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Inauguration Prayerful, Not Religious
My daughter, fresh in from the Inauguration, asked me what I'd thought of Rick Warren's prayer.
And I said it was good. I didn't think it was good that his prayer ended with The Lord's Prayer, because doing that made his prayer exclusively Christian, and this country is not ... exclusively Christian.
But when he prayed, I prayed along with him. This moment was not about him, after all, but about this nation, this new president and his family, and about this world.
There probably is no religious person who meets the expectations that other humans have of him or her, and there probably is no clergyperson that meet those same expectations, or those of God.
So, though I didn't think Rick Warren was a good choice to pray the prayer of Invocation, I had to let go of that and pray with him.
Though some people were worried if there would be too much religion or religious rhetoric in President Obama's Inauguration Address, I didn't hear much of that at all. I heard him offer a very kind yet unmistakable critique of the outgoing administration. I heard him say that we had a lot of serious problems in front of us, including two wars, a deepening recession, a public education system that was in need of immediate repair, a health system which ignored too many people in need, and a need for people to commit to service.
I heard him put on an equal plane people of all religious faiths - Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Christian ...and people who were not believers. I heard him say that in this country, our diversity is our strength. I heard him say that we as a nation would reach out to people and nations but that they would have to unclench their fists. I heard him say that it is not what you destroy which makes you great, but what you build, and I heard him say that corrupt practices are not going to work.
Rather than hearing religious rhetoric, I heard, once again, a man who believes in the Beloved Community. I could also say that I heard a man who believes that the community ...is beloved. In that vein, I heard him reference the sick history of racism in this country, but also reference the other groups of people who have worked to make this country what it is.
I did not hear religious rhetoric, but I saw and felt lifted up what I think true religion produces: community, cooperation and commitment. True religion is not divisive, but with God as its head, should produce those three things and more. I heard, in what President Obama said and did not say, that there was and is room at the table for every single human being, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental condition. I heard a man who deeply believes in the worth of all people.
In other words, I saw a sermon. I saw scripture. I saw more than I heard.
I am still uncomfortable with Rick Warren. His prayer was good and all, but I do not quite trust where he stands when it comes to creating the Beloved Community. From what I have read about him, his theology pushes more people away than not. I know that religion makes it hard, sometimes, to create that Beloved Community, which is highly ironic.
I find myself wishing that we would sometimes abandon religion in favor of God.
That being said, Mr. Warren prayed as I suppose God led him to; Rev. Joseph Lowery prayed as well, reminding us of the patchwork quilt called America that seemed to get needed stitching with Mr. Obama's election as president. Rev. Lowery's words, reminding us that black, brown, red, yellow and white people are all a part of the quilt, all created by God, was poetic and poignant and true.
Not religious.
Thank God.
By
Susan K. Smith
|
January 21, 2009; 6:25 AM ET
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Posted by: s2scarlett | January 27, 2009 2:25 PM
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Dr Smith,
Its beautiful thing that the worth of all people was acknowledged. The bottom line is that God loves us all.
Posted by: Kay30 | January 27, 2009 1:27 PM
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There wasn't religious rhetoric in Obama's speech, and I am glad that there wasn't. Outside of all the hype and excitement, there is a huge job to be done for this country, and Obama got straight to the point, addressing these problems and his plans for rebuilding the country which is very critical right now. At the end of the day he truly stands for ALL people, religous or non-religious, black or white, rich or poor and too often religion gets caught up in a power trip and does more excluding people from the church than bringing people into it. Not everybody in this country is religious, but everybody is a child of God, and the inauguration was inclusive and prayerful for all people. Obama believes fully in unity of the whole community and I can't wait to see how that manifests in his presidency.
On another note, I did not agree with RIck Warren being the choice to give the invocation, and although I had no problem with his prayer I had a hard time believing that he was truly offering a prayer for the nation with all of its diversity when it is clear that he does not stand for unity of this nation and all its peoples. I had a very hard time praying with him knowing that he truly wasn't praying for any gay people that were in attendance, or women who supported abortions yet all of them are God's children. I also agree that ending with the Lord's Prayer was an exercise in exclusion because it excluded all non-Christians. God doesn't exclude non-Christians or anybody else. However, my personal feelings aside, the prayer was suitable for the occasion, and now that the inauguration is over, the real work begins for Obama. And this will no doubt be a true test for him and also for our nation. I hope we are all ready for what is ahead.
Posted by: spellady08 | January 24, 2009 12:05 PM
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"And I said it was good. I didn't think it was good that his prayer ended with The Lord's Prayer, because doing that made his prayer exclusively Christian, and this country is not ... exclusively Christian.
"But when he prayed, I prayed along with him. This moment was not about him, after all, but about this nation, this new president and his family, and about this world."
As long as it was you, of course.
Christian privilege.
Welcome to the majority. :)
Yeah, that prayer was a certain part of a very good and long-awaited day when a whole lot of people went along with something that left the rest of us standing on the sidelines while some preacher did his best to exclude still *other* Americans from a national moment.
He failed.
I was, in those what, fourty seconds where someone was trying to reduce the idea of 'American' to 'Those who will recite that prayer when I say to like in my megachuch,' and leave everyone else standing awkwardly, ...just too happy for those having their moment. And remain so.
He didn't have to do it like that, but if he was trying to make non-Christians feel *that* awkward, ...he failed.
Now.
Hi.
Posted by: Paganplace | January 22, 2009 4:32 PM
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Rick Warren's prayer is a great reminder of how far America has come...and how far we still have to go!
Just my thoughts...Just my thoughts