If Mike Huckabee's comment that the constitution should be amended to be closer to the Bible scared the shit out of you as it did me, and seemed absolutely ridiculous in a country with a first amendment such as ours, watch Barak Obama get it right. This video should be required viewing for everyone who has bought the Republican propaganda machine's lie that Obama is all fluff and no substance. If they disagree with Obama's views, they need to be intellectually honest and say so.
Here is the meat of the speech:
"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal rather than religion specific values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church, or invoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all. This is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do, but in a pluralistic society we have no choice.
Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims, based on a common reality. It involves compromise: the art of what's possible. At some fundamental level, religion doesn't allow for compromise. It is the art of the impossible. If God spoke, then followers are expected to live up to God's edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one's own life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our public policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing."
You can watch the entire speech here.
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1 comment:
It was indeed a great speech. Lots to agree with. It's a shame, however, that Obama had to misrepresent a couple of Biblical verses to prove his point, though.
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