President Bush has taken a lot of heat in some quarters for his comments that he continually prayed that he would be doing God's will. Ranters complained that Bush was trying to lead a theocracy.
Candidate Obama gave an interview to Newsweek where he discussed his faith. When asked what he prays for, he said, "Forgiveness for my sins and flaws, which are many, the protection of my family, and that I'm carrying out God's will, and not in a grandiose way, but simply that there is an alignment between my actions and what he would want. And then I find myself sometimes praying for people who need a lift, need a hand."
Presumably, a man who believes that God will guide the actions of his personal life also believes that guidance would carry over into every facet of existence. If my presumption is accurate, then Obama would probably also defend President Bush from the spiteful remarks about his faith.
I hope we'll see more of this side of Senator Obama. Odds are that he's going to be our next president and I think our nation needs leaders who will honestly seek to do the right thing under the inspiration of heaven. The humility to ask for help is a great sign.
2 comments:
I kind-of agree, but the 'under the inspiration of heaven' gives me pause. I'm willing for a person in that office to be guided by religon, but I want them to recognize that religion isn't the touchstone for everyone that it might be for them, and that their actions should reflect a sensitivity toward that reality. Do something because its the right thing to do, not because religion says to do it.
Point taken. While I'd expect any religion to advocate doing the "right thing," a leader needs to take into account a wide variety of sensibilities when making decisions.
Post a Comment