Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

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Obama: Religion Has Been Hijacked

Yesterday, in Hartford, CT, Senator Barack Obama (senate site/campaign site) addressed the General Synod of the United Church of Christ.  Like his keynote speech to the Sojourners “Call to Renewal” conference at this time last year, in his UCC talk Obama combines the story of his personal religious awakening with a call for a broader understanding of the role religion should play in informing public policy debates.

Here is one key section, in which Obama offers a critique of the Religious Right:

But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked. Part of it’s because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who’ve been all too eager to exploit what divides us. At every opportunity, they’ve told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their Church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage; school prayer and intelligent design. There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its number one legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich. I don’t know what Bible they’re reading, but it doesn’t jibe with my version.

 And note this nice “shout out” to RAC Director Rabbi David Saperstein:

That’s why pastors, friends of mine like Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes and organizations like World Vision and Catholic Charities are wielding their enormous influence to confront poverty, HIV/AIDS, and the genocide in Darfur. Religious leaders like my friends Rev. Jim Wallis and Rabbi David Saperstein and Nathan Diament are working for justice and fighting for change. And all across the country, communities of faith are sponsoring day care programs, building senior centers, and in so many other ways, taking part in the project of American renewal.

The full text, which is quite elegant, is available hereHere is an AP report on the talk.  Also, the UCC has posted a video of the talk here.

UPDATE: Melissa Rodgers’s posting on the speech offers some interesting background on the invitation to Obama from the UCC.

 

 

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