Home > Opinion > Peter Roff > Obama's Notre Dame Speech Was an Alarming Violation of Church-State Separation

Obama's Notre Dame Speech Was an Alarming Violation of Church-State Separation

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1) To have Obama at Notre Dame is an outrage! John Jenkins, who
calls himself a Catholic Priest, has betrayad every American
Catholic who believes that Abortion is the killing of an
innocent child, who is ready to breath.
2) Cunning Obama got everthing he wanted. He knows that he will
need about 40% of the Catholic Vote in any upcoming election.
So he appeared reasonable/intelligent/ fair...etc etc.
What did Notre Dame, or Catholics get? Nothing! Nada!
3) To invite a pro-abortion person, to notre dame, is bad enough. But to give them an award! is even worse. Mister John
Jenkins should be fired at once. He laughed and make clowns
of the Catholic Bishops of America. Henceforth. . .I will spend
sevaral years writing to American Catholic Institutions. . . . .
asking them not to contribute an financial support ot Notre
Dame University. . .not even one penny.
4)Since John Jenkins doesn't understand the language of moriality (not anymore)....he still understands the language
of money. The people who now run Notre Dame U. would rather
be politically correct, than to be morally correct. They should
all resign. And John Jenkins should resign, or be fired.
5) The people who run Notre Dame are modern-day Pharasies. Those
are the kind of people that Jesus had trouble with. The keepers
of the Law! The ones who always wanted to be politically correct, above anything else!
6) The little babies at the abortion clinics, don't know anything about politics, or obama. But they are only moments
away from death. It's nice that Obama, and all other rich
politicians can clink thier wine glasses, at expcnsive
white house parties! Away from the abortion clinics. That
way they can't hear the screams coming from babies being
killed! Isn't it nice. . how everyting can be hidden, or
explained away, or sanitized? This shame is on all Americans.
7) We are all guility by participation, or by default. It wasn't
only the newborns that were killed, in the time of Jesus.
Now. . we "modern" americans are doing the killing, on a a scale
that would put the soldiers of Herod to shame. We and Red China
, and Russia, are showing the world hot it's done. How mass
murder is done! Does anyone really deney it? How about you,
dear Reader? What do you say? Frank R. Garcia

Frank R. Garcia of NM 2:09AM December 21, 2009

I guess everyone is entitled to an opinion, but it would be nice to read one that is informed.
The author prefaces by saying "as I read that sentence." He should be commended for acknowledging that he may be misreading it. However, he goes on to list such outlandish exaggerations that it's obvious he has not only misread, he doesn't much care what Obama said. He just wants to attack a bogeyman. Hurray if this were high school essay class!
But in the world of thinking adults this doesn't stand. It's not even credible.
And for the record, if "church-state" relations are really the issue, Eisenhower spoke at a Notre Dame commencement while a sitting president. Where is all the outrage about Eisenhower? Or for that matter, when Catholic bishops make pronouncements on political issues?
This piece is so inept it isn't worthy of being printed.

SH of NY 4:11PM September 13, 2009

You're fishing here, Mr.Roff.
Your contention that the speech was a violation of separation of Church and State is quite a stretch.

Vilnis Schulz of NY 2:15AM September 02, 2009

On Obama's Notre Dame Speech, if he at all hinted to no seperation of church and state I can only say that had we employed, over the past years, the churches teachings on the sin of usury there would indeed be more people today united with their wealth.
The banks leaders have displayed and continue to display the inability to regulate themselves. They engage in usury in its most gross application.
You simply cannot have a society that thrives with backdoor looting and unrealistic banking practices as we see today.
I would strongly suggest that people get together with their church leaders and start their own banking systems and lending money under the guidelines of Biblical law. This way they will thrive and protect one another and deal with one another with compassion.
The American CommonWealth deserves more than what they are currently receiving by the inhumane banking practices.
So if President Obama hints at bringing state and church together then I say good as long as he and the Commonwealth realize that Biblical Law should always supercede Government, and State Law.
It's the only way to breath life back into this decaying system of ours.
Just remember, "you may not believe in God but he believes in you". And although there are those skeptics who like to believe that only science has the answers then know this, even Einstien our Father of Science believed in God. He referred to God as that which is the Mysterious, the factor of science that no one can explain.

Dr. Freedom 11:14AM July 12, 2009

This country was founded on solid Biblical principles, and Obama may say Christ name and say he believes the principles and teachings of the Bible, but he clearly shows he does not in his speeches and decission making. People that say they aprove of him are going against God. You can not be humanistic and God fearing at the same time, you are one or the other. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus. That means through Him and by Him. So, one has to adhere to Christ ways, not HIm plus the world system. Jesus said, "If you love the world, then the love of God is not in you". People are so deceived! IT is all about being in submission to truth, God's truth. Apart from that and people will believe anything. We need to pray for our president, that He would really get saved. He loves sin, but talks a form of religious talk. Jesus said, "you are either for me or against me". May God have mercy on our president and change his heart. It is God who we will all have to deal with, and it is Him who we need.

Terry L. Moore of NC 8:45AM June 15, 2009

First of all, the reason that about 100 people came from Europe to what is now Massachusetts (the Mayflower Compact) and the United States was born is becuase they wanted freedom of religion. (England was saying that all citizens must believe ... France and other countries did likewise.)
Second the five words "separation of church and state" that President Thomas Jefferson included in a letter to Connecticut was nothing more than an assurance to the Danbury Baptists that they would not be forced, as citizens of Connecticut, to claim to hold any specific relious beliefs.
Third, during his eight years of service, President Jefferson continually played music and led children to developing their own religious beliefs. He did not try to separate himself from worshipping and praying.
Fourth, if some people want to try to lead children to be atheists or agnostics, that is their business. The five words are not in the United States Constitution and President Jefferson did not encourage children to stop praying and to not have a spiritual life.

JW in Missouri of MO 2:55AM June 01, 2009

There are many things that are misrepresented in this article.
First of all; Obama was invited by Notre Dame University to speak.
He never asked them so how can it be politically related to another campaign.
Second he never says that catholic people have to do anything
instead he is just telling them to think in a new way which probably isn't related to their religion.
It sounds like a speech that any speaker would give to a graduating class.
This article seems to tread on mainly have truths and accounts from people that probably don't think obama is a nice person.
Anyway it is a halfway professional article.
I'm in 7th grade and I could right a better article than this.

Julius Tembe of IA 6:59PM May 29, 2009

how about the other way around and the moral majority (catholic priests who rape boys but do not consider themselves gay) and the palin camp who's daughter gets a job preaching refraining from sex while she, herself had a baby out of wedlock.
come on, let's get real. If Obamma violated the church-state rule then no religious person should ever have a job.

linuxdog of WY 9:44PM May 26, 2009

The writer of this article has grossly misinterpreted ...kind of unfounded negative criticsm that creates the divides Obama is trying to overcome.
MUCH OF WHAT OBAMA HAS DONE HAS CREATED MORE "DIVIDE" THAN EVER
Obama does not once say the his beliefs are the right ones or urge teh graduating class to ocnform to them; instead, he advocates a meeting of minds and collaborative efforts that can help all of us, no matter our beliefs, coexist.
THEN WHY DOES HE SAY NO DIALOGUE IS NECESSARY SINCE HE WILL NOT WAVER AND FEELS THE ANTI-ABORTIONISTS WON'T EITHER
It is just this kind of unsupported misreading that prevents us from finding common ground and treating each other with grace and respect.
"unsupported misreading" maybe so, but since he sayss he will not have dialogue on the issue

L. Marie of LA 4:40PM May 23, 2009