Oprah's Spirituality

Fortunately, not too many teens watch Oprah. Here is her audience's demographic.
I shouldn't be surprised at how Oprah is pushing her spiritual views as gospel truth. Here's one of the compilations of her "religion" on You Tube.

Obama

You know me, I don’t usually get too hyped about political stuff. I try to understand both sides of the argument. But Obama leaves me a bit frayed around the edges.

I’ve observed several aspects of Obama’s church controversy:

1. First of all, the issue itself is a bit of a red herring. There are bigger issues to talk about nationally than Obama’s pastor. The conservatives drone on about issues like this but no one is asking the candidates the hard questions: What about the unchecked irresponsible spending by both parties? The budget deficit? Social Security? Alternative sources of fuel? Defending the rights of those who can’t speak for themselves? Our nation’s moral collapse? Etc.

2. Obama vilified the American church in a recent speech by saying that “the most segregated hour in America is Sunday morning”. But snoop around on the web site of Obama's home church. His church, Trinity United Church of Christ, projects itself as all Black. It is exclusively Afro-centric. Anyone without roots in Africa would not be enticed to attend there. Your see, they are “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian”. Actually, I’m mostly okay with that. Churches should bring the gospel to the people groups in their area that they are called by God to reach. But Trinity needs to wonder if they aren’t being too exclusive against whites and open to charges of racism.

3. Rumor has it that Trinity UCC’s theology of preference is Liberation Theology. In keeping with the UCC denomination, their statement of faith is lame. But since Obama is so doggedly loyal to this church’s pastor I’m getting a clearer impression that Obama’s socialist leanings are very consistent with Liberation Theology.

4. So what about Obama’s dedication to his pastor who publicly chastises, “G_ _ D_ _ _ _ America!” Obama says that this quote was from a collection of Pastor Wright’s worst sermon moments. Maybe that's true. But my concern is with a presidential candidate who continues to align himself closely with a church and a pastor who are FOCUSED on liberation. In particular, liberation from the evil of America’s ‘domination’ of the black race and of all the oppressed peoples of the world. Pastor Wright's anger resembles that of Venezuala’s Hugo Chavez, who called George Bush “Satan” at the UN. Interestingly, Liberation Theology is widely popular in South America. Now it's one thing for a South American dictator to hold these views. It is another matter when an American presidential candidate holds these views.

5. Consequently, I’m beginning to suspect that Obama aligns himself with the failed socialist agenda of the past 100 years. And I bet Obama wants to speed up the forced redistribution of national and global wealth from the White House. But the problem is that socialism threatens to kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. Obama should highlight Christian individual responsibility and seek to level the playing field of opportunity so that the poor have a chance to succeed. He should seek to raise the moral and legal standards in countries who are struggling; so that they can improve themselves. Societies who turn a blind eye to corruption and whose courts are ineffective or unjust will never progress. All the money in the world will not rescue an unrighteous society. America and Western Europe should take note as well. If "righteousness exalts a nation", then what does unrighteousness do to a nation?

Pluralistic Gift

I’ve gotta get one of these clever items! (just kidding). I'm sure that at the very bottom of my gift list is this display that expresses the equality of all religions. The Bible, Koran, Torah, and more; all leveled.

The product description says it all, “For the first time, the world’s most influential religious texts are brought together and presented on the same level, their coexistence acknowledged and celebrated.”

Never mind that any devoted Christian, Muslim or Jew would vehemently object to the implications of this piece of art.

Never mind that "progressive" thinkers most likely won't apply the same tolerance to politics, economic systems, etc.

Never mind that when I "celebrate coexistence" I implicitly celebrate the un-truths of other religions' core beliefs.

Never mind that when I "celebrate coexistence" I effectually value co-existence more than my other beliefs.

Let me know if I'm off-base on any of my points; and, oh yeah, Happy Festivus!

Questions to ponder:

1. What is good about this artistic expression? What is true about it?

2. What is wrong about it? What is misleading?

3. Really, what is wrong with the idea that all religions' "coexistence" should be "acknowledged and celebrated”?