Happy Kwanzaa, everybody! President Obama marked the start of the week-long holiday this way:
Michelle and I extend our warm thoughts and best wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the first day of the week-long celebration of African-American history and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
To many, Kwanzaa serves as a time of reflection–taking lessons learned from our past and looking forward to a more promising tomorrow. It reminds us that though there is much to be thankful for we must recommit ourselves to building a country where all Americans have the opportunity to achieve their dreams.
As families across America light the Kinara today in the spirit of unity, our family extends our prayers and well wishes during this season.
Investors. com columnist Andrew Malcolm used the occasion to note that "Obama and his spokesmen describe the president's religion as 'Christian.' " In an editorial titled "Obama hails Kwanzaa holiday, so why not Easter?" Mr. Malcolm writes:
In his Thanksgiving messages Obama has also strangely omitted mention of God, the usual addressee in American prayers of Thanksgiving. Although Obama has been actively involved in the secular Easter egg roll at the White House, he has also not issued traditional messages marking Easter, one of the top two annual holidays of Christians.
Hmmm, is it possible Mr. Malcolm overlooked this God-thanking Thanksgiving proclamation from 2011?
As we gather in our communities and in our homes, around the table or near the hearth, we give thanks to each other and to God for the many kindnesses and comforts that grace our lives. Let us pause to recount the simple gifts that sustain us, and resolve to pay them forward in the year to come.
And as for the president failing to hail Easter, how about this?
"For me, and for countless other Christians, Easter weekend is a time to reflect and rejoice. Yesterday, many of us took a few quiet moments to try and fathom the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for all of us. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the resurrection of a savior who died so that we might live....So to all Christians celebrating the Resurrection with us, Michelle and I want to wish you a blessed and Happy Easter. And to all Americans, I hope you have a weekend filled with joy and reflection, focused on the things that matter most.
From all of us at TRMS, have a joyful, reality-based, holiday.
Leave a Comment:
Has anyone ever counted how many times President Obama has said, ".. and may God bless the United States of America?"
Probably too many to count.
Well, yessss. . . But WHICH "God"?
And, did he have his fingers crossed when he said it?
'
is that one & only true one ... dah!!
Obamav mentions God about 5000 times a day every day. These loonies who haven't noticed that are obviously not listening.
What I truly don't understand is...why does it matter what religion the Obama's practice, it is a personal choice. They are really good people!
Because bigots.
because this is MURICA damnit and we only worship the white jesus here.
Now we KNOW he's Kenyan, amirite?
/snark off.
He "God Blesses" America enough, in my view.
Andrew Malcolm's editorial is utterly fact free. I wonder if his editor will publish a correction. Probably not. I bet he also suffers from ODS.
They lie because they know there will be no consequences for doing so. They learned that from Mitt Romney.
indeed. why not lie when it suits you since you know that the god you claim to worship will do nothing.
Past time to elect an Atheist. I for one am sick and tired of so called Christians trying to force their religion upon us all through the government.
Some readings you might want to see ...
http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/summer97/secular.html
http://www.bigissueground.com/atheistground/peters-churchstatereply.shtml
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/ed_buckner/quotations.html
Paul, personally I agree, but was disheartened by a recent poll that found that Atheists were among the most distrusted groups in America. Sigh. Probably not in my lifetime, then.
What I've found rather odd is you can force religion down the throats of Americans but you can't force health care on 'em.
Totally agree with Paul S. Campbell. The next president should be either an atheist, wiccan or agnostic! This nation does not simply encompass Christianity. We are a haven for every religion in this entire world. Get used to it!
Too bad we can't say he left "god" out because he's smart enough to realize that god is imaginary.
I love Rachel Maddow-fact checking scrutinizing and truth speaking! Power on :)
People who hate Obama are never going to stop trying to find a way to make him a "stranger" among the American people, who by all accounts are NOT all Christian, OR white. He's not the Minister in Chief. He is a secular leader. It's not his job to prove his faith or bring others to faith. It's not his job to shove Christianity down anyone's throat. By all accounts there are plenty of regular people as well as religious leaders who are more than happy to fulfill that mission.
golly more false witnessing by a good Christian like Mr. Malcolm. Whodathunk?
Turning his other cheek and talking out his other mouth...
I can't even begin to count every time I have heard the President say "God Bless the American people" and "God Bless the United States of America".
Oh for cripes sake. The Easter egg roll was started 134 years ago, and suddenly it's a heathen godless excuse to duck the religious meaning of the holiday?!?! 1878 - who was our president back then? Rutherford B. Hayes, so says the google. Was he a secret muslim kenyan too???
Perhaps it might do some of these people a little good to look around and recognize that (a) we are a multi-religious society, and (b) not everything has to be religious - how many times did we all hear Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer this December? I wasn't aware they had anything to do with Jesus - were this guy's panties in a bunch over that?!?!
Sometimes I really want to pull a Moe and knock Curly and Larry's heads together. Nyuk, nyuk.
Happy Kwanzaa!
Thanksgiving is not, per se, a "religious" holiday. It is, however, an American National holiday. It has NO biblical reference whatsoever. When are these self-proclaimed good "amurricans" going to stop wasting their breath on their whining about OUR President? He has been elected (twice, if my recollection is accurate) and presides over all of us including the right wing whackos who will use every opportunity to deny his presence. Why don't they try to do something constructive for this country for a change?
I think religion is personal choice and should be private, but that's just me. If the only thing the GOPers can come up with to be critical of the President is whether he says "God" enough in his speeches they have too much time on their hands. They should use that time to do some research and check on what he "actually" said in his speeches, instead of just blindly pointing negative barbs that aren't even true.....Get you facts straight before you print out lies, take some time out from watching Faux News and read!!!
Hogwash what a waste of good words. Thomas Jefferson wanted to make sure that church and state was seperate.
What a nice message from the President, something other than politics as usual.
Every Easter, I thank Cadbury for their caramel eggs. Now those are divine.
Which God ? Hahahaha......I have read bibles and Torah's, Koran's and pamphlets......mainstream religions ALL assert that there is only ONE GOD.....so why are we always fighting over who has the better God ?
Kwanzaa is a good thing, and I wish a very happy time for all who celebrate it !
Where do these people like Malcolm come from? It is like all they have to do is try to hurt someone else. How in the world can that impress anyone?