Echoes of the Bible: Obama's Notre Dame Address
President Obama made an admirable call for a civil discourse on abortion at Notre Dame's commencement. While there was much controversy leading up to Obama's address, his speech was generally well received by the Fighting Irish, and not just because of the sports references.
Obama successfully couched his underlying message of the abortion debate's legitimacy in the familiar language of the Bible. In rhetoric, it's important to remember your audience, and Obama clearly remembered in South Bend. Here are eight key lines from Obama's address and the biblical passages they reference:
"Some were here during years that simply rolled into the next without much notice or fanfare - periods of relative peace and prosperity that required little by way of sacrifice or struggle."
This line echoes Jeremiah 29:1, "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah's letter is a fitting reference for times of turmoil, as he instructs the Israelites to hope for prosperity in their new and challenging environment.
"Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin."
First, Obama references seven sins (counting "cruelties large and small" as number seven). Many of the "original" seven deadly sins, enumerated by Pope Gregory, are referenced: selfishness, pride, and acquisitiveness. Interestingly, Obama leaves out envy, wrath, discouragement, and extravagance. Obama also references original sin, a concept largely crystallized by Augustine in the Sixth Century and a central tenet of Roman Catholics. While neither of these references is strictly biblical, they have deep religious resonance and tie the 21st Century's problems to the age-old failings of man.
"The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice."
Here, Obama turns the traditional religious exhortation on its head, as the strong "dominate the weak" instead of protecting them. This line also references the Book of Joel, which looks to a time when such distinctions no longer matter: "Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong."
"The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort?"
This line alludes to Exodus 23:1: "Do not join hands with the wicked[.]" Again, Obama uses this phrase to signify its negation: Americans can join hands to debate each other as reasonable people, but only if they stop "demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side." Each side must stop seeing the other as "wicked" so that they may "join hands in common effort."
"And I said a prayer that night that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me."
Obama references the famous lines of Luke 6:31: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." This is the speech's central theme.
"But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. "
Obama quotes Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
"Remember that each of us, endowed with the dignity possessed by all children of God, has the grace to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we all seek the same love of family and the same fulfillment of a life well-lived."
The King James Version, in Galatians 3:26, is less inclusive: "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
"If nothing else, that knowledge should give us faith that through our collective labor, and God's providence, and our willingness to shoulder each other's burdens, America will continue on its precious journey towards that more perfect union."
Obama's final line references Psalm 81:6, "I removed his shoulder from the burden," and closes with an allusion to the opening line of the Preamble to the Constitution, moving from the founding texts of monotheism to our shared government's founding charter: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
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I truly hope that someday we can get religion out of our government . Religion ,across the world has prevented freedom , democratic governments , been the cause of most wars , been the basis of all the hate between different beliefs . Yet Americans don't get it and continue to attempt to push the bible into our laws . Our nation was founded on keeping church and state apart . Do we really want a theocracy ?
That's what the people have in the mid-east . EH ?
While you are technically right, this is, as Obama makes very clear in the above speech, a complicated issue. There must be made (as often as possible) a distinction between faith and institutionalized religion. Faith has never hindered the progress of man in any part of the world, but you are right that institution (loosely: religion) will, as all entities with influence do, attempt to spread their views through force and rules.
It is narrowminded and destructive, and must go. But even for us atheists there is much in the Bible (often accredited to Jesus personally) that we agree heartily with, because they are rooted in reason and the will to do good. Some accredit it to God, others to the inherent good of man. Whichever it is, let us, like Obama said, join hands on what we do agree on, and work from there.
I attribute " Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you" to HELEN, from New York, in the 1950's. She was my mother. She said this many, many times to her kids.
As devote Catholics, my mom and dad taught their three children to have respect for other people and to be honest. They both died without ever living "The American Dream ". They did not own their own home ( houses were always too expensive), have a car ( they took the subway to and from work ) or go on expensive vacations.
They were poor by today's standards.
Barack Obama gave a nice speech and placated the audience. I would rather have heard Obama talk about how our Constitution has been trashed ( and is still being trashed) by our own government (that is Congress, the past three Presidents Bush 1,Bush2 and Clinton, the past 20 years of revolving door Republicans and Democrats in Congress ).
I vote for Barack Obama, I sent him $60.00, campaigned for him on the phone, internet and door to door and HOPED FOR CHANGE THAT I CAN BELIEVE IN.
So far, I am disappointed.
Did you honestly expect a speech on legislation at one of the top Catholic universities in the country? A speech that was preceded by a fierce and largely unhelpful debate over abortion?
Corruption is a tough cookie to crack, and I sense that Obama will give a shot at cracking it, but this was not the speech to do it in.
It's always a pleasure for a God-less hypocrite who doesn't even attend church (and let's NOT even go there about WHEN and WHERE he used to go) to have his speech writers use Biblical references that he can read from his teleprompters and hopefully fool all the 'poor idiots who worship their guns and religion.' Obama is a huge hypocrite, and if he had any decency he would not have spoken at Notre Dame in the first place. Yes, he was invited and that was a big mistake too. Just the thought of this abortion loving heathen having the gall to speak at Notre Dame is a slap in the face to most Catholics. You all are welcome to pile on and blather all you want about my posting, but not all of us have been hypnotized by this nobody politician who is after all just a by-product of the Illinois corrupted political machine. God bless America, and yes even Obama too. Hopefully someday he will see the truth.
Attending church does not a Christian or non-Christian make.
YOU are the godless hypocrite
YOU don't have your choice of church's scrutinized by the public
YOU forgot that Ronnie RAYGUN loved his teleprompter
YOU worship your guns and religeon
YOU have no decency
YOU are a hate monger to call Obama an "abortion-loving heathen"
YOU can't find middle ground and want to perpetuate the hate (you're a man, you have no right to dictate what any woman should do with her body.)
YOU piled on enough b.s. for all of the trolls combined
YOU have been HYPNOTIZED by your mamma or your papa
YOU are corrupt
God bless Obama? YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME? After all you said? YOU ARE THE HYPOCRITE
Hopefully someday YOU will see the truth, but I suspect it will be TOO LATE
Obama failed to address religious people who oppose abortion on NON-religious grounds and atheists and agnostics who oppose abortion. So did the Notre Dame protestors and the pro-Choice lobby.
By making the issue about religion a great deal of ‘common ground’ was lost by all sides.
If the issue hadn't been about religion, it would not have been an issue.
Does anyone know if having a vasectomy is a mortal sin??? I know that having sex without being married is a mortal sin.
Not having children is very simple...a
The opposite of his advice was "Just keep your legs closed ". It's crass but effective.
God will forgive you, but I'm not sure about the church.
Stop beating yourself up over every thing you do, God loves us and allows us.
The church has placed this dogma in you causing you to live in fear.
Stop giving your power away to others, stop living for others.
"When life begins" is a RELIGIOUS belief.
What exactly ARE the non-religious grounds? Religious opponents to abortion at least know what the defining boundaries for the origin of life are. Where do yours come from?
Republicans (at least the ones in charge) do not care whether abortion is legal or not they only use it to keep the extreme right of their party in line and supporting them. If they really cared about abortion then there are so many ways that it could be curtailed. Such as making available contraception, real sexual education etc.
To have a "civil discourse" on abortion is not what the repubs are interested in. They are not interested in solving the problem, only in controlling the lives of others. The best way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the need for the procedure.
Since the major reason for an abortion is an unwanted pregnancy, the solution, therefore, is to assure that pregnancy occurs by choice, not chance. This means education for both genders, and effective and available contraception. The first big step is to recognize that people have, and will always have, sex.
But what do the repubs want to do? Teach only abstinence, do not educate anyone, especially teens, about contraception, for that matter don't teach 'em about sex. Then, make contraception more difficult to access. They scream about how terrible abortion is on one hand, then, on the other, do everything to make sure that the demand for it continues.
"They are not interested in solving the problem, only in controlling the lives of others. "
I can't speak for Republicans generally, but what I can say is that as a conservative, I'm not interested in the Federal Government solving the problem, since its only interested in controlling the lives of others...C
"...the solution, therefore, is to assure that pregnancy occurs by choice, not chance."
Considering the amount of money spent on education of both genders and effective and available contraception, the unwanted pregnancy rate should be zero about now. I guess the government just hasn't done enough educating and contraceptive distributing to fix it, yet. That is to say we probably need more programs, more tax money, more control etc. So, can you give me a ballpark idea when we can expect to get this thing fixed? I was hoping to reach Utopia by the Summer.
The thing about generalizations is that they're alway wrong. Oh gosh, I just made one...tsk.
This article reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon I saw a long time ago. Some of the kids were looking at clouds, and were coming up with all these impressive, significant things they were seeing in them, until one kid, Charlie Brown I think, said "I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsey but I changed my mind." Or something like that. I think some of these specific references and allusions are a bit of a stretch. "People only see the things they think they want to see" is a line that keeps recurring as I read about people's differing perspectives on issues, but I might have to modify it here to "People only see the things they think they want other people to think they're seeing."
Really simple and stupid question here --
It is a human being baby or is it not?
If it is not -- then abort all you wish.
But, since it has fingers and toes, mouth, eyes, and ears. A brain. A spinal cord. Two arms and two legs.....
I say it is a baby and I say that killing babies is morally wrong.
No one supports killing babies, as you say. It is also immoral to bring human beings into the world when your society provides no safety net to support said human through childhood and into adulthood. My problem with pro-lifers. Many stop at the rhetoric and don't want to pay more taxes to fund subsidized programs for day care, food, health care, etc. Or, adopt kids out of foster care. If you do, great. If you don't. Think about it: how do you define "life?"
REALLY, really simple.
President Obama was right. If you don't think so, you're one more who prefers a scorched earth to common ground.
I am absolutely amazed when people make such stupid statements along the lines of yours as there are not any public funds to support people. Every major city in the US has free medical care at every level if the person is willing to look. There are food banks available everywhere but I will guess this one might get under your skin a little because a lot of them are based through religious organizations. You've got subsidized housing. I don't know about child day care for free.
At one point in your life do you step in front of the bathroom mirror or in front of the hallway mirror and ask yourself about your own self-sufficiency? I know that is a lot to ask for that you yourself step up to the plate and take responsibility for yourself. But no, it's always someone else's fault or their problem, isn't it?
"But, since it has fingers and toes, mouth, eyes, and ears. A brain. A spinal cord. Two arms and two legs....."
So does any species of monkey or ape. There's more to a human being, isn't there?
Apes don't have abortions.
Obama was right in trying to bring people together to discuss these issues ..polariza
Labels like Pro life and Pro abortion need to be redefined ... to be pro something means you lean towards a certain view point not that you are dead set in believing that viewpoint and therefore unable to consider another persons viewpoint or consider new evidence.
We all know that this issue is not clear cut, nor easily resolved, but it is an important issue just the same and needs real open intelligent discussion
Well, it depends at what stage you're talking about it.
Before the Victorian era, first-trimester abortions weren't considered a big deal. It wasn't until a fetus was capable of independent movement -- the 'quickening' -- that the soul was considered to have entered the body.
Memory regression under hypnosis suggests that the individual memories may not begin until actual birth, or may stretch back to some point during the pregnancy.
Fact is, NOBODY actually knows when human consciousness connects to a fetus.... but the odds are it could not occur before there's sufficient neurological activity to support basic brain functions.
If you have adopted unwanted children, terrific. If you have not... then you have very little credibility on this issue.
So you say, and you have a right to your opinion, but it might be worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of mankind has disagreed with you, all the way back to at least the Ice Age. All cultures throughout history have believed, on moral grounds, that the woman's right to choose trumps the baby's right to be born; the idea that the reverse is true, or that it's a legal rather than a sociological issue, is very recent in human experience.
What about Afghani and Iraqi babies, are they as equally important as american babies?
I would say the US is responsible for killing a lot them in the last seven years as well.
The bible, specially the old testament is Jewish folk lore. These ancient writers (scriptures) were made by men who thought the earth was flat. I personally wouldn't bother reading them, let alone considering the wisdom of most of what they said. The new testament isn't much better and most of those scripturesist were Jews also. Obama is very cleaver at coming between issues with yet another piece of rhetoric. Very cleaver, but rhetoric nevertheless.
Somehow I think they'll still be quoting Bible passages long after we're less than a footnote in some forgotten history book. Holy Scripture of all traditions has withstood the test of time - I wonder why. Try reading between the lines you'll get more out of it.
It has stood the test of time because just about anybody can selectively quote from it to prove just about ANYTHING, making it the perfect tool for people who want to manipulate those who desperately need structure and cannot deal with life's ambiguity.
Almost any book would do. You could use Lord of the Rings the same way, and it's a lot more coherent.
You were not President Obama's target audience.
Nonetheless, he certainly wasn't excluding you when it came to asking for less demonizing and more civility.
Do you have a problem with Jews ?
The 'Old Jews' didn't invent the law (Torah, Commandments) it was supposed to have been given them as a revelation from God.
They believed the earth was flat... because they had notevidence to the contrary..
Today we have moral issues to deal with that they didn't but the 'law' in the O.T has given us a moral base that has been very useful to mankind for centuries ... we may have to adapt it in the light of new evidence but to chuck it away as a piece of outmoded rhetoric is not very clever...
You can,'t expect Obama to come up with a solution on this issue that will please everyone ... he's not God ... he is however prepared to listen....
I don't think the Catholic Church should say anything after what some of their priests have done - raping children. Do the Catholics today condone waht their priests have done? They should be ashamed of themselves.
So because there are a few evil men in the Catholic Church (4% of all ordained priests, to be exact) that means that you should be allowed to chop babies into little pieces and flush them down the commode?
Where exactly is YOUR humanity??
Enough already. Look up the definition of life and baby in the dictionary. You'll be enlightened.
The Bible is a collection of 3000 years, give or take, of ruminations on the nature of God and man's place in the universe. Two thousand years after the death of Christ we haven't solved the mystery and probably won't two thousand years in the future. The fact that at this date we have athiests, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and a variety of nondenominational thinkers wondering about these ancient questions should give us pause. That we have a president who asks us all to step back from our self evident truths and really listen to another point of view on any subject ie. war, death penalty, abortion, etc. is inspiriational. No one should be asked to compromise his or her beliefs, but to be asked to look for the humanity in all of God's children is the beginning of God's kingdom on earth.
Does this looking for the humanity of all of God's children include those who are just a month or two from being born? Or are they not really human until they complete escape the womb and draw a first breath? Or maybe not even until they are deemed by us to be human, as a certain Princeton ethicist has suggested?
Most abortions take place within the first 3 months. The fetus has not even properly formed at that stage. The ONLY time an abortion occurs within 1-2 months of birth is when the mother's life is at risk - the fetus cant survive without the mother, so aborting means that at least 1 life is SAVED rather than 2 lives being LOST.
As for the rest, that is just philosophical whimsy and this is not the place for that. Your lack of factual information re: abortion is incredible. Perhaps you should educate yourself on a topic before you form an opinion.
You've been swallowing too much right-wing koolaid. The so-called 'late-term' abortion almost never happens. Most abortions are performed during the first 3 months, before there's any independent activity in the fetus. For centuries, religions taught that 'the quickening' was when the soul entered, about 3 months after fertilization.
Actually you are wrong. If you bothered reading the Bible then you would know that it specifically states that there is one God only and that no other God should be worshiped. That means no other points of view are valid OTHER than the ones of the one true God. Now you can choose to believe that or you can choose not to. That's up to you. But you can not, by definition, make the statements that Obama made and still call yourself a Christian. God's laws are not open to public debate. Murder is wrong. Period. Once again you can choose to believe that or not. But if you not, then by definition you are NOT a Christian. So, no, none of Obama's speech was inspirational. The only people who would believe such a thing are not Christians.
Actually, the problem is the definition of MURDER. Murder IS wrong, Abortion is NOT murder. Murder is the taking of an existing life.
If you abort (at the legal time), you are terminating a cluster of cells. That's it. Not a life. Just some cells. Not even fully formed into a SHAPE of a human baby, let alone the central nervous system of a human OR even a lizard!
The only reference to anything resembling abortion in the Bible is in Exodus. Where a pregnant woman gets injured in a fight with two men and miscarries. If the woman dies, tid life for a life. If she just miscarries is a fine only, not life for life.
The other verses bandied about are interpreted in, not germane to what the Bible says specifically.
I am so sick and tired of the likes of you who dare to say that YOUR brand of Christianity is better than others. Then you go one step further and say that anyone who found Obama's speech inspirational is not a Christian. HOW DARE YOU! Maybe you need to ready YOUR Bible and how Christ taught us to live.
Just because you say no other points of view are valid does not make it true.
Your personal interpretation of the bible is your personal interpretation of the bible. (Actually, it's probably what some preacher told you; folks who like to impose their own moral certainty on others usually swallowed it wholesale from someone else, without thinking it through.)
There are many denominations of Christian, and not all of them follow your particular variety of interpreta
Abortion is never anyone's first choice. If you want to stop abortion, support sex education and birth control. In my own opinion... if you do not do that, you are a bloody hypocrite. Ignorance doesnt' keep kids from having sex... it just keeps them from knowing how to avoid pregnancy and STDs
Good post, alaschu.
Well said.... listening is the beginning of wisdom.
Interesting read, but are you sure you aren't overreaching in your desire to find "coded" messages in that speech?
Maybe we should just play it backwards.
You'll just get a combination of the theme song to Mr. Ed and they're coming to take me away, HA, HA.
Aaron, I think Obama's final quote was more a reference to Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. " (NIV) That's a verse that's much more commonly quoted among actual Christians I've known as an exhortation to help one another out.
There's no denying, however, that Obama references Scripture and Christian teaching with far greater command and understanding than any president since... well, Lincoln, probably, and the line "many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice" is downright Pauline, even if not ever actually written by the Artist Formerly Known As Saul.
Obama has shown from the very early days of his career that he understands the power and heft of a Biblical reference, and he uses them to win over his audiences, particularly when speaking to those from a Christian background. I actually think Obama would enjoy being a theologian if he could have been one.
Carter and Clinton are much better with scripture than Obama. Clinton's among the best, but goes out of his way to sometimes hide how much scripture he knows, lest his way with the Bible be used against him by the far right.
Could be the difference is that Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are Christian-raised sons of the South. They imbibed Scripture, you might say, with momma.
Barak Obama grew up among Yankees in what sounds like a generally agnostic household that held strong moral convictions, a more secular humanism. He came to Christianity later, he studied it like he studied the law.
Unlike in some families where someone "converts," it doesn't seem to have caused any division with his close kin.
It's probably why Obama stresses the common ground between believers and non. He knows it's there 'cause he's been there.
You are right--Aaron missed the direction to "bear one another's burdens" at Galations 6:2, which Obama was surely referring to. I think he got a few other references wrong as well. 1)
When Obama said "periods of relative peace and prosperity that required little by way of sacrifice or struggle," he was alluding to the countless biblical passages warning against wealth and comfort as a moral hazard: to give just one example, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19:24 et al.)
2) As for his warning against "the weak dominating the strong," this is a recurring theme of the prophetic books--a famous example would be Micah Micah 3:1-4; also Luke 6:24, woe unto you that are rich."
3) As for "each of us, endowed with the dignity possessed by all children of God", he was referring to the creation of all human beings in God's image (Gen. 1:26, 27). Paul reaffirmed the common ancestry of all humankind and its moral implications at Acts 17:26, a verse beloved by nineteenth century abolitionsts.
Did this just for fun!
There are a few health problems which require the urgent delivery of a preterm infant, but absolutely none that require the death of the child.
I agree... now let's educate the mothers who have to make that decision so they understand all of the implications. In the process, let's make sure that those mothers have full access to good care without having to worry about bankruptcy after they leave the hospital.
oh wait... here's a better idea. How about we attack the situation before it even gets to that point?? Let's make contraceptives more accessible to those of us too lazy to use a condom.
Some people will always have abortions.
Why can't we all agree on that simple premise???
To guarantee the veracity of that statement:
Vasectomy at puberty for men.
I agree with you on all points. My response was posted to a different statement and it has somehow been placed here--the reply was in moderation last time I looked and it was in response to a statement that there were no reasons to end the life of a baby for the mother's health. I mentioned the one I did because it was what could be termed a partial-birth abortion which has now been outlawed. I wonder what the attending physicians would do if presented with this case now? If they did not do what they had done, both would have died. I actually agree with your posts--both of them!
Thats is untrue. There are plenty of situations which force the meds to choose between the mother's life or the fetus. Seeing as the fetus cant survive without the woman, the logical practice is to abort and lose 1 life, rather than ask the mother to carry the birth full term - which would mean that 2 lives would be lost.
Please read up on this issue before making sweeping non-factual comments about it.
Finding common ground on every issue with all Americans is the only way that the United States will ever get out of the hole that it is in and again become a great country in the eyes of its own citizens and the global community. Your president understands this. Giving ground on both sides is the only way to go forward. Abortion is not the only issue here and it is not the most important issue confronting your country. Unfortunately, some narrow minded people think it is. There are so many incredibly complex problems your country faces that abortion has to (must) take a back seat until the United States is back on track.
Anyone who is deeming this an upfront problem needs to give their head a shake. The economy, health care, pollution, etc. etc. has to come first. You have a great country but please get your priorities straight.
Dead right ... it would be nice to have a pollution free, war free, health caring world to bring children into....
One could argue that we ought to abort all children until we've cleaned the place up a bit ...
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