Obama keeps some distance from National Day of Prayer…c May 7, 2009
Posted by Evil Bender in Atheism, Religion, wingnuts.trackback
…cue wingnut freakout (warning: link goes to the Washington Times):
President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning.
All Mr. Obama will do for the National Day of Prayer, which is Thursday, is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the observance. …
Obama White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that the president is simply reverting back to pre-Bush administration practice.
Good for the President. Naturally, the wingnut freakout fest has already begun. It appears that someone forgot to tell the fine folks at Concerned Women for America that the public didn’t buy their attempts to slander Obama, that he’s far more popular than they are, and that their attempts to smear him just ensure the continued irrelevance of their lying extremist asses.
“For those of us who have our doubts about Obama’s faith, no, we did not expect him to have the service,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. “But as president, he should put his own lack of faith aside and live up to the office.”
Referencing a remark the president made at a recent press conference in Turkey that Americans “do not consider ourselves a Christian nation,” she added: “That was projecting his own beliefs, but not reflecting what the majority of Americans feel. It’s almost like Obama is trying to remake America into his own image. This is not a rejection of Shirley Dobson; it’s a rejection of the concept that America is a spiritual nation and its foundation is Judeo-Christian.”
Free tip for you, Ms Wright: announcing that you’re a wacko conspiracy theorist convinced Obama is some kind of Muslim Atheist Communist Libertarian Vampire is a fine way to make yourself look like an idiot and hurt your cause. On behalf of non-religious folks everywhere who are tired of having your BS shoved down our throats, let me just say: thanks for helping our cause!
Or, more simply put, as John Cole has it: Suck it, wingnuts. Maybe if you promise to hold the event facing Mecca next year, Obama will show up.”
In related news, I received the following email on my university’s listserv yesterday:
Dear colleagues,
Thursday, May 7, is the National Day of Prayer. On behalf of a prayer
group of faculty, staff and students which meets each week over the
lunch hour on Thursdays, I’d like to invite you to join us in a time of
prayer for our campus, city, state, country and world.The theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is “Prayer …
America’s Hope!” This is based on Psalm 33:22, which says, “May Your
unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.”We will meet tomorrow (Thurs.) from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the chapel (east
of [redacted]). If you can’t be there the entire time, please feel free to
come late/leave early as necessary.We hope you can join us!
Sincerely,
{redacted]
PS: Please feel free to pass this invitation along to others who’d be
interested as well. Thank you!
I can’t decide if this is a deliberate attempt to be non-inclusive, or just completely tone deaf. One thing’s for sure: I’d be more irritated if I wasn’t too busy being amused with the idea that “prayer” is “America’s hope.” Up next: burnt offerings and astrology are America’s hope!
Considering that every dollar Obama spends says, IN GOD WE TRUST, the least he could have done is made a reference to praying the printing presses don’t stop running.
I honestly can’t tell if this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
Wendy Wright: “[A]s president, [Obama] should put his own lack of faith aside and live up to the office.”
What a fascinating and perhaps unintentionally revealing thing to say. Obama self-identifies as a Christian, and my personal inclination is to take him at his word on that. Wright, however, feels that since Obama seems to believe in the separation of church and state, at least to a certain extent, he is not as keen on official displays of religious belief as his predecessor was, and he is not using his position of power to be a witness for the Christian faith both hither and yon, then that means he’s not actually a Christian. Let’s say she’s correct. Let’s say Obama is actually an agnostic, or an atheist, or a deist, or what have you. Does Wright genuinely want Obama to pretend to be a religious man? And if “living up to the office” means acting like a pious Christian, regardless of one’s persional faith, or lack thereof… does Wright really not see how that would be problematic not only for those who advocate keeping government and religion separate, but also to actual pious Christians?
Shouldn’t we expect as much from a president that eats his hamburgers with Dijon mustard?
why cough in Texas; Worse, I heard that he puts mayo on his fries!