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You’ve got to check this out. This guy is unbelievable. Obama discusses the true meaning of Christmas:David Brody of CBN has the source video and the transcript. We have excerpted the relevant part here.
Leave it to The Brody File to bring you the transcription of President Obama talking about Christmas and baby Jesus. he made the following remarks at The Boys and Girls Club in Washington DC Monday afternoon. I’d be curious about your comments. Video is below as well ( go about 12 minutes in or so) or go to this link.
THE PRESIDENT: I think one thing that’s important to remember is that, even though there’s a lot of fun at Christmas, you know, you got — especially when it’s snowy like this, so it’s pretty outside, you got the Christmas tree, you got the Christmas cookies, you’ve got presents. You know, I think that the most important thing is just to remember why we celebrate Christmas.
CHILD: I know!
THE PRESIDENT: Do you know?
CHILD: The birth of baby Jesus.
THE PRESIDENT: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect. And so I just hope that spirit of giving that’s so important at Christmas, I hope all of you guys remember that as well. You know, it’s not just about getting gifts but it’s also doing something for other people. So being nice to your mom and dad and grandma and aunties and showing respect to people — that’s really important too, that’s part of the Christmas spirit, don’t you think? Do you agree with me?
CHILDREN: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: You do? Do you have an interesting observation?
CHILD: I know why we give gifts to other people.
THE PRESIDENT: Why is that?
CHILD: Because the three wise men gave gifts to baby Jesus.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s exactly right. But the three wise men — the reason — (sign falls off wall) — uh-oh, I thought that was the cookies going down. We couldn’t have that. You know, the three wise men, if you think about it, here are these guys, they have all this money, they’ve got all this wealth and power, and yet they took a long trip to a manger just to see a little baby. And it just shows you that just because you’re powerful or you’re wealthy, that’s not what’s important. What’s important is what’s — the kind of spirit you have.
So I hope everybody has a spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness, and everybody is really thinking about how can they do for other people — treating them well, because that’s really the spirit of Christmas.
So no mention of Jesus’ divinity and the three wise men are important because it’s a good ol’ ‘soak the rich’ story. But in Obama’s story weren’t the wise men punished with a baby.
December 29, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Holy Guacafreakinmole!
December 29, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I guess I don't see the terrible affront here… the rich and powerful condecending to a little baby. That's beautiful! How is that a "soak the rich" story as Obama tells it? I am impressed and pleased that he even mentioned Baby Jesus being the reason for the season. Am I missing something?
This is a simple chat with children, not a homily or theology lecture. When we demand so very much erudition in this setting, people of faith look a little… hmmm… grinchy 😉
December 29, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Would mentioning that Baby Jesus is the Son of God be too much of a thology lecture???
December 29, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I see two possibilities. Either Obama doesn't recognize that the baby Jesus is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, very God of very God. And if so, I pity him and pray that at some point he does come to know who Jesus truly is. Or else he does know but that knowledge is watered down and hedged in by political expediency and fears of saying the wrong thing, exposed in his belief. In which case if his faith is so weak it cannot be witnessed to boldly, then he is also to be pitied and prayed for.
December 29, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Oh please.
Nothing offensive here, if you put it in perspective with today's modern churches.
This sounds like what you would hear from your typical Modernist Pastor at the local Modernist Catholic Church.
The President is very likeable in this clip.
December 29, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I would love it if Obama knew Jesus as his Savior … and I need to pray more for that. But I'm not going to throw him under the donnkey's hooves for not knowing the truth. I am thankful that he mentioned it in our society that increasingly mentions every holiday/reason BUT the Christian ones. It helps to spread a tiny bit of biblical knowledge in our culture. Sure, he got it wrong, but that just shows us how to pray for him. I wouldn't slam my neighbor for the same lack of knowledge.
December 29, 2009 at 5:28 pm
RE Blackrep
"I am impressed and pleased that he even mentioned Baby Jesus being the reason for the season."
Actually Obama didn't mention Jesus as the reason, the child did. He said, "yea, that, and WHAT HE SYMBOLIZED…blah (insert smarmy message that Christmas is about giving and being nice to people)."
A child mentions the Three Kings, and Obama turns it into "rich giving money to the poor."
This upsets me just as much as the Christmas movies with the same theme (manger somewhere in the background and fuzzies as the message). My response is to not watch them (either the stupid movies or the president).
December 29, 2009 at 5:51 pm
My problem is the typical Washington spin – or twist. He clearly knows what he is saying and why, and he is deliberately avoiding any relationship between Jesus and God. He is not an ignorant man, nor an innocent one.
December 29, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Dang. That's a whole lot more explicitly religious than I expected. Kuddo points for Obama. Credit must be given where credit is due.
This is a genuine and pleasant surprise!
December 29, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Oh come on. Give the guy a break. I thought his points were very good. He was not remarking on the spiritual or theological meaning of Christmas but rather on the social meaning of Christmas, namely selflessness, charity, and humility. I was happy to see him speak of how we can learn from the Baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men.
I'm no fan of Obama, but I think we can commend him when he does things right. Some of you would never be satisfied with anything he says. Do you expect him to recite the Nicene Creed after every mention of the Baby Jesus just so he gets the point across that Jesus was True God, True Man?
I'm sure you can find instances where the pope has spoken about Christmas in a very similar way as Obama did here.
December 29, 2009 at 6:53 pm
It's lame, period. But we can give the man points for trying.
As we all know, he can be very trying.
December 29, 2009 at 7:52 pm
He didn't have to tell them that Jesus was God, merely tell them that that is what he and other Christians believe. It makes me wonder if he even realy believes in the Incarnation.
December 29, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Hey, I'm not a fan of Obama, but we cannot fault him for NOT saying something he himself does not really believe. We know he is not a Christian (nor is he a Mohammedan, FYI). He is most likely an atheist. So, he is simply stating what he as an atheist believes about Christmas. Yes, it falls short of what I as a Christian believe (i.e. mentioning the divinity of Jesus). But it does not contradict anything either. I think he found a comfortable middle-ground here and I can't fault him with that anymore than I can fault him with not being Catholic. It's his free will at work, and we as Americans have to respect that.
December 30, 2009 at 12:30 am
I was impressed considering who was making the comments. He scored some points here for me. What's your point?
December 30, 2009 at 3:11 am
Oh allright I'll give him 1 point.
December 30, 2009 at 7:41 am
Not sure I get the problem, either. Think of his audience. It's not as if he's addressing a Catholic congregation here.
I teach in a public school, and there are lots of different kids from different backgrounds, and you have to aim for the middle.
Frankly, I think he did a pretty good job given the situation.
December 31, 2009 at 4:08 am
Oh for pete's sake. He was talking to a group of little kids.
I have always suspected that Obama is a nominal Christian, based on what I know about his family background (mom didn't go to church, grandparents sometimes took him to the local Unitarian church in Hawaii. Nuff said). Plus there is his choice of the Rev. Wright's church (handy when you are clawing you way up in Chicago ward politics, not so much once you've "arrived," so to speak). Choosing a church for his family doesn't seem to be much of a priority for him and Michelle, or they would have done so already. Etc.
In spite of ALL of this, I still think he did an OK job talking with these kids about the "meaning" and "spirit" of Christmas. After all, Christ came to serve, not to be served, right? We're all works in progress. Especially me.
Let's pray for Obama, he surely needs it. We all need it. There's LOTS of legitimate stuff to criticize when it comes to Obama, but this is pretty far down the list, IMO.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. God bless us, everyone.
December 31, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I think he's just so completely overrun by that wobbly, non committal quasi agnostic pseudo spiritualism (you know, the Oprah thing), that he doesn't even realize he's doing it.
I'm NOT a fan of this guy at all, but, hey, I give him credit for mentioning Christ to the kids. Could be wrong.
December 31, 2009 at 6:16 pm
The thing is you can't teach what you don't know. He did his best, but he on a very basic level doesn't get the divinity of Christ or the sacredness of human life.
I agree at least he didn't choke on the word Christ and he did admit that was the season we were celebrating. Baby-steps.
Julia
December 31, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I think Obama did a great job! And I am not normally a fan.