Barack Obama lets his faith show

Politico ^

[Sub-Driver]

Barack Obama lets his faith show

By: Carol E. Lee December 28, 2010 04:28 AM EST

HONOLULU — President Obama’s trip to church Sunday followed a steady rebirth over the past three months in public expressions of his Christianity.

Obama has publicly mentioned his “Christian faith” more times in the past three months than he has over the past year. He has more frequently cited passages of the Bible, including repeated references to the spirit of Genesis 4:9 — “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper” — which was a mainstay of Obama’s 2010 campaign stump speech. And he’s taken his family to church twice, a shift for a president who has preferred to worship privately since the end of the 2008 campaign.

“He presents his Christianity as an important aspect of his identity but one he doesn’t want to foist upon anyone else, and he would rather risk downplaying it than offending somebody,” said Jeffrey Siker, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University, who has studied Obama’s use of the Bible in his speeches.

“One recurring phrase — and I’ve noticed this frequently of late — this notion that we are our brothers’ keepers, which is kind of a mantra for him,” Siker added, noting that Obama “would see the notion of being our brother’s keeper as something that crosses all religious lines.”

Obama has used the reference, which was a regular feature of his on the 2008 campaign trail, in two dozen speeches since September. Before then, he’d used it just four times as president. References to his “Christian faith” also have appeared more times in Obama’s speeches since September than they did before.

[jennings2004]

Right on!

[Venturer]

Obama goes to the non-denominational chapel the day after Christmas on his way to the golf course . He listened to a few Christmas Carols, and he is called Christian.

Yes: and I said Christmas Mass at the Vatican.

[Western Phil]

If he is getting religion, he will need a Bible to carry. Maybe he can talk Clinton out of his. I doubt if it has been opened.

[jennings2004]

Voluntary vs. forced, yes!

[SteveH]

The phrase Obama uses actually seems to have originally emanated from his 2004 Democratic Convention speech:

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper — that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one.

Barack Obama’s remarks at the Democratic convention
The Associated Press via USA Today
7/27/2004

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-27-obama-speech-text_x.htm

I think the LA Times writer may have misread Obama’s remarks as a specific reference to the bible, and that Matthew Eckel, at least insofar as Obama’s 2004 speech context is concerned, may be unnecessarily dissembling the dissembling of a dissembler :-P...

[luvie]

Obama has started his re-election campaign. Lying.

[DocH]

It's politically expedient for him to "be" a "Christian" now that the campaign for 2012 has begun, but then he'll go back to being a covert member of the "religion" of "peace" when the time is right.

What a SCUM of the earth, left-wing, America-hating POS.

[gitmo]

repeated references to the spirit of Genesis 4:9 — “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper”

That's NOT the spirit of Genesis 4:9.

[PghBaldy]

He reminds me of my sociopathic brother, who makes a public show of his supposed piety, while stabbing in the back, everyone he doesn't need. This is a crock: this notion that we are our brothers’ keepers, which is kind of a mantra for him Obama's half-brother and half-aunt live in a hut and in public housing, respectively.

[Humal]

Getting ready for 2012.

[1010RD]

“He presents his Christianity as an important aspect of his identity but one he doesn’t want to foist upon anyone else, and he would rather risk downplaying it than offending somebody,” said Jeffrey Siker, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University, who has studied Obama’s use of the Bible in his speeches.

Let me translate:

“He [is a polished politician who] presents his Christianity as [something valuable when it comes to manipulating an audience, but not something worth defending or forming a firm commitment to] an important aspect of his identity but one he doesn’t want to foist upon anyone else, and he would rather [be perceived as a Moslem or member of a racist black church] risk downplaying it [to score political points as necessary, rather] than [risk] offending somebody [who might vote for him or donate monies],” said Jeffrey Siker, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University, who has studied Obama’s use of the Bible in his speeches.

[Graybeard58]

#11 Well put and exactly right.

[Graybeard58]

I think was guy he had killed in Bosnia - walked out of church and began laughing at a joke, when he saw repoters across the street became real solumn real fast.

The Paul Wellstone funeral.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Is this a joke? The guy is a Muslim. Come Oooon!!

[TXnMA]

"Before the President makes a fool out of himself yet again, someone should tell him what Genesis 4:9 is about. "

He is a fool. And I think he knows exactly what he is doing. The passage is about the first recorded murder (or, at least, first fratricide):

Genesis 4:9 (New International Version, ©2010 ...)

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don't know,” he replied. “Am I my brother's keeper?

The passage matches Øbozo's style very well...

[ntnychik]

Clinton just visited him. I’m watching for the gigantic show-Bible.

[sheik yerbouty]

Al Taqqiya”. Pure shi;ite..

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Great point!

[dupree]

I think it was the Ron Brown funeral.

[dupree]

I can’t believe that these highly educated, I’m-smarter-than-everyone-else-on-the-planet professors fall for these con artists in the White House when their motives are so transparent to everyone else.