"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty -- as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
"I really do not know," replied the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron.""
- L. Frank Baum, "The Land of Oz"
Friday, April 9, 2010
A (perhaps oversimplified) definition of postmodernism is this: "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it sincerely."
Other Presidents have had to mouth these kinds of words acknowledging the value in other religions. But I don't recall any president being so religiously pluralistic in action.
President Obama hosted an Easter breakfast at the White House.
gathering Christian leaders from churches across the country to celebrate the holiday with him.As I read about how he spoke of Easter above, I can imagine him speaking the same sort of "all religions can find value in all other religions" language when he hosted the Jewish and Muslim ceremonies.
Speaking briefly to the group assembled in the East Room, Obama discussed his own search for meaning in the holiday and said he is particularly moved by the example of redemption that Christ's story offers.
"As I'm continually learning, we are each of us imperfect. Each of us errs by accident or design," he said.
Obama noted the last words spoken by Christ on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
He said those words could just as easily be spoken by the group at the breakfast.
"On this day, let us commit our spirit to pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord," Obama said. "When we falter, as we will, let redemption through commitment, through perseverance, through faith be our abiding hope and fervent prayer."
The breakfast was the third religious celebration that Obama has hosted this year at the White House. Last week, he held a Passover seder at the White House. And during Ramadan, Obama held an iftar dinner to break the Muslim fast.
And could he have misused Christ's words any more? Is committing ourselves to Micah 6:6-8 really what Jesus meant when he asked God to receive his spirit?
"Redemption through commitment"? If that ain't the Hollywood definition of redemption, I don't know what is. (Except maybe punishing yourself real bad.)
It's like he just strung a bunch of religious words together.
Oh, and what is "each of us errs by accident or design" supposed to mean?
Whose design is he talking about? God's design that we err? Or our own design? And if he's talking about our own design, how do you err by accident, if he's talking about sin, which I assume he is, but is he?
Through hosting these religious ceremonies, he seems to be making an effort to "unify in spirit" major religions. He's also done Diwali.
Mr Obama became the first US president to personally take part in a White House ceremony for the festival of lights, lighting a diya (oil lamp) inside the executive mansion and bowing respectfully before a Hindu priest.
I wonder what religion is next?
Did any other president's host religious ceremonies for other religions?
Is his hosting major holidays for different religions by accident or design?
What do you think?
I think he might be the first postmodern president.
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Comments on "The First Post-Modern President?":
2. Andrew
- 04/09/2010 9:36 am CDT
While I don't doubt Obama is probably more inclusivist than I am, I don't really see much wrong with what he said above, other than misusing the words of Christ (which most people do, from time to time). I don't see it as anywhere near postmodern. Postmodernity sought to tear down the whole enterprise of objectivity, moralality, and metaphysics. Obama has appealed to all three in his speeches (I could pull some quotes if you'd like), and I don't see any evidence that Obama is a postmodernist in the truest sense of the word. I know at least one man who is emphatically NOT a postmodernist, and yet holds to an inclusivist eschatology. He doesn't see any conflict between the two positions. I don't have enough evidence to know whether Obama is an inclusivist or not, and I don't particularly care. Religion is generally a prop in politics anyways.
I can't answer the question about the religious ceremonies, because I don't know (my guess is that Obama isn't the first). I remember there being some kind of hand-wringing on this site a while back when Bush said that Muslims and Christians pray to the same God. Most Presidents in recent memory have made their public religion at least a little open-ended.
3. Shrode
- 04/09/2010 10:03 am CDT
Andrew,
Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
Some Hindus were apparently offended that Obama opened up the celebration of Diwali to non-hindu religions. Link.
Bush himself seems to be the one who started Diwali celebrations though he never personally attended and it wasn't actually in the White House.
Oh, and I caught your Lewis reference. ;-) But I think Obama is moving beyond Lewis' inclusivism. I think he's taking us to the next step towards embracing the commonality of all religions. I know that Lewis also saw common threads in all religions (the "good dreams"), but I think Obama is going a few steps further than that.
At least that's the message I think his actions are taking. Lewis certainly didn't believe that all religions teach basically the same things, which seems to be the direction Obama is heading. If anything, his Easter celebration shows that. The dude couldn't say better things about the words and deeds of Jesus to a bunch of Christians?
Obama's words were a far cry from Lewis' in "Mere Christianity".
I definitely agree with you that religion is a prop in politics, for all politicians. I totally agree with that aspect of what you said.
I just think that Obama is taking this stuff farther than it's ever gone before. I don't think it's diablolical on his part. I think he means well.
4. Shrode
- 04/09/2010 10:06 am CDT
Andrew, one more thing, According to your definition of post-modernism (which I don't disagree with), maybe you're right and Obama's not fully post-modern. But in my opinion, he's the most post-modern president we've had so far, and I suspect that each subsequent president will take us farther in that direction. (Republican or Democrat, with the exception perhaps of Mike Huckabee if he were elected.)
5. Shrode
- 04/09/2010 10:07 am CDT
But maybe I need to put a question mark in my title? I think I will Andrew, in honor of your comment. ;-) It certainly is open to debate.
7. Anne
- 04/09/2010 11:42 am CDT
Victor Davis Hanson recently wrote about our postmodern president.
8. Andrew
- 04/09/2010 1:42 pm CDT
Oh, and I caught your Lewis reference. ;-)
I actually wasn't referring to Lewis, though he would have been a good example. I was referring to a professor of mine. He's a mediaevalist, a brilliant man, and a Christian man, but he just believes that God is pleased with all forms of worship.
Obama's words were a far cry from Lewis' in "Mere Christianity".
I don't think any President has measured up to Lewis as a thinker, so that's a tad unfair. ;-)
one more thing, According to your definition of post-modernism (which I don't disagree with), maybe you're right and Obama's not fully post-modern. But in my opinion, he's the most post-modern president we've had so far, and I suspect that each subsequent president will take us farther in that direction.
I might have been a little nitpicky, but I've had to study postmodernism and I feel I know it pretty well. I just don't see the kind of postmodernism in Obama that some conservatives have tried to assign to him. I'd like to explain, but I don't have very much time at this exact moment, and my thoughts are kind of jumbled.
Obama's probably a little postmodern, as most Western people are these days. Heck, I'm a little postmodern. But most people have not done away with value judgments. When we say something is right or wrong, we mean it concretely. If I affirm the possibility that I might be wrong on a certain issue, I have affirmed objective values. Real postmodernism would call all of that into question, and that's not a road I see Obama taking.
Obama may be a whole myriad of things I find objectionable, but from these meetings, I don't have enough evidence to label him a postmodernist. He may be the "most" postmodern President we've ever had (I personally would argue that that distinction goes to Bill Clinton), but given the evidence, that's not the label I would put on him.
9. jez
- 04/12/2010 5:50 am CDT
Hi,
Granted, he doesn't give an expert sermon (btw I expect a Hindu or Muslim could easily fault what he says for their festivals too) but I think you're a little harsh with the way you parse "Redemption through commitment", since he's saying that redemption is also "through perseverance, through faith." Also I think "by accident or design" is pretty obviously supposed to mean unintentionally or intentionally. I'm not sure, but are you saying that unintentional sins don't exist? I'd disagree with that.
I'd say that all this is not an effort to unify the major religions, but perhaps to unify the religions' followers.
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Obama hosted Diwali too.