History and Neurosis!!!

Today history has been made! Today we inaugurated our first black president!! Today we began a new journey toward a new day!!! The question that should now become central to our thought is: What will this new day look like and what will it hold for us? I don’t really care how much the “talking heads” speculate and prognosticate about the legacy of a Barack Obama presidency (even before it’s begun in earnest), the truth is, like you and I, they are completely in the dark as to what our country will look like four years from now. Whatever the case, history will still record that he was the first black man to ever call the White House his home.

I am struck by how some of the anti-God voices of our generation have tried to polarize our country by contending that we’ve had enough of the Christian Right as represented by George Bush’s presidency. Many have celebrated the fact that some of the executive orders issued by Bush, which promoted a pro-life stance, will be reversed by Obama. In some quarters people have celebrated this new found ‘liberty’ from ‘oppressive, mindless religion’ and in others they have lamented. The irreverent, and never at a loss for harsh criticism, Bill Maher, has said the following about religion;

We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies.

I think religion is a neurological disorder. (Unfortunately for Maher, he cannot claim to be the first to have thought or said this since his predecessor Sigmund Freud said “Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis.”)

Amazingly, Obama started his day in church, began his inauguration with an invocation delivered by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, liberally sprinkled scripture throughout his address, and ended the occasion with a benediction. No matter what Maher and his ilk may think, there are many in this country that are committed to a faith in God, and people like him may have to settle for being ruled by “crazies” and non “thinking” leaders who begin their terms of office with prayer and a faith in God. We continue to pray!