Rick Warren, Saddleback Pastor: Obama Has 'Infringed' Upon Religious Liberties

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/rick-warren-obama-religious-liberty_n_2206064.html

Jaweed Kaleem
Posted: 11/28/2012 6:45 pm EST Updated: 11/28/2012 11:23 pm EST

Saddleback Church founder and author Rick Warren, who once praised President Barack Obama's "courage" for inviting the conservative pastor to give the invocation at his inauguration and hailed his "commitment to model civility," has drastically changed his tone on the man who helped make him a familiar name to many Americans.

Obama is "absolutely" unfriendly to religion and his administration's policies have "intentionally infringed upon religious liberties," Warren said in an interview Wednesday. The evangelical pastor, whose 20,000-member church in suburban Los Angeles is one of the largest in the nation, was on tour in New York City to promote to the 10th anniversary edition of his popular book, "The Purpose Driven Life." He spoke in a wide-ranging conversation that touched upon his stance against same-sex marriage, his disappointment with the presidential campaigns, and the role of faith in an increasingly secular society.

Warren, who famously hosted Obama and former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency four years ago, said he was close to hosting a similar event this year that the Republican Party and the White House were interested in joining. The candidates never said publicly that they would attend. Warren canceled it, he said, because Obama and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney were "talking stupid little issues" and "spending their time attacking each other" instead of presenting "a big vision."

"President Obama didn't have a lot to report on because it's been not a good four years, and Romney, I don't know what he was thinking, he could have presented a big vision. I never got it," Warren said.

more at link, including video

[BeyondGeography]

1. There's a lot you'll never get, Rick

[louis-t]

2. I could never get through an entire article about this clown but

Does he give any examples of how the president is unfriendly toward religion?

[cbayer]

3. Neither the article nor the video give any specifics to back up this statement,

but I would suspect if has to do with marriage equality and the contraception coverage in the ACA.

[msongs]

4. make pRick happy...send him $$. it's what he really worships IMO nt

[cleanhippie]

5. But Pastor Rick is one of those moderates, right?

[trotsky]

9. When many of us were objecting to Warren being invited...

to give the inaugural prayer in 2009, that's what we were told. Oh and a lot of "get the fuck over it"s were thrown in for good measure, IIRC.

[cleanhippie]

11. You do remember correctly.

[lyingsackofmitt]

6. Another religious asshole

who's idea of religious freedom is the freedom to force it on others. He can go fuck himself!

[TlalocW]

7. I think Rick's pissed

Last edited Thu Nov 29, 2012, 04:27 PM - Edit history (1)

He played nice with Obama because with Billy Graham's age making him less able to be in the limelight, Rick saw what he hoped would be a role to fill as, "America's Pastor," the way Billy did. Billy, for whatever praise or criticism you want to hang on him, enjoyed being the unofficial pastor to the president since at least the 60s and sucked up to whomever was in office at the time. With the field already littered with nutjob pastors hating on the POTUS, his voice would be lost amongst the crazier voices if he went down that path hence trying to be America's Pastor.

TlalocW

[cbayer]

8. He's still trying to get some limelight and even attempting to soften his

anti-GLBT position.

He can suck rocks. He is a self-promoting asshole that doesn't even have a scintilla of sincerity, imo. His last comment in the video about people going to hell if they don't follow him on Twitter is about as funny as the latest natural disaster.

[trotsky]

12. "He can suck rocks."

Cbayer, you personally have berated atheists for not wanting to work with certain believers on "shared goals" when their views in another area are anti-progressive. (Such as Jim Wallis.)

Rick Warren's church has a significant HIV/AIDS program (http://www.saddleback.com/aboutsaddleback/signatureministries/hivaidsinitiative/) - surely this is a shared goal we have with him, yes? So why would you engage in the exact same behavior that you disparage for others? Is this yet another of your disgusting double standards?

[No Vested Interest]

10. Good observation re Warren wanting/trying to replace B. Graham.

We all know for sure that Franklin Graham will never be "America's Pastor".

[AlbertCat]

13. Obama is "absolutely" unfriendly to religion

Unfriendly to religion.... or just you, Rick?


"he never calls... he hasn't written...."