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An inclusive presidency?
Encouragingly, US President Barrack Obama’s inaugural speech included the words, “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers.” The IHEU reports, “This is believed to be a first for a United States President.”
The American Humanist Association is placing an ad in The Washington Post with the heading, “President Obama: Living Proof that Family Values Without Religion Build Character.” In his book, “The Audacity of Hope”, Obama wrote that his mother was a “witness for secular humanism.”
After the bigotry of the Bush years, Obama’s attitude is a refreshing change. However, there have been criticisms of the religious tone of the inauguration and the choice of the Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation. One of my US contacts blogged, “I am still pissed off that Obama allowed that anti-gay bastard Rick Warren to pray/perform at the inauguration, and that the inauguration was laden with religion.”
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I didn't expect that much different, did anybody? I was almost surprised that he mentioned non-believers. It's not like the whole thing would have been without any mention of religion at all. People commented about Twitter that it was pathetic that atheists were so chuffed at the mention of non-believers in the speech. No it wasn't, it was fine. This was ceremony, pomp, and Obama and his speechwriters understand their audience if they understand anything. What's worse, giving atheists a small bone in a ceremony otherwise laden with religious overtones or all the bleating that the god-botherers would be doing if they'd left out the religion altogether?
What also seemed obvious was that religion was important from the point of view of holding out an olive branch to the Muslim World, wherever that is. Hey, we're all into the same abrahamic fairytale, let's be friends.