I think Obama’s rhetoric is at its best when he talks about religion.

Remember, too, that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It’s the belief in things not seen. It’s beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us. And those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

And this doubt should not push us away our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, cause us to be wary of too much self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open and curious and eager to continue the spiritual and moral debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us even as we cling to our faith to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works and charity and kindness and service that moves hearts and minds.

It’s his ability to recognize the simultaneous importance and fragility of faith, and his talent in bringing seemingly contradictory belief structures together in common purpose, that makes him so incredible.

As a non-believer, it’s easy for me to cringe at the word “faith,” but when Obama presents it, it seems so much less abhorrent.

Side note – This speech reminds me of a speech I watched a long time ago that was one of the reasons I became an Obamaphile.  Here’s part one:

Tags: Barack Obama, faith, religion

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 1:09 am and is filed under Some Pulp. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.