Obama emphasizes his religious motivations
President uses faith to back policies
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama Thursday argued his calls for tax hikes on the rich and curbs on abuses by big banks had a strong moral and religious grounding, in an electionyear swipe at Republicans.
Obama argued at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington that pious religious observance should not stop with private worship but should guide political motives and lead to policies that help the sick and the needy.
The president told worshippers that he believed financial institutions should play by the rules, health insurance companies should not discriminate against the sick and unscrupulous lenders should be reined in.
“I do so because I genuinely believe it’ll make the economy stronger for everybody, but I also do it because I know that far too many neighbours in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years,” Obama said.
“I believe in God’s command to love thy neighbour as well as one’s self,” Obama, said in a highly political speech likely to rile some of his Republican foes as he girds for his reelection race in tough economic times.
“At a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income or young people with student loans or middle class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone.
“I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.
“But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’ teaching that for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.”
The president also cited the Biblical gospel of John, arguing that sharing and generosity would sustain Americans in harsh economic times.
“John tells us that if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Obama said.
The president’s rare public show of faith, in which he detailed his daily prayer and scripture habits, also seemed to be a veiled counter-argument to false claims by some political foes that he is not a Christian.
His decision to make a religious case for his campaign pledge of creating an economy that is fair for all not just the rich, also came as he girds for a campaign against likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Democrats are portraying multimillionaire Romney as a predatory venture capitalist who does not appreciate the struggles of the poor and middle class.
A starkly religious tone by Obama also contrasts with Romney, who rarely discusses his Mormon faith, which is distrusted by some evangelical voters in the United States, in public.