A False Theology: Obama's Appeal to Faith Runs Contrary to Christian Faith

LifeSite ^ | May 20, 2009 | John-Henry Westen

[NYer]

May 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - President Barack Obama's speech at Notre Dame Sunday held out as a central thesis a false theology of faith; a false theology contradicted by the Bible, by ancient Christian writers and by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A central point in the President's speech was "faith" and its supposed inherent "doubt."  Obama told the students: "Remember, too, that 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 … And this doubt should not push away our faith.  But it should humble us.  It should temper our passions, cause us to be wary of too much self-righteousness.  It should compel us to remain open and curious and eager to continue the spiritual and moral debate."

The Christian vision of faith, however, excludes doubt about the articles of the faith and does not admit it as Obama suggests that it "necessarily" does.

The Bible, in the book of Hebrews, defines faith as "the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence (or certainty) of things that appear not."  (Hebrews 11:1)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes specifically: "Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives."

My name sake, John Henry Newman wrote on the subject. While admitting intellectual difficulties with articles of the Christian Creed, he never doubted the doctrines attached to them.  He said famously: "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."

In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote on the subject, distinguishing between understanding, faith and opinion.  He pointed out that opinion lacks certitude, but both understanding and faith have it.  Understanding relies on reason, faith on authority. "A faith that lacks certainty is not really faith but rather opinion," he wrote.  (De Considertione, Bernard of Clairvaux as quoted in The Assurance of Things Hoped For: A Theology of Christian Faith by Avery Dulles)

Christians need never doubt the evil of abortion, or the immorality of sexual relations between two persons of the same sex.  These are absolute and unchangeable truths taught by faith but also knowable by human reason - and therefore doubly certain.

Obama continued with his theme of doubt saying: "this doubt should remind us even as we cling to our faith to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works and charity and kindness and service that moves hearts and minds."

The President then delivered his answer to the puzzle of living in the world of diverse faiths. "For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together," he said.  "It's no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism.  It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated.  The call to love.  The call to serve.  To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth."

Interestingly, all committed Christians can agree on this point, but the result will not be what Mr. Obama is intending.  Speaking as someone who was once on the proverbial 'other side,' who was living a lifestyle contrary to the Gospel, who was anti-life, I know that the most charitable loving thing Christians can do for those on the 'other side' is to love them enough to let them know that their behavior is harmful to themselves, and especially to their eternal salvation.

It is love to have the courage to tell the active homosexual that his behavior is harmful for him physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is kindness to tell the abortionist that God loves him and will forgive him if he'd only repent and stop the killing.  It is an act of charity for the bishop to tell the errant pro-abortion Catholic politician that he may not receive Holy Communion until he repents of his support for abortion. The Golden Rule does not - as Obama hinted that it does - simply mean that we ought to suspend our faculties of judgment and accept error (a truly fatal error in the case of support for abortion) against our better judgment.

In this day and age it is the easy road to allow our fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters in Christian parlance, to do as they please in these areas.  It is tough to stand up to societal pressures and muster the nerve to speak out in love against that which leads to perdition.  But, if we truly love our brothers and sisters, if we care about them as a father does for his child, then we must love them enough to let them know the truth even if it hurts.

[NYer]

Christians need never doubt the evil of abortion, or the immorality of sexual relations between two persons of the same sex. These are absolute and unchangeable truths taught by faith but also knowable by human reason - and therefore doubly certain.

Catholic Ping
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[griswold3]

The Road to Perdition...

[VRWCTexan]

Once again obama helps to confirm where we are in so far as the “last days”...

“But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

[blueyon]

“...that 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”

Faith is above his pay grade also..that explains a lot. Just hope people will realize it soon before more damage is done.

[mkcc30]

Good post and a very appropriate scripture.

Truly a veil is over a lot of so called “christian” eyes if they believe this man is saved. He is as far from Christianity as east is to west!
It is one thing to believe in Christ it is a whole other thing to worship and emulate him. Even the devils and demons believe but they are not going to heaven.

[mkcc30]

Dear Lord his analogies of scripture are as out of whack as the devil himself. It reminds me of satan quoting scripture to Jesus Christ in the wilderness, all out of context.

“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways...”

[MHGinTN]

Yeah, obamnoids are fond of trying to teach FR members from the bible stories. Have you seen the one where a DU troll tries to teach us using the story of the Good Samaritan, and she didn’t even know which character was the injured party? I saved that one for the shear stupidity of it. She ‘teaches’ here, regularly, always enlarging her christianity mask.

[hellbender]

the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love. The call to serve. To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth."

Except for those fellow human beings who haven't been born, or those born alive after a failed attempt to murder them; Obama voted to have the latter left to die.

This make-believe "Christian" man is diabolical in his sophistry.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

It certainly sounded like Obama was telling the ND students it is better to doubt
Christian teachings (like pro-life ones). He was pushing false, counterfeit ideas.

Notre Dame's Kabuki dance with Obama and the Culture of Death

[EBH]

Many times during the campaign this man twisted scripture to suit his desire.

Tell me something I don’t already know.

[hellbender]

It’s beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us

Oh yeah? Have you never heard of the Ten Commandments, O Great Deceiver B. Hussein Obama? How about this one:

You shall not commit murder.

The Catholic Church used to have a strong intellectual tradition, and generated many people who could have seen through this Satanic individual and demolished his arguments.

[TalBlack]

“Remember, too, that 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 …”

Unadulterated utter crap.

He has the truth backwards in the first sentence and the second is a mish mash apparently intended to blur the Nature of God verses what He expects of us, as a means of sowing confusion.

I think Obama is Evil.

[Gritty-Kitty]

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the co-founder of NARAL who became pro-life, even while he was still an atheist, stated that the Golden Rule was all the moral understanding one needed to know that abortion was immoral. He argued, if I recall, that an unborn child by it's nature doesn't want to die. It wants to be survive and be born. We were all in that vulnerable state once and were not killed. So how can we go and let our fellow humans be slaughtered?

But to Obama, Christians aren't allowed to have more moral clarity than this simple compassion? Abortion is the opposite of humility before God. It is playing god with the lives of others.

[timestax]

“But realize this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

That certainly describes the times we live in now! Especially world governments!

[timestax]

[timestax]

[timestax]

bttt

[xone]

Have you seen the one where a DU troll tries to teach us using the story of the Good Samaritan, and she didn’t even know which character was the injured party?

I haven't seen it, but would like to.

[MHGinTN]

Here ya go:

To: MHGinTN; mylife; Admin Moderator
…
{MHGinTN}And then — “You were caught in your deceit when you tried to use the story of the Good Samaritan as if ‘you knew your Bible’, yet you weren’t even familiar enough with the story to know the Good Samaritan’s role in the story. You’re a deceiver.”
{Star Traveler}So you say, but I don’t. …
213 posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:43:04 AM by Star Traveler

So, let’s take a look, to see if you were deceiving readers with your faux Bible lesson!

[Star Traveler: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2154244/posts?q=1&;page=305] You said — “He didn’t say anything about being nice to His enemies.” I think he did, in regards to the question of “Who is my neighbor” and who helped the injured Samaritan along the road (Samaritans were the enemies of Israel...).... I think Jesus made the point very well…

Was this merely a typo? Well, you repeated the error, so we can’t call the initial error a typo; you just aren’t what you pretend to be. But, in typical liars bluff not knowing when to keep quiet in your initial deceit, you tried to dismiss my calling you out:

To: Star Traveler
When you actually learn whom the Samaritans were and their relationship to the ‘in tribe’ of Jerusalem, perhaps you’ll have matured sufficiently to not make large religious claims based on flawed references.
326 posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008 8:55:48 PM by MHGinTN

To: MHGinTN
Suffice it to say, if you studied the Bible and knew your facts …
It appears you have no knowledge of the Bible or knowledge of Jesus, and that’s a major problem in even understanding what Jesus said…
341 posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008 9:11:52 PM by Star Traveler

To: MHGinTN
… And Jesus made that an express example of the question of “Who is my neighbor” in giving the example of helping the Samaritan who was passed by on the road, by everyone else. …
You obviously are like the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were always against Jesus and what He said, time and time again. I see we have them here on this forum, too — in spite of what the Bible tells Christians to do…
357 posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008 9:32:15 PM by Star Traveler

To: Star Traveler From your #305 post, you did't even know that the Good Smaritan was the one who stopped to help the injured traveler! You're a fraud, a typical poseur trying to quote the Bible to manipulate readers. Here is your exact sentence from #305:
Star Traveler: I think he did, in regards to the question of “Who is my neighbor” and who helped the injured Samaritan along the road (Samaritans were the enemies of Israel...)
361 posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008 9:41:15 PM by MHGinTN

To: MHGinTN
You said — “You’re a fraud, a typical poseur trying to quote the Bible to manipulate readers.”
It’s the exact same thing I’ve been posting, from the Bible, since the beginning on Free Republic. You’ll find no difference from Clinton, to Bush to Obama... You just don’t like the content of what is being posted, and that’s your problem. But, I won’t be changing my posting.
—
The Samaritan was the person who helped. I’ll quote the section for you... Luke 10:25-37
…
369 posted on Thursday, December 25, 2008 9:54:35 PM by Star Traveler

Yes, I’d say you’re a fraud. You’ve tried to scam readers by quoting Bible verses you don’t even have enough familiarity with to know the role of the story participants, and you tried to twist your lie into stating something opposite of what you stated.