Re: [asa] Thoughts on the new president

It hadn't struck me before but the initials BO could be fodder for anti-Obama jokes. Maybe we should go with BHO if we need an abbreviation. (I'm not suggesting that Iain had any maleficient intent!)

Shalom,
George

---- Iain Strachan <igd.strachan@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think the phrase you are objecting to is just a bit of journalistic
> writing. It is more interesting to see it in the context:
>
> Most of all, he feels
> deep in his heart that our problems can never be solved, let alone to
> the full satisfaction of all, by harping on our acute differences and
> rubbing in ad nauseam our past mutual hurts, but only by looking into
> the future, holding hands together as dedicated citizens of the nation
> and of the world
>
> From my listening to Obama's speeches (I've heard the one he gave
> exactly a year ago at the MLK church, and the inaugural speech), this
> certainly seems to be a recurring Obama theme - that we should
> concentrate on what we have in common to work together, rather than
> fighting over differences. Since it recurs so often it would seem
> reasonable to say that at the very least it is something he feels
> passionately about.
>
> I noticed, for example from the inaugural speech, that BO acknowledged
> the role of non-believers (is this a first?) in saying something like
> "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims and Jews and Hindus - and
> non-believers" - the implication being that all had something to
> offer.
>
> Maybe that's a bit wishy-washy for some? But I rather liked the
> intent to try and avoid the war between science and religion,
> believers and non-believers, and start working together.
>
> Iain
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 12:30 PM, Nucacids <nucacids@wowway.com> wrote:
> > Let's not abandon critical thinking. For example, Raman writes, "Most of
> > all, he feels deep in his heart.." How does Raman know what Obama feels
> > "deep in his heart?" From the way he speaks, one gets the impression that
> > Raman is a close friend of Obama. Is this true?
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Iain Strachan" <igd.strachan@gmail.com>
> > To: "ASA" <asa@calvin.edu>
> > Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 5:20 AM
> > Subject: [asa] Thoughts on the new president
> >
> >
> >> >From "Science and Religion Today":
> >>
> >> "From all that we have seen and heard and read, Obama is a man of
> >> unusual intelligence, insight, and vision. He is a rare combination of
> >> idealism and activism, a politician and citizen who considers himself
> >> an American first and foremost, rather than an individual with a
> >> hyphenated nationality and subgroup loyalties. He is, in the tradition
> >> of the country, a man of faith, but also enlightened enough to respect
> >> those who find fulfillment beyond his own pews, or in no traditional
> >> religion at all. He has his own convictions about traditional
> >> morality, but respects those of others in so far as they don't perturb
> >> the personal lives of their fellow citizens. Most of all, he feels
> >> deep in his heart that our problems can never be solved, let alone to
> >> the full satisfaction of all, by harping on our acute differences and
> >> rubbing in ad nauseam our past mutual hurts, but only by looking into
> >> the future, holding hands together as dedicated citizens of the nation
> >> and of the world," says V.V. Raman, an emeritus professor of physics
> >> and humanities at the Rochester Institute of Technology, in a note to
> >> Science & Religion Today.
> >> "Obama is acutely aware of the dangers lurking in the environment as a
> >> result of unbridled industrial excesses, and he trusts scientifically
> >> informed advisers to recommend steps to curb and eliminate these
> >> dangers. He respects science and science education in our schools,
> >> relegating visions of a Creator God to places of worship and tradition
> >> rather than to biology classes."
> >>
> >> (Please note: I am from the UK and don't have a political axe to
> >> grind, but I thought these observations were encouraging).
> >>
> >> Iain
> >>
> >> --
> >> -----------
> >> Non timeo sed caveo
> >>
> >> -----------
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> -----------
> Non timeo sed caveo
>
> -----------
>
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Received on Thu Jan 22 09:36:05 2009