Obama Speaks on Faith, Poverty at National Prayer Breakfast
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast today, President Obama continued to expand on a theme he first developed in his landmark 2006 Call to Renewal speech about faith, values and policy.
In his speech this morning, Obama gave a moving explanation about how the values of his Christian faith inform a political philosophy rooted in the belief that we’re all in this together and that we rise and fall together. His vision of the common good presents a stark contrast to GOP presidential candidates and many conservative leaders in Congress who defend economic policies that help the wealthiest one percent at the expense of everyone else.
And when I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income, or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone. And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.
But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that “for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.” It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.
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Treating others as you want to be treated. Requiring much from those who have been given so much. Living by the principle that we are our brother’s keeper. Caring for the poor and those in need. These values are old. They can be found in many denominations and many faiths, among many believers and among many non-believers. And they are values that have always made this country great — when we live up to them; when we don’t just give lip service to them; when we don’t just talk about them one day a year. And they’re the ones that have defined my own faith journey.
Obama’s speech highlights the way that faith and values can help us live up to the best ideals of our democracy.