I cringed at times listening to Barack Obama's speech yesterday. I'm sure many atheists did the same. Besides quoting/misquoting the Koran, Obama completely alienated atheists:
“Indeed, faith should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews.”
I did a blog search on Google and I found only a few atheists that seemed bothered about the speech.
Clemens' Blog is the only one I've read who tells it like it is in his post Obama's Sermon.
Lets look at other things that Obama said in the speech:
“And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations - to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.”
Who's God is our God? Obama is saying ALL Americans aspire to love our God. Thanks Obama, for throwing atheists under the bus.
But what is troubling is that the atheist internet community has either turned a blind eye or has put their collective heads in the sand on this speech.
Why is that? Is it that Obama, being so different than Bush in his Liberalism, and his perceived pacifier status when it comes to war and conflict, gets a free pass from atheists?, or is it that the atheist community perceives Muslims collectively as a bunch of 7 year old children, who need to be completely sucked up to if it means possible reformation and peace?
I do know that if George Bush made the exact same speech as Obama yesterday, the atheist blogosphere would have been posting about it in an enraged flurry, because the second possibility wouldn't be an option, and Bush would have been looked upon just as a religious zealot talking to other religious nuts.
Of course, Obama also completely portrayed Islam and history in a very distorted and unrealistic way, and gave Islam credit where none was due. But that is just politics.
If Obama made this speech domestically prior to the election, I wonder if he would have lost atheist votes. I hope so, but I just don't know.
I'm very disappointed in my atheist brothers and sisters right now for holding back criticism of Obama. I'm also accusing the atheist community of double standards here. Had he made this type of speech at a church, he would have been slaughtered by fellow bloggers.
Don't get me wrong, I still think Obama is going in the right direction (at least the direction he is going is worth a shot), but he could have included non believers, and he should be called out for not doing so.
