Remarks of Senator Barack Obama, Call to Renewal Keynote Address, Washington, DC Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

“The Christians who I worked with recognized themselves in me; they saw that I knew their Book and shared their values and sang their songs. But they sensed a part of me that remained removed, detached, an observer in their midst. In time, I too came to realize that something was missing – that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart and alone.

If not for the particular attributes of the historically black church, I may have accepted this fate. But as the months passed in Chicago, I found myself drawn to the church.

For one thing, I believed and still believe in the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change, a power made real by some of the leaders here today. Because of its past, the black church understands in an intimate way the Biblical call to feed the hungry and cloth the naked and challenge powers and principalities. And in its historical struggles for freedom and the rights of man, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; it is an active, palpable agent in the world. It is a source of hope.

And perhaps it was out of this intimate knowledge of hardship, the grounding of faith in struggle, that the church offered me a second insight: that faith doesn’t mean that you don’t have doubts. You need to come to church precisely because you are of this world, not apart from it; you need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away – because you are human and need an ally in your difficult journey.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.”

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama, Call to Renewal Keynote Address, Washington, DC Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

“The Christians who I worked with recognized themselves in me; they saw that I knew their Book and shared their values and sang their songs. But they sensed a part of me that remained removed, detached, an observer in their midst. In time, I too came to realize that something was missing – that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart and alone.

If not for the particular attributes of the historically black church, I may have accepted this fate. But as the months passed in Chicago, I found myself drawn to the church.

For one thing, I believed and still believe in the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change, a power made real by some of the leaders here today. Because of its past, the black church understands in an intimate way the Biblical call to feed the hungry and cloth the naked and challenge powers and principalities. And in its historical struggles for freedom and the rights of man, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; it is an active, palpable agent in the world. It is a source of hope.

And perhaps it was out of this intimate knowledge of hardship, the grounding of faith in struggle, that the church offered me a second insight: that faith doesn’t mean that you don’t have doubts. You need to come to church precisely because you are of this world, not apart from it; you need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away – because you are human and need an ally in your difficult journey.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.”

Let us pray for all the citizens of our great Nation, particularly those who are sick, mourning, or without hope, and ask Santa Claus for the sustenance to meet the challenges we face as a Nation.

It’s not that we don’t sympathise with those who are sick, mourning, or without hope. We don’t just sympathise, many of us actually do something concrete, and view such petitions to Santa Claus as all too often excuses to feel good while doing nothing.

It’s also not that we disagree with the morality of a supernatural being that gives presents to children. Giving presents and making children happy is a good thing, we’re not arguing against it.

But when there’s legislation put in place to teach that the idea of the polar ice cap being a sheet of ice floating on seawater is “just a theory”… then our bemusement and amused toleration turns to alarm.

If the president were to do that instead, what would be the reaction of theists?

How about the change of the motto “Out of Many, One” to “In Santa Claus We Trust”? Or having “In Santa Claus We Trust” on dollar bills? Would that be considered offensive, or just rather worrying?

Let us pray for all the citizens of our great Nation, particularly those who are sick, mourning, or without hope, and ask Santa Claus for the sustenance to meet the challenges we face as a Nation.

It’s not that we don’t sympathise with those who are sick, mourning, or without hope. We don’t just sympathise, many of us actually do something concrete, and view such petitions to Santa Claus as all too often excuses to feel good while doing nothing.

It’s also not that we disagree with the morality of a supernatural being that gives presents to children. Giving presents and making children happy is a good thing, we’re not arguing against it.

But when there’s legislation put in place to teach that the idea of the polar ice cap being a sheet of ice floating on seawater is “just a theory”… then our bemusement and amused toleration turns to alarm.

If the president were to do that instead, what would be the reaction of theists?

How about the change of the motto “Out of Many, One” to “In Santa Claus We Trust”? Or having “In Santa Claus We Trust” on dollar bills? Would that be considered offensive, or just rather worrying?

However, there’s a deeper issue here. When any President, in his (or her) official capacity, makes reference to a vague “Almighty God,” does this bear any relationship to religion at all? Our civil religion is so non-specific that references such as the one above are inoffensive to most Christians, Jews, and Muslims (although I can understand how an atheist could get worked up about it). Many people seem to confuse civil religion with the beliefs and practices of specific religions, and that confusion causes its own problems.