Posted on 06/29/2010 1:45:00 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Words matter. Words often hold great meaning. That is especially true when it comes to the words of our founding documents like the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. Those words are especially cherished. Yet in the past year it appears the Obama administration has been changing one key word in that sacred scroll.
Last month the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2010 report revealed grave concern about both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejecting the term “freedom of religion” for the term “freedom of worship” in public pronouncements. Why the change when the First Amendment talks specifically about our freedom of religion and not simply worship?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… – US Constitution
Last November Obama used the term “freedom of worship” at the memorial service for the victims of the Ft. Hood shooting. A few days later he did it again in speeches in both Japan and China. In December Hillary Clinton also used that terminology three times in a speech at Georgetown University and never once used the phrase “freedom of religion”. In January of this year Clinton used the “freedom of worship” term four times while addressing senators.
This change in phraseology could well be viewed by human rights defenders and officials in other countries as having concrete policy implications.” – U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2010 report
The response by many religious freedom advocates is fear of what this all means. Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom and member of the Religious Freedom commission believes freedom of worship is limited to private beliefs and prayer but not public activity.
It excludes the right to raise your children in your faith; the right to have religious literature; the right to meet with co-religionists; the right to raise funds; the right to appoint or elect your religious leaders, and to carry out charitable activities, to evangelize, [and] to have religious education or seminary training. – Nina Shea
Some Christian based publications are also worried.
That’s not an inconsequential change: Freedom of worship means the ability to have church services, which is crucial, but leaves out protection for Christian schools, publications, and Christian compassionate ministries…’Freedom of religion’ means that ministries designed to help prisoners change their lives, or to help the poor enter the workforce, can teach what the Bible teaches. Under ‘freedom of worship,’ these ministries could become illegal, as they are in many parts of the world. This is a development to watch warily. – World Magazine
Some in the State Department argue the words “religion” and “worship” can be used interchangeably and there is nothing to worry about. Others aren’t so sure and see this change in terminology as a major shift by the Obama administration.
Those of us in the business of sniffing out rats know that this is a rhetorical shift to watch. – Tom Farr, Professor of Religion and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the former head of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Office
This President clearly sees religion as a key part of foreign affairs when the Muslim world is involved especially. He is ultra-careful to not want to offend followers of Islam. We already know that the administration has rejected the term “radical Islam” or any similar language and refuses to admit religion plays a major roll in terrorism.
This new terminology of “freedom of worship” might be given as a sign to Muslim nations and places with Christian persecution like China that they are not going to crack down on religious persecution for minority religions in those countries. That could explain why Obama first used the term after a radical Muslim killed Americans at Ft. Hood. And it could also explain why he used the term in speeches in China and Japan.
I’m very fearful that by building bridges, we’re actually stepping away from this fundamental principle of religious freedom. … It is so critical for Western, especially American, leaders to articulate strong defense for religious freedom and explain what that means and how it undergirds our entire civilization. – Nina Shea
Shea has it right. I’m not sure who all the Obama administration is trying to build bridges with by a shift in terminology, but it it a dangerous shift. When Obama’s folk shift terminology that always means there has been a shift in policy. They (with the exception of Vice President Biden) choose their words very carefully. The administration needs to publicly proclaim what this new policy means for Americans and for religious freedom around the world.
The implications are horrifying. Truly, only God can save us now.
**The response by many religious freedom advocates is fear of what this all means. Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom and member of the Religious Freedom commission believes freedom of worship is limited to private beliefs and prayer but not public activity.**
Hmmmm......like worshipping the devil? Worshipping the sun?
We are in big doo-doo if this doesn’t get challenged — my opinion.
Not good news at all, is it?
Most Christian churches (and the bible) teach that worship is something one does with one’s life at all places and times, not just inside the doors of a church building. Obama is probably ignorant of this, and is trying to hem faith in. Is he in for a surprise. One might as well try to wrap jello in rubber bands.
YO
yeah. VERY HIDEOUS.
OMINOUS. TRAITOROUS, DEMONIC.
Worshipping the air is something that anyone can do. It’s a phyiscal act of getting together, pointing in a direction or not, and supplicating.
This is a huge defense of the rituals of islam. ‘Worship’=islam.
That’s how an athiest would view it, which all these guys are. I’m not religous myself, and I can clearly see the difference.
That’s at least his intent. It’s a semantic change that won’t affect churches that are in the know, however. Living itself, in all its “ordinary” aspects, is itself an act of worship for the knowledgeable Christian.
Worship has been done in outer space too :-)
We nutty Christians believe that an infinitely wise being designed and created the quantum foam, too.
The Constitution defines religious freedom, not the administration.
Not nutty, perhaps something did. Perhaps not. Not sure it’ll mind either way if you dance or do motions for it.
Oh, God does care about you and I, and about a lot more than dancing.
This article makes a lot of sense.
Thank you for the ping and post!
Our preacher mentioned this Sunday but he didn’t call names. Still have too many yellow dog democrats that haven’t died yet.
Barack and Hillary are enemies of individuals, enemies of freedom and the enemies within.
Definitions are the guardians of rationality, the first line of defense against the chaos of mental disintegration. - Ayn Rand
I had not noticed this - until now...thanks for posting...very interesting...and disturbing...
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It is no accident or coincidence that Hiterly and 0thugga are both using this new phrase - "freedom of worship" instead of "freedom of religion". And whatever their reasons are, we know they are malignant leftist reasons. Everything these fiends say and do is orchestrated, nuanced, planned and decided upon in the background by people even more disgustingly evil. Or at least as disgustingly evil. Leftism isn't just "another" philosophy or world view or political system, it is Evil with a capital E.
Why is that? Because it rejects God's authority and places Man in His stead. And what happens when the minds of humans are the authority? Gulags, holocausts, genocide, perversion and tyranny - that's what.
Another point is this - often people say stuff like "Even Hilary would be better than 0thugga, at least she's an American/loves her country etc". I strongly disagree. It's like saying getting bitten by a rattlesnake is better than being bitten by a cobra. Maybe not that, since people do survive rattlesnake bites. Maybe saying it's better to be bitten by a death adder rather than a cobra. Both Hitlery and 0thugga are evil to the core and hate all that is good and decent about America.
The guy is pure evil. You can bet your bottom dollar, whatever he does is to please Satan aka allah.
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