In a surprise move, President Obama turned to openly gay Bishop Gene R0binson for the closing prayer at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast Monday. Robinson, who was the nation’s first openly gay Episcopalian bishop, was clearly caught off guard, tweeting “OMG!”
The audience is not necessarily a friendly one, since the attending clergy represent the full spectrum of positions on LGBT issues. However, Obama knows Robinson, who presided over a prayer during the President’s 2009 inaugural festivities. The choice of Robinson for the closer was clearly pointed, given the President’s comments on the shootings Sunday outside a Jewish center in Kansas City.
“And we have to keep coming together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism that can lead to hatred and to violence, because we’re all children of God,” Obama said. “We’re all made in His image, all worthy of His love and dignity.”
As for the prayer itself, whatever Robinson said apparently resides solely in the memories of those in attendance. As he later tweeted, “It was totally off the cuff.”
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Billy Budd
I am an atheist, but I think this piece of news is AWESOME.
Cam
Amazing how much things have changed in just a few years. A few years ago the cowardly Democrats would have never done this. They would have said “Oh, we like you but we’ll lose elections if we are too obvious about it”
A few years of gays putting the pressure on and not tolerating the HRC attitude of “Sit down and shut up” and look at the difference.
Thank you Mr. President.
DonW
Maybe someday we can have a president who dispenses with White House prayer breakfasts and other patently unconstitutional pandering to religious supremacists. And then maybe we’ll reach a point where someone can be openly atheist and get elected to public office. (I’m not holding my breath).
Desert Boy
At least Obama didn’t ask Rick Warren so I suppose this is growth.
DCFarmboi
Slava Isusu Christu! Slava Vo Viki!
Dakotahgeo
Congratulations, Bishop Robinson! Finally, a man of faith and courage, one who walks the talk!
DickieJohnson
@DonW: Ya know, it would also be helpful if the atheists and other anti-religion folk would stop slamming those who believe in Deity. Everyone doesn’t share the hateful nonsense of the far right bigots. Quite frankly, I find their sentiments to be equally offensive.
Mezaien
Jesus, was a Jew and would have told you all to get F.U.C.K.E.D.
Dakotahgeo
@Mezaien: Thank you for showing your ignorance AND arrogance! If you knew ANYthing about the Bible or Jesus Christ, the Savior, you would certainly realize his teachings were filled with love and healing, not only spiritually, but physically, and mentally. You would do well to shut your yap, read, listen and learn. You sound like a Kindergarten dropout!
Ben Dover
@Dakotahgeo: Ah yes, there’s Dakotageo again – always informing us how Jesus was full of love and healing, dammit, you ignorant morons!
Dakotahgeo
@Ben Dover: Heh heh heh… we shall see, Sonny… we shall see. For your sake I hope you’re right, but if I were you, I’d start looking for asbestos clothing on sale. Stay ‘cool’!
LandStander
@Dakotahgeo: I hope that one day people will no longer be manipulated with threats of eternal damnation in a magical lake of fire.
MikeSmith
@Ben Dover: Not a lot of love in being intolerant of a Christian’s faith, is there? Christ said many things but He never supported sodomy. And He didn’t eat with sinners to show His love of their sin. He was there in a different capacity.
Dakotahgeo
@LandStander: Basically, I agree with you but sometimes it’s the only thing that will grab some peoples’ attention. Never mind the fact that nobody has a right to prejudge anyone! These right wing christians are a PITA. There is, of course, a hell… but it has nothing to do with a lake of fire. The Bible is full of metaphors… this is just one example. Thanks for your comment.
Dakotahgeo
@MikeSmith: If you read AND STUDY, IN DEPTH, The bashing verses of the Bible, you will find that God, and Jesus were not talking about SODOMY… they were talking about PROSTITUTION, in regards to the annual Festival of Harvests, practiced by the Israelites. Prostitutes, both male and female, were the subject. And you should know, based on your wide knowledge of Bible literature, that Sodom was NOT destroyed for it’s practice of ‘sodomy’, but it NON-practice of hospitality and it practice of greed. If you read a little further down in that Leviticus chapter your ignorance will be put to rest. You right wing extremists present a VERY STRONG case for abortion, and I am also against that!
Billy Budd
@Dakotahgeo: The bible is full of metaphors.
So, in your opinion, who should decide which parts are metaphors and which parts are literal? Humans? Can you still call this book “the word of god”, after it is interpreted and its message dictated by the biased reasoning of religious people?
The bible is a completely outdated book, filled with contradictions, messages of hatred, intolerance and barbarity.