This gibberish would be uproariously amusing if it were not human life he was talking about. Of course, he really does think this debate “should go away.” Anyone who holds Roe v. Wade as sacrosanct hoped that the Supreme Court would have ended the argument once and for all. Notice also, how the president says that the views of the two sides of the abortion struggle are “irreconcilable,” but then insists that everyone should have “open hearts” and “open minds.” Like so much of what he says, this is meaningless fluff. Obviously, since pro-lifers believe abortion involves the taking of an innocent human life, they can have no “open mind” to finding “common ground.” No more than the abolitionists could have had “open hearts” when it came to ending the scourge of slavery in America.
For all his years of schooling at elite institutions, one gets the feeling that the president has not thought deeply about these moral and ethical issues—or perhaps he is just not that interested. Faith is a hurdle that has to be cleared rather than a rock to lean on. The most telling part of the Notre Dame speech was when he spoke about the nature of faith:
“The ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It’s the belief in things not seen. It’s beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us.”
Actually, it is not beyond our capacity to know what God asks of us, particularly for Christians. God asks us to follow His teachings, His word, and His example. While it is true that to doubt is human, the president seems to be encouraging these young people to follow their own lights and toss aside the “worn-out dogmas” that he referenced at his inauguration. Doubt appears to be the spine of Obama’s faith; he has muddled notions of what faith demands and no concept of what Christians believe is our final destination.
If he had his druthers, President Obama would never have to speak publicly about his faith or the demands of Christianity again. Of the many attempts to describe his faith, Barack Obama was perhaps most candid in a 2004 interview with Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cathleen Falsani. He told her:
I retain from my childhood and my experiences growing up, a suspicion of dogma. And I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others. . . . I think that religion at its best comes with a big dose of doubt. I’m suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding, just because I think people are limited in their understanding.
I think that, particularly as somebody who’s now in the public realm and is a student of what brings people together and what drives them apart, there’s an enormous amount of damage done around the world in the name of religion and certainty.
Hallelujah! I cannot believe I did not think of this sooner. You see, only the enlightened, those who doubt and strut about the world with an unfixed morality, are capable of uniting us and bringing “people together.” It is religion that divides and “damages” the world. These comments are key to understanding this president’s predisposition toward people of faith. Examining Obama’s past and present, it is clear that he has evolved beyond belief to a state of enlightenment that we churchgoing simpletons could not possibly understand. At least he is true to his dogma of doubt. Just listen to him commenting on his Lord and Savior:
FALSANI Who’s Jesus to you?
OBAMA (He laughs nervously.) Right. Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher. And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.
Finally, clarity! No wonder the apostles died to follow Christ—to reach “something higher”! What is that something? Of course he knows what heaven is, you critics! It starts with an O and ends with an o . . . Oslo, where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and wowed the crowd with banalities about the global community. Peter and Paul had Jesus to teach them “in the flesh”; Obama had Jeremiah Wright. You can compare and contrast the outcomes on your own.
THE CHURCH SEARCH
When most families who take their faith seriously move to a new town, one of the first things they consider is where they will worship. For some, the decision about which church or synagogue to attend comes first, and determines the neighborhood where they choose to live. But the Obamas are different. When they moved from Chicago to take up residence in the White House, the whole church thing seemed like an afterthought. In fact, since he tossed Reverend Jeremiah Wright overboard, Obama has been a pilgrim adrift—a man without a spiritual home.
Shortly before moving into the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama indicated that they wanted to find a permanent place to worship among a community of believers in D.C., a place where they could feel at home. Suddenly the Washington Post was filled with stories of pastors and congregations urging Obama to grace their respective sanctuaries with the First Presence.
The day before the Inauguration, the Obamas started to audition D.C.-area churches with a huge caravan that included everybody except Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest. Their first stop was one of the oldest black churches in the District, the 19th Street Baptist Church. On the day of their visit, the two-hundred-year-old structure was filled to capacity and even regular church members were turned away at the door. The Obamas arrived five minutes before the start of the service and pandemonium ensued. Once the Reverend Derrick Hawkins restored order, he launched into a sermon about Barack Obama’s favorite subject: Barack Obama. If the reverend wanted to make an impression on the soon-to-be president, he was certainly starting on the right foot.
The sermon, titled “For Such a Time As This,” likened the biblical characters of Mordecai and Esther to the journey of Barack Obama. According to the Washington Post, Hawkins advised the president-elect “to remember two things when times grow difficult. First, look to your wife as an encourager,” he said. And second, “God is in the transformation business.” (Maybe he was trying to say that after a transformation, Michelle could be an encouragement to her husband!)
The Post reported that the church enshrined Obama within the long line of civil rights heroes who had sacrificed for equality. A child rose during the service to offer his own bit of worship: “Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King, Jr., could walk. Martin Luther King walked so that Barack Obama could run. Barack Obama ran so that all children can fly.” But all the shameless pandering didn’t merit the 19th Street Baptist Church a return presidential visit. Citing security concerns and shock over the attention being paid to him (as if), Obama opted against joining the 19th Street Baptist Church.
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA
BLAIR HOUSE
January 18, 2009
This church thing in D.C. is not going to go well. It’s Sunday, and with the inauguration tomorrow, Miche thought it would look good to take the girls to church. The staff got some recommendations and decided on the 19th Street Baptist Church. They met all our requirements: they’re progressive, have a rockin’ band, and they ordain women. We were all looking forward to it—even Mother Robinson, who I don’t think has been to church since the original Easter Sunday.
The music was okay, but the preaching was a snore-o-rama. This reverend stands up and starts comparing me to the biblical character Esther! Reggie thought that was cold. Now of all the figures in the Bible, couldn’t he have compared me to a more appropriate one? Somebody like Moses or Spartacus or Jesus, maybe—but Esther?! What is that supposed to mean? Once I heard that Esther jazz, I thought, He can forget about ever having the president darken the door of this crappy church again!
Nothing about this place made sense. It’s called the 19th Street Baptist Church, but it’s on 16th Street! Now how is that possible? These people can’t even get their church on the right street and they’re supposed to get me to heaven—co
me on! Thank God we have the inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial tonight. That’s the kind of worship I can really throw myself into. And I know damn well that Bruce Springsteen and will.i.am won’t be comparing me to a dead Jewish queen.
On Easter Sunday 2009, the First Family ventured across Lafayette Park to St. John’s Episcopal Church. Just steps from the White House, this worship space was ideally situated, but apparently not what the Obamas were seeking. After sitting in the pews of Trinity United Church of Christ, the formal liturgy of St. John’s must have seemed foreign to the Obamas. A Time magazine piece by Amy Sullivan suggested that they were disturbed by worshippers “snapping photos of Obama on their camera phones as they walked down the aisle past him to take communion.” Whatever the case, they haven’t returned since.
THE DIARY OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
Easter 2009
Stiff and lily white—that’s the only way to describe the horrendous service we just suffered through at St. John’s Episcopal Church, “the Church of the presidents.” I know it’s just a block from the White House, but there is no way I can go back there. The girls fell asleep. As for me, I was just aching to hear some preaching like Reverend Jeremiah’s. That man knew how to spice up a Sunday. Listening to this pastor today drone on about Jesus rising and the power of the resurrection just wasn’t interesting at all. We’re used to hearing about contemporary issues at church—like climate change and how Israel is screwing over the Palestinians.
I’ll never forget when Reverend Jeremiah taught us that the women who went to Jesus’s tomb were the first community organizers. They were “looking for life among the dead just like our people here on the South Side,” he said. “We’re standing in the tomb with an America that is rotted and diseased—worm ridden! The maggots are eating her whole. The maggots, who are the rich, the white, the middle class, and the Jews. Like those women in the Gospel, we have to come out of the tomb and take our message to the streets. Scream to the whole world: We are risen! We ain’t going back! You get in the tomb! It’s your turn! You get in the tomb, America!” What an uplifting message. I used to listen to the recording of it almost every day on my way to work.
Anyway, I told Smokey that if he wants to cross the park to watch Mr. Rogers host this boring wine tasting each week, that’s OK with me, but I’m not going again. Let him take Reggie with him. Mama had no use for St. John’s, either. On the walk back, she was her usual insightful self, saying, “That is the reason I haven’t been to church in years. It’s always Jesus this and Jesus that. Can’t they talk about somebody else for a change?” Mama’s analysis is always spot-on.
I am not suggesting that presidential churchgoing alone is a guarantee of virtue. Bill Clinton was a regular churchgoer, and we know how that ended up. In fairness, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush didn’t attend church regularly either, nor were they members of a congregation in D.C. But unlike Obama, Reagan and Bush were spiritually grounded and spoke about their faith and Christianity in a way that tracked with the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Americans. They didn’t enact policies that defied the precepts of classic Christianity, and neither Reagan nor Bush degraded religious people or practices in the way that the Obama administration has.
Reports have surfaced that members of the Obamas’ staff have been screening sermons and visiting churches on the First Family’s behalf. The church search continues. The Obamas have found time to tour the world, enjoy romantic dinners in exotic locales, host lavish parties, and plant a garden of untold powers, but they still have yet to find a spiritual home for their worship on Sunday.
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
March 14, 2009
Picking a church is harder than coming up with an Afghanistan policy. I’ve been reviewing literally hundreds of sermons. Once a week, over lunch, Axe, Gibbs, Valerie, and I meet to review the church question. Here’s the problem: Politically, it’s wise to be a member of a church. (That way if any questions about my affliation come up later, I’ve got a place to send the press.) But we’ve got to find a church with a pastor who doesn’t make inflammatory statements—otherwise they’ll have him all over Fox News and I’ll have to resign from another congregation.
On the other hand, I need the inflammatory statements! I hear diplomatic talk all week. On Sundays, I want to hear some kick-ass, burn-the-house-down social justice, the-capitalists-need-to-fry oratory. This is what I am used to, and what my soul craves. Valerie snuck Reverend Jeremiah into the East Room for a few secret prayer services, but we can’t do that every week. Otherwise the press will catch on, since his name will show up on the guest rolls. If somebody questions it, Gibbs says we’ll just tell them that it’s a different Jeremiah Wright.
I’ve got to go to some church tomorrow. We haven’t been to church in a while and I need to prove that the Democratic Party is not hostile to religion. The picture of me going into a house of worship is reassuring to the masses—makes them think I’m turning to God during this economic crisis. It could even stabilize the world markets. And for a president, quiet time is a good thing. Maybe we’ll head over to the Metropolitan AME Church. It’s close by and Frederick Douglass used to go there from time to time. But is it worth wasting a morning?
Nahh. My backswing needs work. And Reggie and Jay-Z would be disappointed if I canceled our golf plans.
THEY’RE NOT THAT INTO HIM
Of all the startling admissions to slip from the mouth of former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, there was one that really stood out. It came during a luncheon with former social secretaries. Desiree was unveiling the administration’s plans for “Obama-tizing” the White House when she let fly a most Grinch-like vision of Christmas. According to the New York Times, Rogers said the Obamas were “planning a non-religious Christmas.” She later confided that the First Family would not display the traditional crèche scene in the East Room. Who needs all that Jesus statuary around at Christmas time anyway? It only distracts from the important things of the season: Michelle’s clothes and the subversive Christmas ornaments.
The reported nativity omission at the White House drew outrage from all quarters, not the least of which was expressed by Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League: “Unlike almost all Americans—including atheists—the Obamas do not give their children Christmas gifts. We know this because Barack bragged about this last year to People magazine. . . . If the Obamas want to deprive their children of celebrating Christmas, that is their business. It is the business of the public to hold them accountable for the way they celebrate Christmas in the White House. We know one thing for sure: no other administration ever entertained internal discussions on whether to display a nativity scene in the White House.”
Eventually tradition and sustained disapproval from the citizenry prompted the White House to display the nativity scene in its normal spot. The president even made reference to the crèche during the lighting of the National (Don’t Call It Christmas) Tree in December 2009. Though it was tinged with his particular brand of faithful doubt:
“Tonight, we celebrate . . . the story of a child born far from home to parents guided only by faith, but who would ultimately spread a message that has endured for more than 2, 000 years—that no matter who we are or where we are from, we are each called to love one another as brother and sister. While this story may be a Christian one, its lesson is universal. It speaks to the hope we share as a people. And it represents a tradition that we celebrate as a country—a tradition that has come to represent more than any one holiday or religion, but a season of brotherhood and generosity to our fellow citizens.”
In one fell swoop Barack Obama succeeded in turning Christmas to ’mas—stripping the holy day of Christ and its religious foundation. With his “We Are the World” verbiage, he drained Christmas of its Christ-centric emphasis. There is no mention of the coming of the Savior or the Messiah; no talk of Christ’s birth being
the hope of mankind. Brotherhood and generosity based on “a tradition” is the hope we share. As muddled and secular as Obama’s Christmas discourse was, none of it was surprising.
Obviously, Christmas is not a big deal for the Obamas. They barely celebrate the day at all. The president told People magazine that the First Daughters get no presents at Christmas because Michelle and Barack are trying “to teach limits” to their children. They must also be trying to teach limits to each other. On Christmas Day 2009, Anne E. Kornblut reported that the Obamas did not go to church, did not exchange gifts, but like the wise men and the shepherds before them, hit the gym on Christmas morn. They capped the day with a special meal of “roast beef and potatoes.”
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Reggie and I took the girls to a worship service this morning. We left the White House around 10:30. They were all excited. It’s important that they have some alone time with their father. It also gives Miche and Mother Robinson a break.
Secret Service made sure the place was all ready for us. When we got inside, those girls didn’t know what hit them. Yeah, the old man’s still got it. I landed jump shot after jump shot. If she can pick up a few of my moves, Malia could be a fine player— she’s got the height. Reggie and I played a little one-on-one (I kicked his butt), then I helped the girls with their technique. When we were done, the girls had that starry look in their eyes—like Alexrod after I give a speech. “Daddy, nobody can play basketball better than you,” Sasha said. Now that’s the best kind of Sunday worship there is.
The Obama Diaries Page 18