Obama's Christian HumanismIn his campaign's response to Jesse Jackson's live-microphone incident, Barack Obama made it clear he views social and cultural cajoling to be a natural extension of progressive politics. Libertarian-leaning voters recoil when they hear Obama preaching about turning off our TV sets... I believe his embrace of pastoral duties is an important aspect of his "new politics" gambit, and an indicator of his deepest priorities.....
....His simple and lucid (and, it would seem, instinctive) connecting of social cajoling and progressive stances expresses a conviction that government has a role in improving lives as well as guiding us toward ethical behavior.... Like Ronald Reagan, Obama is eager to connect with us emotionally and personally in order to create a channel for values-laden communication.
Whoever said Caesaropapism was dead? Pastor-in-chief, forsooth!
While Obama says he submitted himself to "God's will," he pointedly adds that his faith "came about as a choice and not an epiphany," and that his naturally skeptical mind did not suddenly vanish when he placed his trust in Jesus Christ. Because Obama's religiosity appears to be a consciously chosen pathway with a pragmatic social purpose....The Galilean Hasid who founded the religion Obama claims adherence to -- that difficult and paradoxical personality -- what would he have said about a "careful" withdrawal from Mesopotamia? The empire of his day tortured him to death -- in the name, no doubt, of "pragmatic social purpose."
Comments (9)
"Because Obama's religiosity appears to be a consciously chosen pathway with a pragmatic social purpose...."
yeah - to get his sorry sinful ass elected.
Posted by ddjango | July 20, 2008 9:56 AM
Posted on July 20, 2008 09:56
What can you say about a milieu that embraces Obama and Reagan? And you wonder how fascist youth groups arise.
Posted by Jay Taber | July 20, 2008 1:13 PM
Posted on July 20, 2008 13:13
Hm. Didn't Henry VIII claim to be a humanist for a while before he went all Tyndale and chopped off Tommy More's head?
Posted by IOZ | July 21, 2008 10:41 AM
Posted on July 21, 2008 10:41
What'd Erasmus ever do to you?
Posted by StO | July 21, 2008 1:07 PM
Posted on July 21, 2008 13:07
StO -- Whatever Erasmus may or may not have done, it's certainly on the cards that Obama will do a lot worse.
Posted by MJS | July 21, 2008 2:01 PM
Posted on July 21, 2008 14:01
Surely. The comparison is enough to make one feel bad for Erasmus, no?
Posted by StO | July 21, 2008 2:12 PM
Posted on July 21, 2008 14:12
Someone here's got a boner for Jesus, who wasn't a Hasid. But remember, Jesus too urged his followers to get rid of their cojones, Matthew 19.12.
Posted by Duncan | July 21, 2008 9:57 PM
Posted on July 21, 2008 21:57
Anent the Hasidism or non-Hasidism of Jesus, this is a question that needs to be taken up with the wily and erudite Geza Vermes, not with me.
Posted by MJS | July 21, 2008 11:36 PM
Posted on July 21, 2008 23:36
Fucking amazing. Obama's "spirituality" is about as real and deep as W's (or Ronnie's or HW's or Killiam's) but this putz swallows the tale whole.
And that "critical mind" -- was it one the blink or merely busy serving other needy souls during those supposedly unacceptable Wright sermons?
Posted by Michael Dawson | July 22, 2008 2:42 PM
Posted on July 22, 2008 14:42