Obama on guns and religion

Forgive me as I wax semi-political.

From Time Magazine:

The entire weekend campaign news cycle was dominated by the fallout from a grainy and sometimes inaudible tape leaked to the website the Huffington Post, on which Obama can be heard lamenting to a closed San Francisco fundraiser the plight of rural Americans. "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Among my friends the belief is that comments like this are the "Real Obama" coming out. They're small glimpses into the man who places no restrictions on abortion and says things like this...

"But it should also include -- it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old," he added.

"I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby," Obama said.

One is not punished with a baby as a result of intercourse any more than one is punished with blisters on the bottom of one's feet after walking over hot coals over and over. If you have sex, expect to get pregnant. If you walk over something actually on fire expect a little immolation.

Further, I would fully expect people beset upon on all sides (high crime rates, poverty, unemployment, etc.) to return to their faith for solace and guidance. When one has everything, one believes one needs no one. When one has nothing, one searches for the One who is the source of everything.

I worry that he speaks in terms that point to a Utopian ideal for the American people. The fallacy is that we cannot achieve a world-loving, 0 carbon emitting, Nirvana through legislation or even a revolutionary "Si, se puede!" mindset. Love is personal and not something that can be directed at a group, a continent, or even a street corner.

All that is good points to Christ and it is by that litmus test (and this test alone) that we can judge the value of our efforts. Does this act serve Him?

I know politics is one of the least enjoyable topics I could post on, but a pattern looks to be visible that seemed worthy of comment.