dagblog - Comments for "The View From the Mall, Rick Warren, and Transportation Issues"

What an awesome experience!

FrizzzleToad — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:02:34 +0000

In reply to The View From the Mall, Rick Warren, and Transportation Issues

What an awesome experience! Thanks for sharing it with us.

You could be right. I was

Orlando — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:56:18 +0000

In reply to i don't think we're so far

You could be right. I was definitely caught up in the moment. I'll have to watch it again this weekend and see if distance changes my opinion.

On the Warren front, I didn't care about the first part of his prayer and I didn't expect him to be inclusive. The reason I found the recitation of the Lord's Prayer to be so inappropriate (wildly so) is that the people in attendance were sharing a very important moment in time. We were cheering and crying together. We were sharing stories and hugging. It was our moment as much as it was Obama's. Then, Warren starts his prayer.

I should, I suppose, add a disclaimer that I have nothing against the Lord's Prayer. In fact, last Sunday, I said it, along with a few hundred others, in a church.

But here's the rub. On Tuesday, I was in a crowd of at least one million. When one person is speaking to that crowd and an individual in the crowd doesn't like the message, he or she can wait it out, especially in this case, since the main event was Obama. But when Warren started the Lord's Prayer, suddenly thousands of voices rang out around me, joining him. Imagine being in that crowd, feeling like you were a part of something so significant, a shared moment with your fellow Americans. And then imagine that your fellow Americans begin to recite a prayer that specifically excludes you. Suddenly, you're not in on the sharing. It doesn't matter if it lasted two minutes or two seconds. It was classless.

i don't think we're so far

Deadman — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:20:36 +0000

In reply to The View From the Mall, Rick Warren, and Transportation Issues

i don't think we're so far enough on our opinions of obama's address. I was probably a bit too harsh at first because of raised expectations, and you were likely so caught up in the moment and atmosphere that it would have been very tough for you not to love it. Bottom line for me: It was very solid, but not particularly stirring or memorable.

Unlike most commenters, my

acanuck — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:40:10 +0000

In reply to The View From the Mall, Rick Warren, and Transportation Issues

Unlike most commenters, my first impression was that Warren was OK. Maybe I was braced for the worst, but he was clearly trying to be inclusive.

He introduced Jesus not as everyone's lord and savior, but as the person who had "taught him to pray," before launching into the Lord's Prayer. And by using his various names, he reminded listeners of the common Abrahamic tradition: Jesus was both a Jew and a revered prophet in Islam. So in asking God's protection for Obama, he had at least three major religions covered.

Too bad Warren left out Buddhists, Hindus and non-believers, but Obama gave them equal time, and more prominence, in his own speech. Actually, the religious group that got the best play yesterday were Muslims, whom Obama singled out for outreach in their very own sentence.

Have a safe trip home, Orlando.

Orlando, I am so glad you and

Bluesplashy — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:24:05 +0000

In reply to The View From the Mall, Rick Warren, and Transportation Issues

Orlando, I am so glad you and so many daggers got to go. Thanks for posting about your adventure. I agree that the Rick Warren thing was out of line. It is a shame but the only blot (and very small at that) on the day that I heard.