Obama’s not saying ‘God’ enough – Minnesota Independent
Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Kline, as part of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, chastised President Obama for not portraying America as a more Christian-like nation to the rest of the world. In a letter on Monday, the caucus complained that Obama omitted the word “God” five times during his recent trip to Indonesia and called on him to correct the record.
The caucus wrote that Obama used e pluribus unum (“out of many, one,” in Latin) as the motto of the United States instead of “In God We Trust.” While e pluribus unum is part of the nation’s seal and has been an unofficial motto since the country’s founding, the group was upset he didn’t use “In God we Trust” in its place.
“Additionally,” the caucus wrote, “during three separate events this fall, when quoting from the Declaration of Independence, you mentioned that we have inalienable rights but you consistently failed to mention the source of those rights. The Declaration of Independence definitively recognizes God, our Creator, as the source of those rights.”
The group said not mentioning God could have consequences for freedom.
“By making these kinds of statements to the rest of the world, you are removing on the the cornerstones of our secure freedom,” the caucus wrote. “If we pull the thread of religious conviction out of the marketplace of ideas, we unravel the tapestry of freedom that birthed America.”
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State trashed the letter.
“The Prayer Caucus should just admit that it is looking for any opportunity to bash the president,” the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said in a statement on Monday. “It’s not very Christian of them, but I expect nothing less from a body that takes its marching orders from the Religious Right.”
Added Lynn, “This is one of the silliest manufactured controversies I’ve ever seen, and I would advise the president to deal with it by tossing the caucus’ letter into the nearest wastebasket.”
Here’s the full letter:
National_Motto_Letter_to_President –
Via: Bachmann, Kline: Obama’s not saying ‘God’ enough « Minnesota Independent: News. Politics. Media..
