obama’s warning to the left that “nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith” was greeted across the board as long overdue, there was considerable discomfort with his assertion that the secularists were wrong to insist that believers should “leave their religion at the door before entering the public square.”
Overriding everything, though, was Obama’s tone. There is no question that he is smooth and rhetorically gifted. Nevertheless, he can also come across as patronizing and condescending to the religious right, even though he wants to bring enough of them under his party’s tent to win majorities in the midterm election.
While Obama’s remarks were described aptly by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as “secularism with a smile,” at least he doesn’t have a tin ear when it comes to understanding the importance of faith. He likened inauthentic efforts to reach out to evangelicals and other religious Americans to “clapping off-rhythm to the choir.” Far too many politicians –– from the right as well as the left –– are happy to resort to religious rhetoric when they think it will be helpful in relating to a particular voting demographic. The left is especially adept at wrapping a cloak of moral certainty around their controversial priorities: poverty, economic parity, the environment, social justice and gay marriage.
Hardly anyone questions Obama’s faith, but following the axiom that “actions speak louder than words,” we must point out that he has a 100-percent pro-choice voting record, and he argues that Christianity embraces “universal values” such as “inclusiveness and diversity” –– both code words for a liberal agenda. [More]
I have to disagree with Ms. Crouse on one thing here -- Obama is not smooth and rhetorically gifted. He evidenced good speaking skills only on one occasion and that was when he gave his canned speech at the Democratic National Convention. On all other occasions, when I have heard the man speak without a script, he is a terrible speaker! I am not exaggerating! During one five minute extemporaneous talk he gave to the press, I counted him saying "uh" 33 times. This is not unusual for him -- during the three debates in IL with Alan Keyes, he stuttered and stammered almost non-stop and struggled to come up with responses to Alan Keyes' statements and questions.. Not only is the man very dim-witted, but he is a poor imitation of a Christian. Someone who votes 100% pro-death has no right to call himself a Christian.
Related Articles on Catholic Fire:
SEN. BARACK OBAMA’S REMARKS ON RELIGION
The Extinction of a Race
Most Recent Letters from Senator Durbin
Light Blogging & Alito Skates Through Questioning
Ridiculous Remarks -- Funny Quotes “I don’t want ...
A Pro-life Prayer for Statesmen, Politicians, Judges, and Lawyers
Jean,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard a worse speaker than Obama -- he is a JOKE! He has done nothing for the people of IL since he has been in office. I doubt if he'll make it past one term -- he is like Carol Mosely Brown.
Obama's policies are an obamination!
ReplyDeleteI am so sick and tired of his pretense of being a Christian -- he voted to kill babies in his own backyard and supports partial -- birth abortion! What a cannibal!
ReplyDelete