20 January 2009 was certainly a significant day, no matter your political affiliation. I was unfortunately in class during the inauguration (Evolutionary Genetics followed by Professional Practice in the Life Sciences) so didn’t get to see or hear it live. The clips I heard on NPR after class made me want to stop everything and simply revel in the moment. I’m happy to see Obama in office for many reasons, but one in particular resonates. As of now, anyone can be president. Anyone can rise up from any upbringing, and with a little work, reach for the stars.
Well, almost anyone. While our new president himself gave a shout-out to “Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers”, even inviting one each Muslim, Jew and Hindu to his prayer service, Christians definitely took center stage. Prayer after prayer, breakfasts and benedictions made it clear to me that non-believers (and non-Christians in general) are not welcome. Would Christians have noticed or minded if there had been a little less praying and a little more secular celebration? Was it really necessary to reinforce the idea that Christians are in charge and that the rest of us are little more than an afterthought?
Imagine, if you will, that an atheist was elected to high office (yes, it is impossible, I said imagine) and the election ceremonies included denouncements of a deity of your choice. Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris present treatises on how removing religion from daily life will allow the elected official to preform better. Everyone who wants to watch the historic events is forced to endure these speeches regardless of whether or not they agree with them, whether or not they are offended by them. Of course, this situation sounds crazy! And yet, this is exactly what happened (if you prefer, imagine days of prayer focused on Vishnu or Allah instead of Jesus).
Why are Americans incapable of celebrating a secular event in a secular way? Throughout the history of the world, the history of the US, is there not a single quote worthy of such an event? Can we not talk about the greatness of the human spirit rather than the great spirit? Not that it would help those of us who don’t pray, you’d think the prayers could at lest be phrased in such a way to be slightly less exclusive. I am so incredibly frustrated that this is the way we usher in a new era – maybe it’s not really a new era at all.
(image from LA Times) (cross posted at ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society blog)
“Why are Americans incapable of celebrating a secular event in a secular way? ”
Because, for Theists, there are no purely secular events.
[...] (image from LA Times) (cross posted at Clashing Culture) [...]
You are experiencing the downside of being a minority in any culture. Were you left-handed, as I am, you would experience the disadvantages of living in a right-handed world. Were you blind, as am I, you would daily experience the disadvantages of living in a visual world. Were you 7 feet tall, as I am not, you would experience the disadvantages of living in a 6-foot world.
Yes, it is sometimes irritating/frustrating to be part of a minority. Many times the barriors and slights are not even intentional or malicious, but they are there. And, it is unreasonable for me to expect this visual world to alter itself to become auditory/tactical. As one in a minority bothered by religion expressed in public life, you get to exercise your patience and forebarance when it happens.
> I’m happy to see Obama in office for many reasons
I feel likewise!
> While our new president himself gave a shout-out to “Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers”
I was very happy to hear him add that section (and in particular of course, the “non-believers” part). It’s very unlike a “true theist” to do such a thing–that is, the type of true-believing theist who knows that his religion is “from God,” which naturally goes with an intolerance for all the other religions, being “not from God.” It helped reaffirm my suspicion that he is a closet nontheist, as I discuss in detail in my January 7 post on Obama’s Christianity.
> even inviting each Muslim, Jew and Hindu to his prayer service, Christians definitely took center stage.
Even though I suspect (but certainly don’t “know”) that Obama is a nontheist, he is above all a politician: one who leads a predominantly Christian nation. And he gets a lot of heat from influential fundamentalists for not being religious enough, not being Christian enough, trusting science too much, etc. So to be an effective leader of our predominantly Christian nation, he needs to win Christians over. I wish it weren’t so, but it is the reality of the situation … as discussed in detail in my below post, excluding Christians leaves a dangerous political vacuum: one that the Republican Party and the most extreme fundamentalists will be more than happy to fill.
> Prayer after prayer, breakfasts and benedictions made it clear to me that non-believers (and non-Christians in general) are not welcome.
I for one simply didn’t get that feeling. I feel he was reassuring the Christian masses that he was “one of them,” but my feeling was that his words such as:
“We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.”
—showed where he was really coming from.
> Would Christians have noticed or minded if there had been a little less praying and a little more secular celebration?
My guess is that some would not have minded, and some would. Again, my feeling on all the religious pomp was that Obama was simply making a well-calculated strike against the extreme Christian fundamentalists who seek to use their political influence to turn Christians against him.
> Was it really necessary to reinforce the idea that Christians are in charge and that the rest of us are little more than an afterthought?
I never got the feeling that he was saying “Christians are in charge.” In fact, when he said:
“We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality”
—I got the distinct message that he was saying “Science, not biblical BS, will be restored to its rightful place as our source of reliable information!”
> Why are Americans incapable of celebrating a secular event in a secular way? … Can we not talk about the greatness of the human spirit rather than the great spirit?
I hope for that day too! And it’s also my hope that Obama’s emphasis on rationality will be a strong step in that direction come future elections.
> Not that it would help those of us who don’t pray, you’d think the prayers could at lest be phrased in such a way to be slightly less exclusive.
My eyes rolled at much of Rick Warren’s blather as well … still, my frame of mind was that:
#1 – Obama’s is just giving political lip service so the Christians don’t feel neglected, and
#2 – lip service is largely harmless as long as it remains lip service!
- Todd
Alden nails it.
Ralph you are missing the point. The nation wasn’t founded as a left-handers’ nation. It wasn’t founded as a visual-aid nation. It was founded as a secular nation because the framers knew that there was no way to justly adjudicate or balance official religion.
It is frustrating because even this simple act of celebrating the peaceful changeover of government must be dominated by an appeal to religious guidance.
“That in all things God may be glorified” means to many people exactly that, ignoring the fact that not all people think it necessary. There is plenty of opportunity to praise without dragging everyone else into it.
[...] Alden said in response to Anastasia’s post , “..because, for Theists, there are no purely secular events.” Perhaps for theists, [...]
Todd, I don’t question Obama’s intentions – I beleive (as it seems you do) that he did his best to have an inauguration that included all while at the same time reassuring (some might say appeasing) the majority. I do question why it is necessary to appease the majority, or why they require appeasement, particularly in such grand and showy ways. I hope we are moving towards a time when people can pray as they wish but don’t feel compelled to push it on others. What’s the bible passage about not showing off when you pray or tithe?
The verse is (and I think I should have it memorized by now,) Matthew 6: 5-6. ”
It would have been funny if someone had help up a sign with those two verses at the inauguration, a la the John 3:16 signs people hold up at football games.