Barack Obama, who has been called “the Christian President with the Muslim-sounding name,” did not express any gratitude to God in his Thanksgiving address for the fourth year in a row, causing critics to claim that “he has ignored the central message of the holiday in favor of political grandstanding.”
In his address, Obama said that Thanksgiving is “a time to give thanks for each other, and for the incredible bounty we enjoy.”
Thanksgiving is a chance to put it all in perspective -- to remember that, despite our differences, we are, and always will be, Americans first and foremost.
However, Ben Shapiro of Breitbart.com said that this year, Obama’s central message was: “Now that he’s been re-elected, Americans should agree with all of his policies. His unity routine sounds strangely empty after a campaign in which he focused on dividing Americans:”
The President’s call to unite behind his administration follows a bitter contest in which his GOP opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, won independents 50 to 45 percent and whites 59 to 39 percent.
Obama continued his address by stating:
Today we give thanks for blessings that are all too rare in this world: the ability to spend time with the ones we love; to say what we want; to worship as we please; to know that there are brave men and women defending our freedom around the globe; and to look our children in the eye and tell them that, here in America, no dream is too big if they’re willing to work for it.
Of course, the President didn't mention the country's high unemployment rate or the tax increases and ObamaCare program that will take effect on the first day of 2013, often referred to as a “fiscal cliff,” causing many businesses to either cut employees' pay or pass the increased costs on to customers.
As a result, our children will have to work really hard in order to bring their dreams to life.
The President then turned his attention to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which resulted in his only mention of God:
As Americans, we are a bold, generous, big-hearted people. When our brothers and sisters are in need, we roll up our sleeves and get to work -- not for the recognition or the reward, but because it’s the right thing to do. Because there but for the grace of God go I. And because here in America, we rise or fall together, as one nation and one people.
“No mention of thanking God,” Shapiro stated. “None.”
Obama's tradition of expressing no gratitude to God on Thanksgiving began in his 2009 address, when he became the first president to omit any reference of God.
In 2010, while again failing to directly thank God in his address, Obama in 2010 used the phrase “the God-given bounty of America.” But in 2011, there was again no mention of God at all.
During that year, the president also did not issue an Easter statement while repeatedly commemorating Muslim holidays with a series of statements. He has also been criticized for his rare trips to church, including skipping services on Christmas and refusing to publicly celebrate the National Day of Prayer.
However, the White House also issues proclamations regarding the holidays, and he does not read these statements, which are filled with references with God.
“Of course, nobody sees these proclamations, so Obama doesn’t have to be embarrassed about them,” Shapiro stated.
This isn't the first time the president's religion has been called into question.
Obama was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member for many years. He formally parted with Trinity in 2008 after statements by Trinity's Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public. During his presidential term, he sought spiritual guidance and prayer from pastors like T.D. Jakes and Joel Hunter.
“The issue is not whether a president has to attend church on a regular basis to be an effective President. They do not,” Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Washington, D.C. based Christian Defense Coalition, remarked. “The issue is one of integrity and honesty.
“To portray yourself as person of deep Christian faith and very involved in the life of the local church during the campaign and then abandon that position after you are elected reduces faith to a commodity and religion to a political tool,” Mahoney added.
Obama has also said on more than one occasion that the United States is "not a Christian nation."
“It’s no wonder that this president’s Democratic National Committee platform tried to remove God,” Shapiro noted. “He’s not a big fan of the Big Guy. Even on Thanksgiving. After all, what need do you have for God when you’ve got the state?”
Now that the president no longer has to face the voters, we're starting to view the real Barack Obama, and it looks like we'll be seeing more of his disdain for Christianity. It's going to be an interesting four years.
