It’s clear after watching the coverage last night that Obama’s candidacy and presidency have deep meaning to many, many Americans. People crave a new kind of hope, and Obama represents that. (Too bad they’re not looking to Jesus, though.) And particularly for the African-American community and all who have felt marginalized in the United States, Obama’s victory is a huge moment, announcing that we’re moving past all that. It’s an unspeakable shame, though, that the flip side of this is further marginalizing the current class of non-persons, unborn children. This is no victory for humanity.
I think he could surprise us with his adeptness at economic and foreign policy. Let's pray that he has a conversion of heart on moral issues.
16 comments:
I am praying and looking forward, trying to put disappointment and cynicism aside. But I worry about the naivete of so many Americans who believe that one man can change so much; and I worry about what they think needs changing.
We can only pray that Senator Obama truly will be a more moderate president than he has been a senator on both the state and national levels. Let's follow Senator McCain's advice, to work together and compromise where we can, and to try and persuade Obama to our cause where we can. More later...
My candidate didn't win, but the one thing I am struck by is a sense of awe at what an amazing country this is. Fifty-seven million people voted for a guy who lost, and they're all getting up and going to work today -- no tanks in the streets.
More than anything, Obama's victory proves that democracy works. If you don't like what's going on, convince your neighbors and get out there and change it.
What makes me sad is that I feel like my neighbors don't believe what I believe, so that makes the mountain seem like quite a climb.
A friend, another young mother of three and Princeton grad, wrote this in an email this morning. It's one of the most hopeful tidbits I've heard yet:
"I can swallow an Obama victory if all of the Marriage Amendments pass. (And it looks like this may happen.) I’d rather this than a McCain victory with all marriage amendment failures.
"Remember: in Mexico abortion was legalized last year for the first time, and the latest press reports indicate that abortion doctors do not have work down there, they are idle. The culture is more important than the president.
"Onward!"
I feel so sad for you all that you can't share in the hope, exhilaration and promise of this momentous day. Talk about losing the forest for the trees.
And to say you can "swallow" this victory only if it comes paired with discriminatory legislation passing.... how utterly depressing.
It really is your loss.
It's comforting to hear the words of other well educated women that felt the same way about the presidential election. I agree it is a big step for the country to break the mold and elect a bi-racial individual, but I am terribly concerned about the state of this nation as we move forward through the next 4-years. Momvee, besides my disdain for the idea of shared prosperity, similar to you, I am highly concerned about the over-emphaisis on the concept of change.
Though I was born here in the US, my parents & grandparents were born in Cuba, and they are concerned because in 1959, many Cubans wanted change, and look what happened. I am, by NO means, implying that we will turn into as radical a state as Cuba. However, I feel that we all need to be careful when we put so much faith & power in one person, particularly one with a history of more leftist ideals.
I am sure this comment will spark debate, but I felt comfortable in this particular forum to express my thoughts this post-election day.
-ad.
As a strong Obama supporter, the "change" I want, is one from the Bush administration: the Patriot Act, domestic spying, a war whose rationale was ever changing and whose execution was mishandled, destruction of the environment and breaks for big business and the rich while everyone else suffers. The doesn't make me a socialist, communist, or revolutionary. Obama is the man who talked about this change, but we realize his is just a man. I have faith in him as a person, not as a deity. I don't think he can fix all of these problems, but I like that he sees them as problems. I look forward to taking him up on his call to make this country better.
I'd also like to echo the comments about being proud of my country yesterday. We don't always like the outcome, but elections remind us that we're all in this together.
LL
I don't want change if it involves the continued taking of innocent human life. There ought to be a great deal of concern for a president that doesn't care for the most marginalized and poor this country's citizens: the unborn. Slavery and Abortion fundamentally view human life the same way.. as someone's property. The Supreme Court Dred Scott case held that a slave escaped to a free state is still the owner's property. If you say a baby in your body is your property and you can do with it what you choose. When is it free? When does it become a citizen endowed with the same rights. Unborn children need the protection of the State and right now our country allows them to be brutally taken from their mothers. I pray that Obama changes his stance on abortion and the born alive act.
He said, He doesn't want his daughters to be "punished with a baby". This kind of mentality is what drive women to abortion. They need love and support. The State has a special duty to protect the weak & vulnerable in Society. The unborn child is a member of the human family & it's the weakest & most defenseless of its members.
"I am sure that all people know deep down inside that the little child in the mother's womb is a human being from the moment of conception, created in the image of God to love and be loved. "Let us pray that nobody will be afraid to protect that little child, to help that little child to be born. Jesus said: 'If you receive a little child in my name, you receive me.'"
-Mother Teresa of Calcutta
http://www.gabrielproject.com/help.htm
Yesterday's outcome depresses me. But what really depresses me is that about 53% of self-identified Catholics voted for Obama. Clearly, the American Catholic Church has failed miserably in teaching its flock about the dignity of human life and the evil of abortion. It's an embarrassment, and we're all to blame. God help us.
beatrixpotter,
Your comment cannot possibly be intended to be constructive, so why share it?
If you want to comment on an orthodox Catholic blog about how gay "marriage" bans are discriminatory, perhaps you should engage the issue, rather than simply verbalizing your pity.
Obama didn't just say that he didn't want his daughters punished with a mistake, he lied in an interview about the National Right to Life Movement, who claimed (rightly) that he had voted against caring for babies that survived abortions. He could not be more wrong, in my opinion, about abortion. He was also very snide in an interview when he was asked when rights began for humans and he answered that it was 'above his pay grade' to decide that. If it's above his pay grade, why assume that the answer is when the child is born, I always wonder.
I pray for his conversion of heart about abortion, I pray and pray that he sees the Truth. I am heartened by the fact that I think he seems like a good man, husband and father. I didn't vote for him but I am touched by how touched people are at his victory.
While I am proud to be an american bc we live in a country where we can elect a black man which is major gain from where we came from, it truly saddens me that so many Americans have been deceived by Obama's empty rhetoric. He is so unworthy of this presidency from his lack of experience, to his moral ground,his lack of good judgement based on the people he has associated with and blatant dishonesty. Will he vote present while in the presidency?
We have truly elected a man who states that when life begins is above his pay grade.What a cop out instead of really saying how he really feels and how he has really voted in the Senate and in Illinois!It is his overall stance on abortion that is scary! It is appalling that a 32 weeker can be aborted and survive the process and Obama continues to believe that it is a burden to the original decision made by the mother to have an abortion to intervene and save the child(which from a nursing experience would more than likely require minimal medical intervention)...well I call that gross negligence and murder on the part of any medical team present and the mother! I was the nurse present at a delivery of a mother miscarrying quadruplets at 20 weeks. Not viable to save but all four delivered alive. 2 of them lived for 10 hours and that was at 20 weeks. 32 weeks is well beyond the point of viability, so what does he suggest we do to this child like I said who would probably require minimal medical intervention? Allow the doctor to strangle it? Or let the baby die a slow death or better yet, the baby survive and have permanent damage as a result of negligence? Talk about burdening a system. Really, people we'd call for better treatment of animals!I pray for a radical change of heart in his moral beliefs in regard to abortion because a man who condones murder is far from inspirational to me and not the change I would like to see in our country!Lord help us!
I caution against announcing that fifty percent of the electorate has been deceived by either candidate. A republican system of government rests on respect for the voters. If that is replaced by the notion that the people who didn't vote for one candidate are stupid/evil/manipulated or in some other respect unworthy of the vote, the system crumbles. Some people of course were deceived, but I have to believe the vast majority of people looked as best they could at two imperfect candidates and made the best choice they could.
The fact that over half of the electorate, 63 million people, chose a Marxist for the United States presidency is astounding to me. I cannot accept that 63 million people chose Marxism. However, noone in this country, at least as it is constituted today, has the excuse that "I was deceived". We all have access to all the information we need to fully form our consciences and make an informed decision. The fact that we choose not to, due to laziness, racism, selfishness, or for any other reason, is sinful, and voters who choose to exercise their right without informing themselves abuse their right and make a mockery of our democracy. Such behavior is not worthy of respect.
There is a difference between an imperfect candidate and a fundamentally flawed, unacceptable candidate, and that was the choice in this election. Men of good will had only one choice, but they did not take it. This country is about to delivered up to its sinful ways. Don't be surprised if the Obama Supreme Court imposes gay marriage on the whole nation against the will of the voters, or if we see human cloning programs beginning in the next four years.
Jesus is still Lord, and he will not abandon us, but get ready for a bumpy ride.
When people are talking about gay "marriage", why does it seem so scary to them, and why does it seem as important as abortion as a topic? One irony is that at least these gay people are not having abortions. Which is the more important issue? (This isn't a rhetorical question... I'm wondering how people perceive these two issues.)
Also, keep in mind that even in a McCain administration, abortion would be legal throughout the nation.
Have you ladies seen this?
http://www.fightfoca.com/
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