Slog
News & ArtsMonday, April 6, 2009
Politics / Religion I Love Our President
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Especially when he says something like this:
"One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population — we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
He's dreamy.
7
This willl cause a spasm on the Right. Their dreams of theocracy are being dashed before their eyes.
9
According to USA TODAY
Most Americans believe the nation's founders wrote Christianity into the Constitution and believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation.
//www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-11-amendment_N.htm
Most Americans believe the nation's founders wrote Christianity into the Constitution and believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation.
//www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-11-amendment_N.htm
10
Let the right throw a shit fit. They are out of power and they know it. Following the Iowa decision I hope The President's statement is like rubbing salt in their wound. Millions of us live our lives assuming this is not a Christian nation anyway and they are forever powerless to stop us. America was founded on secular principles and Obama confirmed that in what he said. Long live our secular society!
11
According to Gallup 79% of all Americans (and 92% of those who profess a religion) are Christians.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/105544/Easter…
http://www.gallup.com/poll/105544/Easter…
13
According to CNN 75% of Americans are Christian (a third of Americans are evangelicals)
being CNN, they manage to give it a Liberal anti-Christian spin, however...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife…
being CNN, they manage to give it a Liberal anti-Christian spin, however...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife…
15
Doesn't matter how many Christians there are here: our governmental principle is secular, procedural liberalism. We don't have a state church, nor do we base our justice on the teachings of a revelatory document. Even the fundies are very much working within that secular, procedurally liberal framework to get their God's laws passed.
Doesn't mean I'm happy with the role that religion plays in politics (too much), but Obama's simply stating a fact that isn't really open to interpretation. Unless we fundamentally alter the nature of our government.
But, it's good to hear someone powerful say it after all these years. It's about time that "God-fearing" stopped being a requirement before anyone courts your vote.
Doesn't mean I'm happy with the role that religion plays in politics (too much), but Obama's simply stating a fact that isn't really open to interpretation. Unless we fundamentally alter the nature of our government.
But, it's good to hear someone powerful say it after all these years. It's about time that "God-fearing" stopped being a requirement before anyone courts your vote.
20
As someone raised an atheist who now feels no need to identify as/with anything, I say, Yay Obama, and keep it coming!
21
A Secular Gov't will not insist that 92% of the country's citizens become ANY religion. If that same 92% of people think that anyone other than Christian should not be living and pursuing happiness in this country, the secular gov't should not be assisting them in their bigoted behavior. If Obama wants to sugar-coat everyone's religions in order to make them treat people the way they should be treated, he will probably do that instead of reminding everyone what religion really is-blood thirsty and inhumane...at times.(And at the worst of times.) If any of these people polled believes in the Majority Mob Rules, that's not the government's fault, that's the mentality of a bunch of ignorant morons.
22
Christians, Jews, Muslims all share the basic tenants of morality and the belief in the same God. Our President is more than right in saying we all share the same ideals. I have been blessed to know personally Muslims who are as virtuous and of the same moral excellence as my Christian brethren. The same holds true for people of the Jewish faith. Our doors as a nation are now open to them and I believe our President was hinting on that also.
24
@9 That is because our education system is reeling from the systematic beating it has taken since 1980.
@22 The same holds true for people without faith. I have no faith and I am sure "sin" as much as if not less than a majority of those with faith.
@22 The same holds true for people without faith. I have no faith and I am sure "sin" as much as if not less than a majority of those with faith.
26
Same shit, different skin tone. I'd prefer he respected the constitution, I really could give a fuck what he says about christians. He failed to substantively change Bushes faith based bullshit and now he's toeing the line for the spooks:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/06/…
If we aren't a nation of laws, we're as good as fucked wrt theocracy.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/06/…
If we aren't a nation of laws, we're as good as fucked wrt theocracy.
27
Wow @22, a fairly rational post.
As a 'don't know/don't care' agnostic, I also could have written that post, except to add that the people I know of these faiths show their 'moral excellence' by living up to their moral codes without trying to shove that bullshit down my throat, or anyone else's.
As a 'don't know/don't care' agnostic, I also could have written that post, except to add that the people I know of these faiths show their 'moral excellence' by living up to their moral codes without trying to shove that bullshit down my throat, or anyone else's.
28
@16 - Jebus, Heather? Really? Gosh. That's not even funny. Not like it's particularly offensive, just that it sounds retarded.
30
"We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
Bound?
No.
We, The People, allow a common government to have power for that minimum set of things that benefits our. But...
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?i…
Bound?
No.
We, The People, allow a common government to have power for that minimum set of things that benefits our. But...
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?i…
31
Doesn't it bug Christians that they believe in ridiculous made up stories? Do they just not think about it?
32
yeah, that's a lot prettier than his gaffe the other day about the austrian language
something that if bush had said would have been worth several sniggering slog posts.
something that if bush had said would have been worth several sniggering slog posts.
34
"... a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
Ideals and Values such as what marriage is and what a family looks like.
Ideals and Values such as what marriage is and what a family looks like.
37
You can take your poll saying our country is 75% Christian and I'll give you one that's shown a 10% jump in those who support gay marriage. It's a fair trade-off.
You can have your church and we can register at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.
You can have your church and we can register at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.
38
I love it that you all give me so many new people to pray for on a daily basis. God bless you all.
39
Obama also says the U.S. is arrogant and selfish. Each day that I remember I didn’t vote for Obama I bask in the serenity of my inner wisdom.
42
@28- It's a Simpson's quote, from the episode where Homer becomes a missionary to avoid the wrath of the townsfolk over some hijink or another. Good episode, and if you watch the Simpsons, you'd know they constantly re-affirm the value of people of faith.
44
Not quite earth shattering news... anyone who knows their history (this probably excludes most public school graduates) knows that George Washington's administration negotiated a treaty with the Muslim rulers of north Africa that stated explicitly that the United States was not founded on Christianity. Known as the Treaty with Tripoli, it was unanimously approved by the Senate in 1797, under the administration of John Adams. Article 11 of the treaty reads, "[T]he government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…."
45
The fact that the majority of a nation is of Religion X doesn't mean that the nation is an X nation. India is majority Hindu, but is not a Hindu nation -- indeed, it has the world's third largest Muslim population (after Indonesia and Pakistan) and significant Sikh, Christian and other minorities.
47
Obama got Jack Squat from Europe,
despite his ass kissing rhetoric.
No combat troops for his Afghan adventure.
No European stimulus money.
The magic seems to have worn off.
despite his ass kissing rhetoric.
No combat troops for his Afghan adventure.
No European stimulus money.
The magic seems to have worn off.
48
@ 29, 42 - I get that it's a Simpsons joke. It's just that I thought it was really funny in grade 8 when that episode came out, and don't find it particularly funny now that I actually have a sense of humor.
And for the record, I quote the Simpsons only slightly less often than I quote Southpark.
And for the record, I quote the Simpsons only slightly less often than I quote Southpark.
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