NOTE (for clarity): The following is NOT a defense of Rick Warren or his beliefs. Take from it what you will...
As you may have heard, Obama has chosen avowed Christian Rick Warren to give an invocation at his inauguration. Rick Warren's association with Christianity is well-documented, as is his antipathy toward atheism and perhaps Jews. Why is Obama using a state function such as the inauguration of a public official to legitimize and promote the views of someone whose views are so clearly religious and so clearly specifically Christian? We're supposed to have freedom of religion in this country, and yet Barack Obama insists on draping his inauguration in the trappings of a particular Christian priest.
It's clear that Obama has chosen a Christian to give the invocation. For evidence, I give you Rick Warren's own website.
The [Christian] Church is the most magnificent concept ever created. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution, and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (due to our sinfulness), it is still God’s chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2,000 years.
The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That’s why I believe tackling the world’s biggest problems – the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance – can only be done through the Church.
The Church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government: ...
What's more, Warren is clearly opposed to atheism.
On the other hand [Warren said], more people have been killed through atheists than all the religious wars put together. Warren pointed, as examples, to the Inquisition and to those that died under atheist leaders such as Mao Zedong, Stalin and Pol Pot. He also highlighted the current suffering in the atheist country of North Korea.
"I don't know any atheists who want to go there," commented Warren. "I'd much rather live under Tony Blair, or even George Bush. The bottom line is that atheists, who accuse Christians of being intolerant, are as intolerant..."
Not to mention his anti-Semitic views.
"Syria's a place that has Muslims and Christians living together for 1,400 years. So it's a lot more peaceful, honestly, than a lot of other places because Christians were here first.
"In fact, you know Saul of Tarsus – Saul was a Syrian. St. Paul, on the road to Damascus, had his conversion experience and so Christians have been here the longest, and they get along with the Muslims and the Muslims get along with them. There's a lot less tension than in other places.
"It's a moderate country, and the official government rule and position is to not allow any extremism of any kind."
Why again is Obama legitimizing and prioritizing this man's specific religious beliefs over everyone else's by giving him a forum at his inauguration?
Obama may claim that he is just "reaching out" to Christians, and anti-atheists, and anti-Semites, in a spirit of post-partisanship, but what's next, an invocation by a homophobe? Surely we need to draw the line here, and demand that Obama not allow religious bigots to have a place at his inauguration!