There was a little piece of the May 25, 2008 Wesleyen University commencement address delivered by barack Obama that had struck me as quite strange and it was not until sitting in church this morning that the context of my uneasyness towrds the statement ran through me.
Barack Obama stated:
"Our individual Salvation depends upon our collective Salvation"
For me, it struct me in the political context at first and then the religious. I wondered just exactly what Obama's true intent was in this statement. It goes against what many of us remember from our bible school days.
Salvation can mean:
Social liberation and healing (liberation theology context)
Being Saved from something (redemption)
Being Saved or Liberated from something (deliverance)
The word "collective" has a very political meaning that may reinforce those critical of American liberalism being on the verge of socialism. Socialism has its roots in the collective and is counter to individualism and the freedoms that ensue. Choice being one. Individual responsibility being another.
Though the intent or meaning of Obama's statement remains unclear, I found it interesting that he spoke such a tone to graduates getting ready to enter the world. I find it very interesting that the next President of the United States feels that salvation can only be delivered within a collective sense.
I contrast Obama often portrayed by many liberals as the Sotor or "saviour" of the Party movement of liberalism/progressivism and yet he view of collective salvation may just be in direct contrast to Peter in ACT2:38) when we learn of the death and resurrection of Jesus and when the people asked:
What must we do?
Peter informed them to "Repent and be baptized onto you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost"-----salvation my friends.
Now I am not an overly religious person but remember the teachings of my youth and know that the views of "collective salvation" and liberation theolgy or social liberation are in direct contrast with things I hold dear, both from a political and religious context.
This requires in my view a deeper re-evaluation of Barack Obama before November.
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2 comments:
I recall the long lines of people on Super Tuesday requesting democratic ballots and I thought it was really surreal. I had not paid much attention to it all leading up to that day and now after the Spring I wonder just what they were really thinking. To this day I still just to not get how in mass people have put the kind of "faith" in a guy with very little experience at all making change.
We all want some form of changes. We have been asking and seeking it for decades. We transitioned to Republicans in Congress after decades of Democrat control and find ourselves with the same problems again with regard to spending. Pork barrel spending that is and earmarks.
Now in an slipping economy, not a full recession, the masses what to take a leap of faith on Obama to deliver us in a new direction.
Its not a new direction. Its an old one that has already proven to failure.
While a magnificant speaker/orater, Obama is a new version of Ted Kennedy and other aging liberals. They are his mentors in Congress. This is his mind set and his policy. That is his record of achievement. One of the highest liberal ratings in the Senate.
Now if you believe that liberalism is the way to go than of course Barack Obama is the direction one should go. If the government increasing its stranglehold on markets and regulation is your vision of free markets then Obama is the one who should win.
I just cannot believe that so many Americans would want to go back down that road again, but the last years have been very tuff on people and it may just be change for change sake.
And by the way, no matter how the media wants to spin it, I met Robert Kennedy as a youngster and Barack Obama is NO RFK and to me to state as much is political blasfimy.
Obama has not been given a full vetting by the media and they seem content on coddleling him into office.
As much as he criticizes John Mccain lack of economic policy he fails to offer up one shred of policy of his own that would benefit the economy.
Hopefully , McCain will have Romney take over his economic policy making.
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