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Obama speaks of faith in America

E-mail|Link|Comments (7) Posted by Michael Paulson August 28, 2008 10:59 PM

Barack Obama has just completed his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president. The speech was free of sectarian religion-talk, but embraced a kind of civic religion, a faith in the promise of America, which Obama connected to his own improbable life story, and to the "I Have a Dream" speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. 45 years ago. An excerpt from Obama's speech:

"It is that American spirit – that American promise – that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours – a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot. And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.''

Then Obama closed with a citation from Hebrews, the New Testament book that consists of a letter from an unknown author to early Christians whose faith was flagging. Obama said, "Let us keep that promise – that American promise – and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess." Obama was quoting from Hebrews 10:23 -- the King James translation is "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering," while the Bible translation favored by Catholics says, "Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope." The quotation refers, of course, to the promise of Christian faith; but in tonight's speech, Obama used the quote to refer to the hope and promise of the United States.

(Photo, by AP, shows Obama delivering his acceptance speech tonight in Denver.)

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7 comments so far...

Tis opium you feed your people, so that, drugged, they do not feel their hurts, inflicted by you. And that is why where you reign no establishments are to be found giving great men to the homeland; the rewards due knowledge are unknown here, and as there is neither honor nor profit in being wise, nobody seeks after wisdom.

I have studied your civil laws, they are good, but poorly enforced, and as a result they sink into ever further decay. And the consequences thereof? A man prefers to live amidst their corruption rather than plead for their reform, because he fears, and with reason, that this reform will engender infinitely more abuses than it will do away with; things are left as they are. Nevertheless, everything goes askew and awry and as a career in government has no more attractions than one in the arts, nobody involves himself in public affairs; and for all this compensation is offered in the form of luxury, of frivolity, of entertainments. So it is that among you a taste for trivial things replaces a taste for great ones, that the time which ought to be devoted to the latter is frittered away on futilities, and that you will be subjegated sooner or later and again and again by any foe who bothers to make the effort.

Marquis De Sade

Posted by Dave Welch August 29, 08 07:07 AM

Zack Exley is blogging the election from a progressive Christian p.o.v. over at Revolution in Jesusland. He's had a few interesting live posts from the DNC. (he was on the Beliefnet panel)

Posted by Steve H. August 29, 08 09:09 AM

I agree with your right to believe, but not your right to make what I may or may not believe invalid by funneling readers to a "christian" site. De Sade had legitimate comments about "religion" and it traditions component.

Sorry Steve H. according to "Jesus" he died so all could be saved, failure to engage skeptics is not noble, certainly not Berean-like.

Posted by Dave Welch August 29, 08 11:23 AM

"Don't believe anything. Regard things on a scale of probabilities.
The things that seem most absurd, put under 'Low Probability', and
the things that seem most plausible, you put under 'High
Probability'. Never believe anything. Once you believe anything, you
stop thinking about it."
--Robert A. Wilson

Freedom of speech

Posted by Dave Welch August 29, 08 11:53 AM

I find it odd that Barak Obama ends his speech with "God Bless America" when his mentor and pastor for the past 20 years says "God Damn America". Also it seems odd that he refused to wear an American Flag lapel early during his campaign and now he wears one regularly. It looks like Obama is following in the footsteps of John Kerry as a flip-flopper. I will be voting for the "real deal"- John McCain.

Posted by Bob Clattenburg August 29, 08 11:58 AM

Not a word about his personal faith and God except the typical ending salutation. In previous speeches, he basicaly did not believe the Bible as the inspired word of God, so is he really a Christian in name only so he can garner votes and fool those that want hear what they want to hear?

Posted by Commander Data August 31, 08 09:16 PM

If you really want to know if he is a Christian, read The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield.

Posted by MSGales September 5, 08 12:29 PM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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