The Inaugural

At his 2008 inaugural, President Obama chose Rick Warren, a fundamentalist, to deliver an inaugural prayer. Below is the prayer, all 4 minutes and 36 excruciating seconds of it, along with my comments.

"Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory. History is your story." 

He didn’t even get through the first paragraph before he exposed his cognitive dissonance when he intoned:  ".......you are the compassionate and merciful one and you are loving to everyone you have made.”

Presumably, Preacher Warren is unaware of the 18 million children under the age of 5 who die each year from the effects of malnutrition or outright starvation when all it would have taken to save them was a few inches of rain.  If it all belongs to Rick’s imaginary friend in the sky, then we should demand he take responsibility for it.

"Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African American President of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African Immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven. Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders." 

What a pity that while Rick piled up his prayer requests for the President, he forgot to ask his imaginary celestial dictator to dole out a dollop of wisdom, humility, courage, integrity and compassion to the Republicans.

Perhaps that moment of forgetfulness on Rick’s part is what caused the Senate Republican hypocrites to wrap themselves in the flag of Jesus, and reject a United Nations treaty on the rights of the disabled.

The Republicans couldn't even bring themselves to vote for the rights of soldiers who have lost limbs and eyes in combat while earning a salary of $17,892.00 per year in order to protect the salaries of Senators who earn $174,000 per year and a lifetime pension of over $50,000.00.

"Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or by blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us."

So Romney and the Republicans knew they would be forgiven when they abandoned the 47% and the brave combat soldiers who returned from the war who were maimed for life.

"When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ." 

Lesson: We can rape the planet for profit oh ’Lord for we know you will forgive us.

"Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet."

More prosperous? More peaceful? Well 4 years have gone by Rick.  Unemployment has spiked to 25% in some European countries and remains depressingly high in the USA. Meanwhile, because of religion,  people are still fighting like cats and dogs.

"And may we never forget that one day, all nations, all people will stand accountable before You. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care. I humbly ask this in the name of the One who changed my life—Yeshua, Esa, Jesus, Jesus—who taught us to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." 

Rick Warren blathered on for an excruciating 4 minutes and 36 seconds.  By the time he finished his prayer another 158 innocent young children had died from starvation.

“It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.” 

You said it Rick, not me.

Mr. President, on behalf of the third of religiously unaffiliated adults under 30, without whose help you could not have won the election, we now plead with you to govern, not in accordance with a book of fables which is disavowed by two thirds of our planet’s citizens, but turn instead to the Establishment Clause of our Constitution.

Let’s get off our knees and get to work.

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