Abandoning Our Roots... and Our Strength

Recently at a speech given in Turkey, President Obama said something that made me cringe. Not because I necessarily disagree with the exact words, but I shudder to think about the true meaning and sentiment intended by the remarks. The president said, “…we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." To say that America is not a Christian nation is accurate, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are Christian. Our government does not recognize any official state religion. That was very intentional and good. Our government should not be forcing the religious conversion of any of its citizens.

However, look at the statement again, “…a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” Where do those values come from? The founding documents and extensive writings of the founding fathers state over and over a deep and abiding faith and belief in God and in a Judeo-Christian ethic that is the basis and the anchor for those ideals and values. The statement and more to the point, the impression of the statement, is to disavow America’s deep and historical roots as a nation of Christians.

Please do not mistake, I am not calling the president’s faith into question. That is not my position, nor would I ever try to judge a man’s heart. I should however, look at his actions and listen to his words.

What does our president hope to accomplish by making such a statement? Who is he looking to appeal to? The speech was made in Turkey, a Muslim nation. The intent of the words is clearly to pacify Islamic sentiment against the United States. What type of animosity is he attempting to subdue? Clearly one not based on political, military, humanitarian or any other basis, but one based on religion. Why does that animosity exist in the first place? Because of our beliefs? Or because of the beliefs of the people that he is speaking to? How can this statement be seen as anything but a total abdication of American principles. If your audience holds its religion as the most foundational and defining piece of its existence and assumes that the people you represent feel the same way, then how can they see this statement as anything other than a concession that America has been wrong to be a Christian nation and so now has given up that foundation. To this audience (truly the entire Muslim world, not just Turkey) how can this be seen or understood as anything but a statement of weakness and submission?

Fast forward a couple of weeks. The president gave a speech at Georgetown University on the economy. Georgetown is Catholic university. The place where the speech was to be given was Gaston Hall where stained glass, carvings, drawings, and different imagery reflect the Catholic roots of the school. The location of the stage was set and the White House staff requested that the school cover up the letters “IHS” above the place where the Obama was to speak. “IHS” in the ancient Latin tradition is the monogram for the “name of Jesus Christ”.

Why would the White House request that this symbol of Jesus be covered during the president’s speech? To avoid offending people? Who would he be offending? He’s at a Catholic university! The students there see the symbol everywhere! Without a doubt the pictures and video from the speech would feature this symbol over the podium where the president was speaking, much as they were during a speech that First Lady Laura Bush gave. The only conclusion that I can rationally think of, and please let me know if you can think of another, is that the president truly wants to distance himself as much as possible from the impression of United State being a Christian nation, as he told the Muslim world from a stage in Turkey.

All in an effort not to offend people who have stated time and again that they are our enemy. Not based on things that we have done, but because we are “infidels”, non-Muslims, and the “great satan” in their eyes. A vain effort that only serves to further their belief that America is weak, a “paper tiger”, and that we have abandoned our roots that they believed were wrong in the first place. It is not a statement of goodwill that will be received warmly, but rather a statement of indifference and weakness that I fear will be greeted with increased hostility and escalating aggression.

In the meantime his efforts to not offend have been extremely offensive. Not to our enemies, but to our citizens. Not to those who would crush our republic, but those who would die to defend it.

Clearly our president no more understands our enemies than he does our people.