Obama's Easter address ignores Christianity

Mixing religion and politics is never easy, especially for the President of the United States, but Barack Obama seems determined to make it harder. Barack Obama's approach to religion, especially in the midst of a war on radical Islamic terrorists, has been widely criticized as being too dismissive of America's Christian heritage while being too accommodating, even apologetic, for the Islamic faith. His recent actions have only highlighted the imbalance.

President Obama's weekly radio address on April 3, 2010 celebrated the Easter holiday by relating a portion of an Easter sermon delivered on a battlefield in Iwo Jima in 1945. Unfortunately, the President chose to delete many of the references to Jesus Christ, watering down the impact of the sermon to a generic, ecumenical lesson with no Christian influence.

A story by Vince Haley on ToRenewAmerica.com compared the original sermon to Obama's version. Obama's version stated:

The rites of Passover, and the traditions of Easter, have been marked by people in every corner of the planet for thousands of years. They have been marked in times of peace, in times of upheaval, in times of war.

One such war-time service was held on the black sands of Iwo Jima more than sixty years ago. There, in the wake of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, a chaplain rose to deliver an Easter sermon, consecrating the memory, he said “of American dead – Catholic, Protestant, Jew. Together,” he said, “they huddled in foxholes or crouched in the bloody sands…Together they practiced virtue, patriotism, love of country, love of you and of me.” The chaplain continued, “The heritage they have left us, the vision of a new world, [was] made possible by the common bond that united them…their only hope that this unity will endure.” 

The original version, which Obama chose to ignore, was outlined by Haley in his article, and has a much deeper meaning. Taken from the original audio of the sermon, the complete statement reads (the parts Obama deleted are highlighted in bold):

He has risen. With all due reverence, we apply these words to our beloved dead.

There are too many air call wings encrusted with the stain of their owners’ life blood, too many marine trousers upon the graves, too many symbols of American dead – Catholic, Protestant, Jew. Together,” he said, “they huddled in foxholes or crouched in the bloody sands under the fury of enemy guns here on Iwo Jima. Together they practiced virtue, patriotism, love of country, love of you and of me. Together they stand before the greatest soldier of them all – Jesus Christ, to receive the token of our triumph. For Christ has said: “Greater love than this no man hath then that he lay down his life for his friends.”

And so our beloved dead have gone from the world of hate to the world of eternal love.
The chaplain continued, 'The heritage they have left us, the vision of a new world, [was] made possible by the common bond that united them in the drudgery of recruit training or here in the chaos of bursting shouts. Their only hope: that this unity will endure.'

And so our dead have risen to glory."

It isn't the first time Obama has censored Christian expression. For the 2009 Christmas season, the President initially refused to display a nativity scene at the White House, but later changed his mind under pressure. More than once, he has said that America is not a Christian nation, usually as part of an outreach to the Muslim community. His statements and actions lead many to believe the President is either embarrassed by or even hostile to the idea of America's Christian heritage and influence.

On the other hand, President Obama seems to have no problem recognizing the cultural significance or the importance of Islam. As seen in the video below, the President praises the virtues of Islam easily and often, while rarely criticizing the many elements in the religion that have advocated terrorist acts against the innocent. His complimentary approach to Islam and willingness to bow to an Islamic king (which may not mean much to Americans, but has great significance to Middle Eastern cultures) only encourage radical conspiracy theories about his true motivations.

A President's ringing endorsement of Islam isn't new. President George W. Bush did the same thing to reach out to the Muslim community after 9/11. However, Bush had no problem calling out radical Islam, and his personal faith is unquestioned. It is Obama's reluctance to be as even-handed with Christianity, however, that concerns so many. An even-handed, balanced approach to all religions could avoid these types of missteps.

Perhaps Obama does have a personal affinity for Islam. Perhaps his statements (or lack thereof) about Christianity are based on a refusal to appear sympathetic to the religious right. Either way, if Obama would act on principle, not show bias, or attempt to pander to the rest of the world, he might then earn the respect of people of all faiths as a President deserves.