Recently, Kathryn Kolbert, president of Peope for the American Way– a non-profit advocacy group that supports equality and freedom of speech and religion– posted an editorial on CNN.com, explaining why choosing Rick Warren to offer the invocation at Obama’s inauguration was a mistake.
I know very little about Rick Warren. I know that he is wildly popular among the moderate Christians and is being called the “next Billy Graham.” I know his Saddleback Church offers a class on how to talk to Mormons about religion, and that, unlike most Christian groups, it’s designed to preserve a constructive and positive spirit rather than a WWF bash-off (obviously the class spells out how we’re wrong and they’re right, but that doesn’t bother me– the mere attempt at being patient, attentive and loving prompts me to give snaps to the effort). I also know the hard right fundamentalist Christians feel he’s too soft on some issues, including on Christians’ relationships with Mormons. Looking at and listening to Warren, my first impression is generally positive. Beyond this, I don’t know much about the man.
Over the past couple of days there’s been much-ado about Obama’s choice of Warren. On the one hand, I see how any miniscule presidential assignment brings with it strong political cachet. On the other hand, it’s a prayer, people! Obama’s asking a religious representative– with whom he disagrees on a multitude of issues, but whom he befriended long before the presidential race– to offer a prayer and a blessing on the next administration. And liberal secularists like Kolbert take issue with this, like it’s some policy-dictating post, because the man opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. It appears now that– in response to every individual, public or private– whomever supported Prop. 8 gets the riots-in-the-streets treatment and everything else they’ve ever achieved, championed or given counts for naught. He’s a Christian minister– he believes and teaches from the Bible! Why the HELL should he compromise his religious beliefs, re-adjust his sermons, to accommodate sodomists so they won’t be offended? Just so he can appear as a champion of equal rights– because that’s what Jesus would do?
A woman approached me at a service station last night. She was looking for money, claiming it was for gas. She pointed to an old Ford Explorer, saying she was stranded and her kids were waiting in there for her to take them home. I’ve heard this pitch a dozen previous times at gas stations over the years. “I just need a couple dollars to get home.” She looked through me, not at me. Her schtick was rehearsed, practiced, tired, void of any humility or emotion. “I’m a Christian,” she said. “I pray to God you can help me.” Now I was pissed. “Stop it,” I said. “Don’t disrespect God to me.” “I mean it!” she protested. “Look,” I said as I took out some bills, “the routine’s old. Try something else.” She gave me a rehearsed look of dejection. “Merry Christmas!” she spat at me as she went off with my lunch money (NOT in the direction of the station cashier to get gas, I might add).
At one point in her discourse, when discussing Warren’s position against those who support abortion, Ms. Kolbert said:
“He is disrespectful of progressive people of faith…”
What does that mean? To me it seems to mean, people who claim to worship God and edit His teachings to meet their own conveniences.
“There is no shortage of religious leaders who reflect the values on which President-elect Obama campaigned and who are working to advance the common good.”
Translated: There is no shortage of men of the cloth who sell out for popular appeal and tailor their sermons to fit their congregations.
I am so sick and tired of secularists using God as their spokesperson and religion as a conveniently adjustable apparatus to serve their lifestyles. And I am sick of them howling like banshees when someone who doesn’t agree with them is offered any nod of recognition, with the press there like a faithful lap dog, yapping its assent.
I, for one, am glad Rick Warren is giving the invocation. If for no other reason, to piss off the opponents and expose them for the whiny extortionists they are.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Karron // Dec 19, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Holy Hannah David! I haven’t seen you this worked up before. I agree with everything you say. What the heck, it is a prayer and in five minutes after it is over, King O will speak and no one will remember a word Rick Warren said.
Lefties, especially far lefties, carry their emotions on their sleeves, and let their mouths runneth over every time things aren’t the way they want them to be. Very two year old behavior . . . and the words, “It’s not FAAAAIR” echoes through the blogosphere, followed by a temper tantrum of some sort. Whatever . . . grow up people.
BTW, David and the rest of you, have a Merry CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year.
Karron
2 cheryl // Dec 19, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Once again, I agree. And once again, I find myself cringing at the hypocrisy.
My Step-FIL is an atheist who quite often teaches different things at my MIL’s liberal Christian church (I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Last year they harbored the nursing mother so she couldn’t be deported.) and I find the irony crazy. For years we couldn’t mention religion, celebrate Christmas (no gift exchange in front of Papa! Wait ’till he leaves the room!), or talk about prayer. He’s gotten better over the last decade, but it still blows my mind. Last year he told us that if we were to have another child (we had been talking about how we wanted another baby) he would be angry with us because we already had FOUR. Didn’t we know how we were destroying the Earth? Aren’t we insane?! And yet not once have we EVER called him to repentance or told him his beliefs were wrong. Ever.
I can see how some atheistic and agnostic thinking/feeling would say religion forces their beliefs upon them, but I think it’s just a cop-out, especially now. If anything, the forcing is coming from the far left –pushing religion out of everything and at every turn, all the while shouting for Equality, Fairness, and Love for All. Yeah, love for self. Blah.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. We’re going to visit the in-laws right after Christmas this year and we haven’t spoken to “Papa” since he told us not to have more children. Wish us luck!
And I echo Karron:
Merry Christmas!
3 xoxoxoxo // Dec 20, 2008 at 7:20 am
I think the same thing gets under your skin that gets under mine. I don’t care what people think or feel, or how they worship or what religion they are. BUT-do NOT….I repeat do NOT go off on MY Father in Heaven. Don’t gripe about Him, or tell me which of His doctrines I am or am not adhering to, or try to guilt trip me regarding my Christianity. Don’t reinterpret His words, don’t adjust His gospel to suit yourself. Believe or don’t…I really don’t care. But don’t twist what He said, or tell me He “would never say” something. Ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I’m ready for the Second Coming. Bring it on. Shorten those days because of the prayers of the righteous! These stupid, corrupt, whiny, left wingnuts and PC, “global warming”, anti-Christmas idiots are riverdancing on my last nerve.
But on THAT jolly note, I’m planning to ignore them all for the next week because it’s CHRISTMAS and my family will be together and happy and laughing and blessed and warm and we’re going to ENJOY every second of it just to spite the lot of them.
I wish the same for you and yours, may God bless us every one!
4 xoxoxoxo // Dec 20, 2008 at 7:21 am
P.S.
David-
The next time someone asks for gas money, offer to pump gas into their car for them. The fakers HATE that and walk away, and anyone genuinely in need of gas will take your offer. Works every time.
5 David // Dec 20, 2008 at 4:41 pm
xoxoxoxo,
See? And here I was going to do the “Bend & Snap.” I heard THAT works every time, too.
6 cheryl // Dec 21, 2008 at 3:46 am
Ha!
Oh, David, I’m so glad I wasn’t drinking drinking milk (or water, or your particular beverage of choice) when I read your last comment! I literally laughed out loud (I would type LOL, but it gets old after a while).
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