Dear readers,
I am writing this in response to something that came up on Facebook. I quote people to bring context, not to flame them. Hense, names removed.
It started on Tuesday, when I wrote:
"Jason saw history today and is excited for the next four years."
to which I got the following comments.
*NAME_REMOVED*
care to elaborate on why you're excited?
*NAME_REMOVED2*
Bravo Jason. You don't have to elaborate at all.
*NAME_REMOVED*
Well, I thought Jason might want to elaborate on what he's excited about since this era, while exciting in the sense of us having our first African-American president, is also one in which this particular president has vowed to implement programs that will lead to his father and your father being out of a job. So I thought it might be relevant in that case.
My response
I'm excited for our new president, first and foremost, for being the first African-American president. No, I wouldn't consider voting for someone for this reason, but it's still awesome to see how are nation is finally moving past racism. Seven-score and 7 years ago (147 for those that don't know how long a score is), Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, and last Tuesday, on the steps of the Capitol Building, we inaugerated our first African-American president, with the Invocation by Rev. Rick Warren, and Joseph Echols Lowery (who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the American civil rights movement) offering the benidiction. The inaugeration itself was monumental.
I am also excited because Hilary Clinton is not in office. I think the primaries showed that most can agree.
Lastly, I am excited because while I don't agree with all the policies of Obama, I find him to be a logical thinker and a good speaker. I find him to be a unifying person as well. As long as we continue to be a nation of Red states and Blue states, rather than the United States, we'll never be as effective as a nation. "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." (Mat 12:25) I trust God is sovereign and still in control. It seems too many forget that our government works on three equal branches. It's not the president that makes laws, but the congress. We need a clear thinker and a powerful speaker to encourage the people of America and restore unity among that vastly different opinions across the nation. Obama has been compared to Abraham Lincoln, and for good reasons, as he is coming to office when the nation is once again divided.
I quote a portion of a news article found here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jzOYauJmi3EEpQuEdwxiiUqVjg2w.
"Barack Obama on Thursday defended his choice of a conservative evangelical pastor to deliver a religious invocation at his January 20 presidential inauguration. Pastor Rick Warren is a popular preacher who attracts some 20,000 people to his weekly sermons at his giant Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The author of the best seller "The Purpose Driven Life," a wildly successful religious advice book, Warren is also known for his strong views against gay marriage and abortion. "It is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans," Obama said at a press conference in Chicago. But he argued: "It's important for America to come together, even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues." Obama noted that Warren invited him to speak at Saddleback a few years ago "despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his" on gay rights and abortion. Obama said pastor Joseph Lowery, a civil rights icon "who has deeply contrasting views to Rick Warren on a whole host of issues," will also speak at the inauguration. "There will be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America's about ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated." He added: "That's hopefully going to be a spirit that carries over into my administration.""
All in all, I know this is not an arguement I will ever win in some minds, but nor do I consider it an argument to win. I mearly state this to say, have an open mind, continue to pray for this nation, and realize that nothing happens outside of the Will of God.
I'm going to hide behind something really large before the attacks start.....
JP OUT!
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4 comments:
The Inauguration is actually on the steps of the capital, the Lincoln Memorial is far in the background behind the Washington Monument.
That's my only correction ;)
I meant "Capitol"
O....well, that kinda ruins one of my points....:)
My bad. I have corrected it.
Jason:
I won't dispute most of your points. I too am glad that our nation has gotten to a point where we're able to elect a black man to the office of President without riot, even in the South, and that is an exciting moment.
But your house divided quote is being misappropriated. We can always find ample people to unite behind something that is either 1) the least common denominator or 2) something that is misunderstood or 3) something that is wrong.
The issue is that much of the issues that divide our nation are issues that cannot be compromised. There is no compromise position on whether it's OK for the government to play Robin Hood and rob the rich and pay the poor. There is no compromise position on whether the unborn are children or tissue that can be discarded without a thought.
The fact that Barack Obama is an inspiring speaker doesn't set him apart except to make him more dangerous than Hillary would have been. He may be able to do more damage than she would, simply because people like him more.
Good and evil are rightly divided, and there is a true, spiritual war going on and unless we see it that way we will give up the ground every time.
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