75 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 18 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Show Me a Preacher Who Has Two Suits

By       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   No comments

Is it possible to reconcile the selection of Rick Warren, a divisive clergyman from a splinter sect of the Protestant Jesus-based religions, and the corollary exclusion of all other religions, with the Obama message of hope and inclusion? Logic says such reconciliation would be impossible.

 

President-elect Obama has now chosen one Protestant clergyman for his inauguration’s invocation and another for its benediction, a clear indication that Obama intends no real change from lame duck Bush’s recent efforts to blend religion into public and official life.  Obama’s choice also signals a total failure of religious inclusiveness, by excluding all other, e.g., Judaic religions, Muhammad-based religions, Buddha-based religions, Joseph Smith-based religions, and Papal-based religions, as well as the upstart pirate-based Flying Spaghetti Monster religion.

 

The Constitution of the United States contains an important section, the First Amendment, which begins:

 

          “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment

           of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”

 

In selecting Rick Warren, Barack Obama has de facto anointed and elevated a specific, narrow form of Jesus-based religion for a very official U.S. government function—the Inauguration of our 44th President—despite a clear Constitutional prohibition of any establishment of religion.

 

Too bad the Framers of our Constitution didn’t think to write “Neither Congress nor the President nor the President-elect shall take official actions that establish any religion.”  Their naïve oversight thus allows the religious zealots who may read this OpEd piece to claim, predictably, that Obama’s selection of a Christian cleric does not contradict the First Amendment’s absolute, unequivocal intent to separate any government activity from all religiously-based behaviors. Those readers who doubt this intent are hereby referred to Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Church, a missive which employs an explanatory analogy for the language of the Constitution as a “wall of separation” between religion and all official activities of state, like legislation, elections, and inaugurations.

 

Unfortunately, we have seen far too many clear associations between religious figures and official acts of state (not to mention the ignominy of having clerical persons appointed “chaplain” of the Senate and House of Representatives, having an explicitly religious phrase on our coinage, using a King James Bible in courtrooms, having an Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in the White House, and suffering the enduring shame of “under God” brutally inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

 

Is there any legitimate place in public life for religion?  Many would argue against that proposition, seeing instead that all religions, and many religious leaders, exert a mostly pernicious influence that corrodes our social and cultural lives.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

R. Queisser Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I am a progressive activist. After 28 years in health care management I left in disgust at the mess that commercial health insurance companies have created. I must work to live (self-employed) and enjoy performing with several classical & jazz (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Dump the CEOs Before Investing in U.S. Industry

Show Me a Preacher Who Has Two Suits

Cancel the Superbowl! Or, Vince Lombardi Was a Putz!

Caveat Emptor, Congress!

Gaza 2009; Warsaw, 1943

Here Is Why Sarah Palin As VP Works--For Now

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend