Having Rick Warren perform the Invocation is an Outrage

Barack Obama's greatest skill is his ability to reach out to people and find common ground, but that does not mean you slap the people in the face who elected you, progressives and gay people who had a bittersweet night on November 4, 2008. Barack Obama was elected President yes, but gay marriage was voted down by a small margin in what many consider to be the most progressive state in the nation.

But, here is the truth about Rick Warren. He has compared legal abortion to the Holocaust, and gay marriage to incest and pedophilia. He believes that Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other non-Christians are going to spend eternity burning in hell. He doesn't believe in evolution. When you actually read some of Warren's statements it becomes highly objectionable, troubling and down right offensive.

Today, in defending Rick Warren Obama talked about how Warren has been an instrument for good and has worked in a ministry for HIV/AIDS in Africa, but even that is a bit of a misnomer. Read Michelle Goldberg's experience: In fact, though, Warren has taken the standard Christian conservative approach to the epidemic, which favors abstinence and prayer over condoms and sex education. I once attended Sunday services at the church of Martin Ssempa, one of Warren's protégés in Uganda and a major force in that country's devastating move away from safe-sex campaigns. It is a heartbreaking thing to watch a tongue-speaking faith-healer promise a room full of sobbing people - many of them poor, many infected with HIV - that Jesus can cure them, if only they believe in him unconditionally (belief demonstrated, of course, in part by tithing generously).

Warren also sent out an email to his congregation about voting (can someone please investigate these tax cheats?) and what to consider while voting. It is instructive. "In order to live a purpose-driven life - to affirm what God has clearly stated about his purpose for every person he creates - we must take a stand by finding out what the candidates believe about these five issues, and then vote accordingly," he wrote. The issues were abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, cloning and euthanasia.

As Michelle Goldberg points out (the article which this post is based on) says I guess Rick Warren doesn't believe torture is a christian issue. Euthanasia and stem-cell research are to be considered, but not torture of another human soul.

This choice is very troubling to me. I have given Obama the benefit of the doubt on several of his Cabinet choices and will wait to see what happens with policy, but this is strike one for me. In 1992 Bill Clinton had strike three by the time he was inaugurated. First, it was "don't ask don't tell" then it was Lani Guinier and then it was Haiti. I knew he was not going to change the way we do business. We'll see about Obama.

What is Obama Thinking?

A campaign that is faltering clearly and needs a new strategy that he is beginning to embrace, he chooses to embrace homophobia. See this video on what Don McClurkin said at the Faith concert embraced by the Obama campaign. Now, let us also be clear. This is not Jerry Falwell preaching hatred of gays. He indicates whatever people do in their bedroom is their business and that is how he plans to vote, however he preaches God delivered him from homosexuality and says if we all had "faith" in Jesus we can have the same salvation. I am paraphrasing, but this is the message.

I waited yesterday for Obama's repudiation. This is what we got this morning: “It’s true we had a controversy…a gospel singer was singing at a gospel concert on our behalf, he was one of many, and he had some views that were anti-gay,” the Illinois Democrat said during an MTV/MySpace forum. “I am disturbed by those views and I have said publicly that I have disagreed with them.” Ok, not bad, what else ya got? Obama then defended his campaign's affiliation with McClurkin, saying, "I have also said we have to reach out to those who have a different attitude on these issues to try to teach."

That's it, Mr. Obama? We have to reach out to homophobia? Ok, you are not a bigot, but you want to reach out to people who are and try to teach what? To try and teach us? Or to try and teach them? Who is teaching who?

This is another way to have it both ways. I know Obama is a good man and know he feels in his heart that we are all equal - that to me is obvious. But, this is pandering at the expense of people's rights. At the expense of subjugating populations of people and I am ashamed for him. Of course you cannot help who supports you? But, you can clearly repudiate someone's beliefs withouth offending anyone or if you offend someone, who cares? God delivering someone from homosexuality is offensive - pure and simple. McClurkin may even truly believe this, but that does not mean a Presidential candidate should give it any credence.

Unless Mr. Obama is subtly telling us something and I am ignoring it? I am not seriously not excited about any of these candidates except of course for Dennis Kucinich who stands not a shot in hell. I guess my vote will again be wasted and I will be marginalized and said to be on the fringe left.

If he doesn't repudiate this further he is the leading candidate for assclown of the week.

Ann Coulter v. Progressivism - What Sounds Better to You?

Ann Coulter has said so much more hateful things than John Rocker, yet she keeps getting booked for television shows. She is hateful and really is honest in this interview. She doesn't want an America that has tolerance and differences. She wants everyone to be Christian, "jews should be perfected." Is that what Christianity is?

Below is a response to Coulter. What it means to be progressive? It is long, but it is worth it. It actually sounds like what Christianity used to sound like.

Christianity and Politics

My partner asked me the other day when did Hillary become so Christian? Hillary has recently been quoted, saying that faith helped her through her marital strife. Isn't that sweet? In fact a belief in religiosity, specifically Christianity, has increased in the last eight years, this identity with faith. Not long ago this was not an issue; a Presidential debate between Gore and Bill Bradley in early 2000 just before the NH primary election, a questioner asked Bradley about his faith and he said something to the effect that he does not belong to any faith or religion. End of sentence. Not a peep from the questioner, nor a sentence in the paper the next day. Can we imagine that today? How did this happen and can we get back there?

According to a recent poll Americans are a very religious country. "86 percent of Americans believe in God - only 6 percent 'don’t believe.' 75 percent describe Christianity as their 'religious preference' - only 11 percent say they have 'none.' A large percentage of U.S. Christians profess fundamentalist beliefs: 43 percent of Protestants describe themselves as 'born-again or evangelical' Christians. Typically, they have dogmatic, conservative beliefs: the Bible is literally true; the end times are coming soon; and the United States must become a Christian nation." Ahhh scary?

A recent column from James Robinson is worth noting about a John Edwards comment to embrace religious diversity. “So while some candidates profess to be true Christians, they feel a responsibility to embrace Islam, Atheism, Scientology, the New Age movement and every other belief (or at least select portions of them). Their wisdom holds that their leadership role demands a dualistic split between attitudes and actions. They personally want moral legislation, as defined by most mainstream Christians, but feel duty-bound to not provide it.” Robinson invoked “true Christian believer” imagery: the notion that real Christians don’t accept theological diversity; for them there is only one source of truth, the Bible.

Sam Harris on the other hand linked those who profess to know the written word of God are not far off from the Islamic inspired terrorism attacks on 9/11. He argued those that inspired the attacks of 9/11 are similar to the central tenets of ultra-conservative Christianity: there is one true religion; anyone who does not accept that religion is, by definition, an infidel; unbelievers will not get into heaven; and, for those who are shown the truth, the ends justify the means.

Personally, I don't believe religion should be discussed in the open sphere whatsoever. It only divides us. And giving power to those who seek to claim this country as a "Christian nation" are dangerous. Recently, however Barack Obama spoke at the Convention of the United Church of Christ. Obama has tended to turn me off when he brings up religion, not because of what he is saying, but at times I feel he is ingratiating himself with the right. Much like Hillary's comments above.

But, I like what he said at this conference: Obama declared that religion has a role to play in politics, but defined it as the role of inclusion. He talked about uniting Americans to deal with poverty and environmental degradation. He said somewhere, somehow faith stopped being used as a way to bring us together, faith started being used to drive us apart, faith got hijacked. And he said the Christian leaders of the right are all too eager to exploit what divides us.