President Obama's church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy

« Obama is a theoretical leader; Romney a practical onePresident Obama: “He’s sexy and the media knows it” »

President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy

Bookworm on Apr 30 2012 at 3:31 pm | Filed under: Barack Obama, Religion

Best of the Web posts a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times in which Obama defines sin, not along traditional Christian or Muslim lines, but along self-referential lines:

Falsani: Do you believe in sin?

Obama: Yes.

Falsani: What is sin?

Obama: Being out of alignment with my values.

The President, when he made that statement about the measure of sin being his own values, might have had in the back of his head the unspoken qualifier that his values are “Christian.” I doubt it, though, because I have found the definitive doctrine of Obama’s faith. Joan Allen, in the 2000 movie The Contender, recites the doctrinal beliefs of what she calls a church based in “this very chapel of democracy.” I think her church could be more accurately described as The Church of Progressive Political Belief, and it’s clear that President Obama is a devout member.

Here’s the video, followed by a transcript with my interlineations:

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman of the Committee. Remarkably enough, it seems that I have some explaining to do. So, let me be absolutely clear.

I stand for a woman’s right to choose.

[So does the President, and he stands for making everyone in America, including religious institutions and religious worshippers that are doctrinally opposed to that "right," pay for women's choices.]

I stand for the elimination of the death penalty.

[This has not been an issue for our president, although he does seem uncommonly fond of drones.]

I stand for a strong and growing armed forces because we must stamp out genocide on this planet, and I believe that that is a cause worth dying for.

[Here we have an early articulation of R2P -- responsibility to protect. In the Progressive canon, our country is not worth fighting for and dying for. Genocide -- provided that those on the receiving end of genocide are neither Christians nor Jews -- is the real reason a Progressive United States should have a military. In this regard, it's ironic that president Obama not only presided over two wars, but started a third.]

I stand for seeing every gun taken out of every home. Period.

[Three words: Fast and Furious.]

I stand for making the selling cigarettes to our youth a federal offense.

[Because, really, who needs education, the marketplace of ideas, and free will?]

I stand for term limits and campaign reform.

[Obama hasn't said much about term limits, but he's made it clear that his idea of campaign reform is to stifle corporate speech, despite the fact that corporations are aggregations of citizens and pay taxes; and that his personal contribution to campaign reform is to campaign more than all the other presidents since Nixon put together.]

And, Mr. Chairman, I stand for the separation of Church and State, and the reason that I stand for that is the same reason that I believe our forefathers did. It is not there to protect religion from the grasp of government but to protect our government from the grasp of religious fanaticism.

[The Founders could not have made it more clear that Freedom of Religion, which is contained in the First Amendment, protects religion from government, not vice versa. The Amendment's language is unequivocal: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." There's nothing in there mandating that no religious person can serve in Congress or have a say in America's government.]

Now, I may be an atheist, but that does not mean I do not go to church. I do go to church. The church I go to is the one that emancipated the slaves [that would be the Republican sect of the church], that gave women the right to vote, that gave us every freedom that we hold dear. My church is this very Chapel of Democracy that we sit in together, and I do not need God to tell me what are my moral absolutes. I need my heart, my brain, and this church. [And there you have it -- President Obama's creed writ large: "I do not need God to tell me what are my moral absolutes. I need my heart, my brain, and this (Progressive) church.]

Be Sociable, Share!

Tags: Barack Obama, Christianity, Faith, First Amendment, Freedom of Religion, Joan Allen, Progressives, Second Amendment, Second Amendment, The Contender

Email This Post To A Friend

33 Responses to “President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy”

on 30 Apr 2012 at 5:45 pm 1Bookworm Room » President Obama's church is the chapel of … | Church

[...] from: Bookworm Room » President Obama's church is the chapel of … Posted in Church Tags: allen, church, contender, definitive, doctrinal, doctrinal-beliefs, [...]
on 30 Apr 2012 at 6:41 pm 2Ron19

I realize this was just a movie, but if they can say just anything they want and expect me to believe them, than why can’t I say just anything I want and expect them to believe me? Iknow, Iknow, they are on the random evolutionary branch that always gets it right and I am on the branch that always gets it wrong.
on 30 Apr 2012 at 7:43 pm 3Clearing the Browser Tabs – A War Room that Knows Offense : The Sundries Shack

[...] the President loses when he tries to gin up some fake “war” on something or another?Barack Obama, the Contender.Three years ago, the Democrats in the Senate passed a budget. They have refused to pass one since [...]
on 30 Apr 2012 at 10:08 pm 4SADIE

Speaking of Wright and Wrong ….

FALSANI:
Do you have people in your life that you look to for guidance?
OBAMA:
Well, my pastor [Jeremiah Wright] is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.
I have a number of friends who are ministers. Reverend Meeks is a close friend and colleague of mine in the state Senate. Father Michael Pfleger is a dear friend, and somebody I interact with closely.
on 01 May 2012 at 6:51 am 5Libby

Ugh, I hated “The Contender”. There was a similar statement of “faith” in “The Ides of March”, where Clooney unleashes this swoon-worthy statement during a debate:
“I’m not a Christian. I’m not an Atheist. I’m not Jewish. I’m not Muslim. My religion, what I believe in is called the Constitution of United States of America.”
Obama’s ideas on sin reek of narcissism – his only concern is offending his own sense of morality (with no indication that it’s based on anything other than his peerless moral judgement).
on 01 May 2012 at 7:49 am 6FunkyPhD

Sickening. Watching that video literally made my stomach hurt.
on 01 May 2012 at 8:42 pm 7Ymarsakar

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
Eric Hoffer

Anyone ever realize that when the Left called Bush and the GOp a theocracy, they were just planning the long game?

Wouldn’t it be real easy to implement a Leftist theocracy, if all the complaints about theocracies went against their political enemies? When people are so busy “defending” what they believe as “not a theocracy”, how easy is it for the Left to do whatever they want to do?
on 02 May 2012 at 1:55 am 8Watcher of Weasels » Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition

[...] Obama:The Car Is STILL in the Ditch and Now We Are FLAT BROKE and Out of Gas! Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy Rhymes With Right – Why Are We Dealing With This Again? Gay Patriot – Spiking the Osama ball, [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 2:05 am 9GayPatriot » Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 2:50 am 10Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition | Independent Sentinel

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 7:55 am 11This Week’s Watcher’s Council Nominations | therightplanet.com

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 8:03 am 12This Week’s Watchers Council Nominations | therightplanet.com

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 12:22 pm 13Trevor Loudon's New Zeal Blog

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 12:31 pm 14Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition | askmarion

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 May 2012 at 12:42 pm 15The Colossus of Rhodey

Watcher’s Council nominations…

The Colossus of Rhodey “Progressivism” = Insanity The Noisy Room Pathological Politics Predatory Partners and Persecuting Patriots The Political Commentator Talking Heads say invest, invest, invest but closer inspection may say no, …
on 02 May 2012 at 6:24 pm 16Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition | Sago

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 03 May 2012 at 5:03 am 17Watcher’s Council Nominations – May Day Edition | Virginia Right!

[...] Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 12:48 am 18Watcher of Weasels » The Council Has Spoken! This Weeks’ Watchers Council Results

[...] [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 4:53 am 19This Week’s Watcher’s Council Results | therightplanet.com

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 5:46 am 20This Week’s Watchers Council Results | Independent Sentinel

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 11:27 am 21Trevor Loudon's New Zeal Blog

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room – President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 5:14 pm 22|

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 5:15 pm 23Weekend Tidbits |

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 04 May 2012 at 6:06 pm 24The Colossus of Rhodey

Watcher’s Council winners…

*First place with 3 2/3 votes! The Noisy Room Pathological Politics Predatory Partners and Persecuting Patriots Second place with 2 2/3 votes Joshuapundit Obama Campaign’s Latest Claim – ‘Romney Wouldn’t Have Ordered Bin-L…
on 05 May 2012 at 12:19 pm 25Weekend Link Love: Beastie Boys Edition (RIP MCA) | All American Blogger

[...] Bookworm: President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 06 May 2012 at 9:14 am 26Rhymes With Right

Watcher’s Council Results…

Here are this weeks full results. Council Winners*First place with 3 2/3 votes! The Noisy Room Pathological Politics Predatory Partners and Persecuting Patriots Second place with 2 2/3 votes Joshuapundit Obama Campaigns Latest Claim Romney W…
on 07 May 2012 at 9:48 am 27GayPatriot » Watcher of Weasels–First Winners of May

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 08 May 2012 at 2:00 pm 28Bookworm Room » Watcher’s Council winners for May 4, 2012

[...] Third place with 2 votes – Bookworm Room-President Obama’s church is the Chapel of (Progressive) Democracy [...]
on 02 Sep 2012 at 9:21 am 29The nature of sin in the eyes of Obama « Public Secrets

[...] a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani in the Chicago Sun-Times: Falsani: Do you believe in [...]
on 02 Sep 2012 at 2:07 pm 30Sunday Reads and Thoughts

[...] You know, as silly as it may seem, some of those benighted people took the religious liberty protections of the Constitution to mean something, particularly when the administration promised them that they would respect the Conscience Clause. But for Obama, conscience is something that other people probably don't have, like principles. Thus: [...]
on 02 Sep 2012 at 8:31 pm 31Great Tweets Here and Around * Labor Day open thread (for hk2 2) : NO QUARTER

[...] to Barack Obama, I think pretty low. But not, apparently, quite low enough. This exchange, from an interview with Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times, took even my jaded breath away: Falsani: Do you believe in [...]
on 02 Sep 2012 at 9:01 pm 32Obama and Sin

[...] having been said, this is Barack Hussein Obama’s definition of sin: From a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times in which Obama defines [...]
on 03 Sep 2012 at 4:36 am 33Barack Obama’s Definition of Sin — Behind Blue Lines

[...] a 2004 interview with Catherine Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Tribune: Falsani: Do you believe in [...]

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Bookworm Room