Q&A

As I sometimes like to do, this is a cross-posted question and my answer from another source. During a conversation, someone asked the question of me, and the response is mine.


Q: Liam, do you find the fact that Obama has cancelled the National day of prayer, but approved a day of prayer for Muslims concerning?

A: I find your mis-characterization of both facts a bit concerning.

First, he didn't cancel the National Day of Prayer, he simply observed it privately rather than in public. And in spite of the dangerous levels of mixture of religion and politics in recent years, I think that's correct. I don't believe our political leader should be leading us all in any religious observance in a nation where we have the freedom to choose our own religious views and not have them imposed or infringed upon by our government. If we someday have a Jewish President, or a Hindu President or a Muslim President or a Scientologist President, I don't want him or her to try to lead the country in his beliefs, and so I don't think a President who shares my beliefs should be trying to lead anybody in them, either. That's what freedom of religion is all about.

Second, Obama's "approval" of a Muslim day of prayer amounts to the same level of observance he gave the Christian one: He gave it recognition but did not publicly participate. The level of religious bigotry in your trying to paint the SAME action as somehow skewed in favor of the Muslim religion is pretty hard to stomach.

It's what he, in his official capacity as President, SHOULD do. Treat all religions equally as much as possible under law. (By which I mean if a religion calls for human saccrifice, he can't give blessing to that rite, of course).

But if we're going to have an officially recognized national day of prayer organized by one religion, then any other religion that wants to have one should also be granted recognition... and the President should either publicly participate in ALL of them (which he probably wouldn't have time to do) or NONE of them.

So no, in the end, I don't find Obama's behavior in this troubling. It is the inherent bigotry in the question that I find troubling.