President Obama and Christians

The New York Review of Books has published what it calls “A Conversation in Iowa by [sic the “president’s” name] and Marilynne Robinson.” Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the “president” interviewed her about her writings on American democracy and Christianity. In reading the interview, one can identify the disdain the “president” has for Christianity and for what it means to be an American. The themes in his questions and comments are the same as when he first took office and mirror that April 2009 Department of Homeland Security report that demonized conservative Christians, and those who have a healthy distrust of government, as “extremists.”

In the dialogue about Christianity and democracy, the “president” states, “…here in the United States, sometimes Christian interpretation seems to posit an “us versus them,” and those are sometimes the loudest voices…How do you reconcile the idea of faith being really important to you and you caring a lot about taking faith seriously with the fact that, at least in our democracy and our civic discourse, it seems as if folks who take religion the most seriously sometimes are also those who are suspicious of those not like them?” Again, the “president” persists in characterizing Christianity as ignorant and suspicious, a sinister force found within the democracy of America.

The theme continued. He said, “Whenever I hear people saying that our problems would be solved without government, I always want to tell them you need to go to some other countries where there really is no government, where the roads are never repaired, where nobody has facilitated electricity…where the postal system doesn’t work, or kids don’t have access to basic primary education. That’s the logical conclusion if, in fact, you think that government is the enemy. And that, too, is a running strain in our democracy. That’s sort of in our DNA. We’re suspicious of government as a tool of oppression. And that skepticism is healthy, but it can also be paralyzing when we’re trying to do big things together.”

The “president” pushed the thought that Christians are preventing government from getting big things done because of their suspicion and paranoia of government. These are not democratic thoughts. In the years when the Soviet Union was a threat to America, folks like the “president” would have been labeled as “communists.” His views that Christians are ignorant, paranoid and suspicious of anyone not like them is an indicator. Communism and socialism are predicated on a manifesto that demands the abolishment of all religion and morals, and complete submission to government. And here is where you find the communist within. Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” We must be guardians of our Christianity and of our Liberty.