President Obama attended the National Prayer Breakfast this morning, and his speech centered on his belief that freedom of religion is central to human dignity. The President also declared what he believes to the “ultimate betrayal of God’s will.”
“So the prayer breakfast happened today. Was it a year ago that Ben Carson [was] at this prayer breakfast,” Glenn asked on radio this morning. “Today the President went, and he gave a speech. In it he said what he believes is the ultimate betrayal of God's will.”
OBAMA: Yet even as our faith sustains us, it’s also clear that around the world freedom of religion is under threat… We see governments engaging in discrimination and violence against the faithful. We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt to justify hatred and persecution against other people just because of who they are, or how they pray or who they love. Old tensions are stoked, fueling conflicts along religious lines… Extremists succumb to an ignorant nihilism that shows they don’t understand the faiths they claim to profess -- for the killing of the innocent is never fulfilling God’s will; in fact, it’s the ultimate betrayal of God’s will.
It is interesting President Obama would choose to characterize the ‘ultimate betrayal’ as the killing of innocent life given his stance on abortion.
“So was I right when I [jokingly] said that it was abortion,” Glenn asked exasperatedly. “He is so blind, he doesn't even know. He is for partial birth [abortion]. He is for letting the babies die in the other room that have already been born… He's for that, and yet he’s [talking about] innocent life… Hello!”
Glenn pointed out that speech is very carefully worded. The President is correct to say it is a betrayal of God’s will to hate someone because of who they love. But it's what he says in sentences following that is damning.
“He's very carefully worded here because I [agree] that is a betrayal of God's will,” Glenn said. “If we hate people because of who they love, [President Obama is] absolutely right, that is a perversion of what Christ teaches.”
Another issue with the speech, is when the President derides ‘extremists’ for their ignorance when he was known to associate with some very extreme religious leaders. Furthermore, President Obama has attended fewer church services than any president in American history.
“[This is] a guy who went to Jeremiah Wrights's church and has no church visiting since. That's the guy that understands [religiosity],” Stu said. “Jim Wallace as your advisor? Of course you understand.”
“This is the guy who knows the Bible backward and forward,” Pat quipped. “Then he says the killing of innocent is never fulfilling God's will. In fact, it's the ultimate betrayal of God's will. That's really something.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP