Rick Warren has been asked by President Elect Obama to speak at his invocation. He has said that this is going to be the most inclusive inauguration ever. Obama says, “Americans can learn to agree to disagree without becoming disagreeable”. Many people state that Rick Warren’s comments have been ignorant regarding gays, marriage, and AIDS. Others say that Obama is reaching out to those that have a different view point than the majority, trying to include everyone. He has two preachers one FOR gay rights and one AGAINIST gay rights speaking at the inauguration.
About two years ago, Warren invited Obama to speak at his church knowing full well that he disagreed with his views. Obama says of his choices for the inauguration, “During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there will be a wide range of viewpoints that will be presented and that's how it should be,'' Obama said. He said “the majesty of the country is that we are diverse, noisy and opinionated and that's the spirit in which we have put together what I think will be a terrific inauguration. And that's hopefully going to be a spirit that carries over into my administration." “I commend President-elect Barack Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn't agree on every issue, to offer the invocation at his historic inaugural ceremony,'' Warren said.
Obama can have whoever he chooses to speak on his day and I would assume that he has put a great deal of thought into these choices before asking these people to join him on his day. Do I have to be happy with his choices? No, as they say “You can’t make everyone happy all the time”. So why even try? If you can live with the choices that you make, then fine with me. However, when you are in the public eye, you must be ready for any flack that may come your way because of your choices. Yes, Warren has said plenty of things that have people against him, but so has Obama, and I’m sure both you and I have done things that someone isn’t happy about. Obama is including everyone in this, people who agree with him and those who don’t. What’s more American than that?
What are your thoughts?
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