The Obama presidency: ‘War on religion’ or ‘Amazing Grace’?

From Salt Lake (RNS) -

He had done it before, after Tucson, Aurora, Fort Hood and Sandy Hook: taken on the mantle of the pastor-in-chief before a crowd of mourners for lives taken too soon by a man with a gun.

But when President Obama stood among African-American bishops in Charleston, S.C., to eulogize the minister slain with eight of his flock after welcoming the stranger to their Bible study, what he did was unlike anything he’d done before.

After eulogizing the Rev. Clementa Pinckney and discussing the moral and spiritual dimensions of racial hatred and gun violence, the president broke out into the first stanza of “Amazing Grace,” bringing the overflow crowd in Charleston’s TD Arena along with him.

“It was like — wow. Wow,” said Bishop Vashti McKenzie, who was standing just behind Obama when he spoke at the June 26, 2015 funeral.

More here-

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865670756/The-Obama-presidency-6War-on-religion7-or-6Amazing-Grace7.html

Obamas play Christmas Eve escape game; Trumps attend late night mass

From Daily Nation-

President Barack Obama and his daughters spent part of the Christmas weekend playing an "escape room" game, while White House successor Donald Trump ushered in the holiday overnight with a visit to church.

According to pool reports, Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia and some friends spent part of Saturday evening playing "Breakout Waikiki" — a live-action game where players are locked in a room with one hour to figure out a series of clues and riddles to escape.

The Obamas are spending the holidays in Hawaii.

Escape room games are all the rage in the United States, after years of popularity in Asia and elsewhere.

More here-

http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/How-the-Obamas-and-the-Trumps-spent-Christmas/1190-3498560-yxqr1yz/

With Obama's Signature, U.S. Religious Freedom Law Protects Atheists

From NBC-

When President Barack Obama signed an update to U.S. law protecting religious freedom late last week, one provision drew special attention: U.S. law now recognizes non-believers as, in essence, a religious group.

Obama's signing of amendments to the International Religious Freedom Act on Friday wasn't widely noticed — except among the community of atheists, agnostics and others who categorize themselves as "humanists."

For the first time, the law — which was originally passed in 1998 — specifies that "the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is understood to protect theistic and non-theistic beliefs and the right not to profess or practice any religion."

Among other things, the main amendments to the law promoting religious liberty around the world:

More here-

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/obama-s-signature-u-s-religious-freedom-law-protects-atheists-n699356

Obama’s Game: Manipulate Culture Warriors by Exploiting a Pope

From Aleteia-

“Doesn’t Obama know any good Catholics?”

On social media that question has been repeating with the regularity of an exhaled mantra, and if one takes the bait and clicks on the provided link, one reads Thomas D. Williams’ piece on the interesting collection of Catholic dissenters who will enjoy personal introductions to Pope Francis, via the American President. “In a stunning show of political indecorum,” wrote Williams, “Obama has invited a series of individuals who publicly flout Catholic teaching, including a pro-abortion religious sister, a transgender woman and the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, along with at least two Catholic gay activists.”
More here-

http://aleteia.org/2015/09/18/obamas-game-manipulate-culture-warriors-by-exploiting-a-pope/

Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit

From The Wall Street Journal-

On the eve of Pope Francis’s arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense at the Obama administration’s decision to invite to the pope’s welcome ceremony transgender activists, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.

According to a senior Vatican official, the Holy See worries that any photos of the pope with these guests at the White House welcoming ceremony next Wednesday could be interpreted as an endorsement of their activities.

The tension exemplifies concerns among conservative Catholics, including many bishops, that the White House will use the pope’s visit to play down its differences with church leaders on such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and the contraception mandate in the health care law.

More here-

http://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-disputes-white-house-guest-list-for-papal-visit-1442533549

WHITE HOUSE INVITES SEVERAL OPPONENTS OF CATHOLIC TEACHING TO GREET POPE FRANCIS

From Breitbart-

In a stunning show of political indecorum, Obama has invited a series of individuals who publicly flout Catholic teaching, including a pro-abortion religious sister, a transgender woman and the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, along with at least two Catholic gay activists.

The White House was illuminated in gay pride colors on June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court legalized gay same-sex marriage.

One of the invitees, retired Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, made history by becoming the first openly gay episcopal bishop in 2003 and subsequently the first to divorce his gay partner in 2014, after having previously separated from his wife of 14 years. He has attended a number of religious events with the Obama administration, offering a prayer at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and taking part in the 2014 National Prayer Breakfast.

More here-

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/16/white-house-invites-trio-catholic-dissenters-greet-pope-francis/

South Sudan Letter

From Anglican News-

American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and South Sudan and the Episcopal Church in the United States have co-signed an open letter to US President Barack Obama urging him to help put an end to the conflict in South Sudan.

In the letter, 19 religious organisations and NGOs urge Mr Obama to use his upcoming visit to Africa to "press for a solution to the ongoing crisis in South Sudan and stress the need for greater regional cooperation to pressure the warring parties to make the necessary concessions for a sustainable peace in South Sudan."

They say that "a central component of this agenda should be combating the culture of impunity that surrounds the conflict to help forge an enabling environment for peace negotiations."

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/07/south-sudan-letter.aspx

African clergy to protest Obama’s gay-rights ‘agenda’ on trip

From The Washington Post-

Anti-gay activists, including conservative clerics, traditional elders and politicians, are threatening to resist any push by President Obama for gay rights during his Kenya visit later this week, with tactics that range from throwing rotten eggs to marching naked and boycotting his speeches.

On Thursday (July 23), Obama will fly to Kenya — his father’s homeland — where he will attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi and then travel through neighboring Ethiopia. He will be the first U.S. president to visit Ethiopia. Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus will join him on the trip.

Ahead of the visit, anti-gay speeches have heightened intolerance, violence and discrimination against homosexuals, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/african-clergy-to-protest-obamas-gay-rights-agenda-on-trip/2015/07/21/51423256-2fd2-11e5-a879-213078d03dd3_story.html

4 notable remarks from President Obama’s Easter Prayer Breakfast

From Christian Century-

4 notable remarks from President Obama’s Easter Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama turned both personal and preachy Tuesday during his annual Easter Prayer Breakfast, which he has hosted at the White House six times since he was elected.

The long list of Christian leaders attending included National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, retired Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, civil rights veteran C.T. Vivian, and African Methodist Episcopal bishop Vashti McKenzie. Amy Butler of New York’s Riverside Church gave the opening prayer.

Here are four memorable statements from the event:


More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-04/4-notable-remarks-president-obama-s-easter-prayer-breakfast

Obama Family Attends Prominent African-American Megachurch for Easter; Pastor Touches on Questions of Same-Sex Marriage, Healthcare, Resurrection of Christ

From Christian Post-

President Barack Obama and his family attended the prominent Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, on Easter Sunday. The pastor, Rev. Howard-John Wesley, touched on a number of social issues in his sermon, including same-sex marriage, healthcare, and the resurrection of Christ.

"Today in our political landscape, a line in the sand is drawn forcing you to make a decision on where you stand," Wesley told the congregation at the 212 year old church, according to The Washington Post.

"Where do you stand with rights for same-sex couples … where do you stand on gun reform, where do you stand with police body cameras?" he asked. "Where do you stand on affordable health care? Life has a way of making you make a decision. Where you stand on the resurrection of Jesus Christ: You either believe it or you reject it."

More here-

http://www.christianpost.com/news/obama-family-attends-prominent-african-american-megachurch-for-easter-pastor-touches-on-questions-of-same-sex-marriage-healthcare-resurrection-of-christ-136962/

Is Obama Really a Christian?

From The National Review-

Seven years after Jeremiah Wright came to national fame as President Obama’s radical pastor, a man who declared “God damn America” from the pulpit, the president’s faith is still a matter of controversy. With a new presidential election looming, it’s apparently urgently important for members of the media to know whether Republicans such as Scott Walker believe that President
Obama is a Christian. 

Walker’s answer — “I don’t know” — is not one the media want to hear. But how can any man know another man’s heart — especially the heart of a person he’s never met? Who but God knows our deepest beliefs? To the extent that a president bares his soul to anyone, it won’t be to a reporter or to any person likely to speak to a reporter. Thus, any pundit or commentator who purports to declare what a president “really believes” on matters of faith should be viewed with deep suspicion.
Read more at:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/415266/obama-really-christian-david-french

What Bishop Frade May Have Meant When He Called President Obama A Sodomite

From Miami-

Miami's downtrodden, disenfranchised and undocumented probably have no greater friend than Bishop Leopold Frade, spiritual leader of Southeast Florida's 33,000 Episcopalians.

The Cuba-born clergyman -- once the Bishop of Honduras -- authorized the South Florida diocese's first same-sex wedding in 2012. Five years before that, he demanded that the Bush Administration give protected status to 101 Haitians refugees who had washed ashore in South Florida after a three-week ordeal at sea. Even earlier, he was convicted of trading with the enemy for helping Cuban refugees make it to Florida after the Mariel boatlift (the conviction later was overturned).

More here-

http://wlrn.org/post/what-bishop-frade-may-have-meant-when-he-called-president-obama-sodomite

Uganda's Anti-Gay Law and America's Right Hand

From Huffington-

The White House just issued a statement about our imposing serious sanctions on the country of Uganda for a law, signed by President Yoweri Museveni in February, which criminalizes homosexuality. The U.S. has cut aid, imposed visa restrictions, and canceled a regional military exercise in response to the law which imposes jail terms of up to life for "aggravated homosexuality," including acts such as homosexual sex with a minor or while HIV-positive.

While the White House's relatively swift and strong action against the hate legislation is commendable, there is a rather ironic left-hand-not-knowing (or turning a blind eye) to-what-the-right-hand-is-doing twist. The right hand is that of U.S. faith-based organizations and their global practices which are fomenting hate and contributing to global conflict.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suhag-a-shukla-esq/ugandas-anti-gay-law-and_b_5516498.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Church sends memo to US President, Congress on South Sudan crisis

From ENS-

A Jan. 10 memo to the Obama Administration and members of U.S. Congress sent by the Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations outlines the current crisis in South Sudan and makes recommendations urging the government and the international community to partner with South Sudanese civic and faith leaders to stem the tide of violence and build peace.

The six-page memo, based on the firsthand accounts of church leaders on the ground in South Sudan and Episcopal and Anglican partners worldwide, conveys the church’s understanding of the current crisis that has engulfed the world’s newest nation. The memo touches on four areas specifically: public representation of the conflict and accountability; foreign assistance; human rights protection and the prevention of mass atrocities; and building a future of peace.

“Episcopalians in the United States and around the world have maintained long and close relationships with Episcopalians in South Sudan,” said Alexander Baumgarten, director of government relations for the Episcopal Church.   “As a result, we have a responsibility to share the unique and compelling perspectives of partners in South Sudan who are playing a peacemaking role in the midst of extraordinary upheaval and violence.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/01/13/church-sends-memo-to-us-president-congress-on-south-sudan-crisis/

4 in 10 Americans say they attend church, Obama not among them

From Utah-

A new Gallup polls says four in 10 Americans attend worship services, but recent news reports suggested that President Obama is among the majority who don't go to church regularly.

A New York Times story over the weekend highlighted what the president and his family didn't do on Christmas Day — attend a church service.

The report quoted historians saying Obama rarely goes to church and one White House watcher was quoted as saying the president has attended church just 18 times since taking office in 2008.

"Historically, watching the nation’s first family head to church dressed in their Sunday best, especially around the holiday season, was something of a ritual," the Times reported. "Yet Mr. Obama’s faith is a more complicated, more private, and perhaps — religious and presidential historians say — a more inclusive affair."

More here-

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865593294/4-in-10-Americans-say-they-attend-church-Obama-not-among-them.html

President Obama seizes chance to highlight common ground with Pope Francis

From Florida-

When a White House speechwriter turned in a draft of a major speech on economic policy this month, President Barack Obama sent it back with an unusual instruction: Add a reference to the pope.

The final version of the speech quoted directly from Pope Francis' recent letter to the faithful: "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless per

son dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?" he said.

The citation marked a notable development in Obama's complex and sometimes confrontational relationship with the Roman Catholic Church: After several years of high-profile clashes with U.S. bishops, Obama is seizing the chance to highlight common ground with the bishop of Rome.

Quoting the pope isn't likely to yield direct electoral dividends for Obama's party -- the once-vaunted "Catholic vote" largely disappeared long ago. But in a string of effusive praise, the president has made clear he sees the pope as a like-minded thinker and potentially useful ally in a crucial battle of ideas, particularly on the importance of shrinking the gulf between rich and poor, a subject Obama has pushed repeatedly but with limited success.

Read more here:

http://www.bradenton.com/2013/12/27/4907390/president-obama-seizes-chance.html#storylink=cpy

The Sermon Obama Heard Yesterday: Judge Not

From Time-

President Obama and the First Family attended church yesterday morning at St. Johns Episcopal in Lafayette Square. Rev. Luis Leon preached on Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the gospel of Luke, and his message was clear: judgment is up to God alone, Leon said, not to people, either individuals or nations.

Leon’s message focused on Jesus’ teaching about the surprises of God’s mercy. In the parable, a Pharisee, a respected religious leader of his day, prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” By contrast, the tax collector, a political official associated with corruption, prays, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus looks at both of them prayers and responds, “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Read more:

http://swampland.time.com/2013/10/28/the-sermon-obama-heard-yesterday-judge-not/#ixzz2j7DPGh00

Presiding bishop issues statement on Syria

From ENS-

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued the following statement on the situation in Syria.

The situation in Syria continues to evolve.  The death and violence that have been wrought on the Syrian people are a humanitarian tragedy of the first order.  I do not believe further violence is likely to end the tragedy, but rather seems likely to increase or prolong the disaster.  I applaud President Obama’s restraint and willingness to look for diplomatic solutions — changing position requires courage of the first order.  It is a sign of profoundly care-filled leadership both to test the possibility of other, more creative and life-giving solutions and to put the needs of vulnerable populations ahead of one’s own image or reputation.

The Episcopal Church and its people continue to pray for the people of Syria, of all religious traditions and none, and we call on the world to help find responses that will result in more abundant life for every citizen of that nation.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/09/13/presiding-bishop-issues-statement-on-syria/

‘Dear Mr. President’

From The Living Church-

Dear Mr. President,

I am Bishop Adam Andudu Elnail, Bishop of the Diocese of Kadugli, Episcopal Church of the Sudan. I hope you remember my earlier letters to you in March this year and August 2011.

For over two decades the civil war tore apart my home region of Nuba Mountains, where I have suffered much personal loss of family, friends, and neighbors. This war against the black people of Sudan, many of whom are Muslim, extended to Blue Nile, Darfur and eastern Sudan. Our whole country was and continues to be ravaged by this campaign of genocide, subjugation, and the enslavement of black people.

The suffering of the people of Nuba Mountains started again on June 6, 2011. The Government of Sudan (GoS) and its militias in Kadugli town hit my house with heavy guns, and all valuable things were taken or destroyed. They proceeded to burn the Diocesan offices and Diocesan Guest House in the same hour. From that moment the church leaders and others scattered as displaced or refugees in more than five countries. It pains me to remember many of the young men in my town who were killed in cold blood in the same week.
More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/dear-mr-president

African Religious Leaders Reject Obama's Call For Gay Rights

From RNS-

Religious leaders in Africa strongly rebuked President Obama’s call to decriminalize homosexuality, suggesting it’s the reason why he received a less-than-warm welcome during a recent trip to the continent.

In a news conference in Senegal during his three-nation tour, just as the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on same-sex marriage, Obama said African nations must grant equal protection to all people regardless of their sexual orientation.

“My basic view is that regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of gender, regardless of sexual orientation, when it comes to how the law treats you, how the state treats you … people should be treated equally,” Obama said. “And that’s a principle that I think applies universally.”

But Obama’s words rubbed religious and political leaders the wrong way. In Senegal, the West African nation where Islam is the predominant religion, homosexuality is a crime.

Christianity and Islam are growing fast on the continent, and religious leaders in both faith communities responded with vehement denunciations.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/05/obama-gay-rights-africa-religion-_n_3552142.html