Saturday, June 06, 2009

An Interesting Contrast

Barack Obama, marking the 2009 anniversary of the D-Day invasion:

"For you remind us that in the end, human destiny is not determined by forces beyond our control. You remind us that our future is not shaped by mere chance or circumstance. Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man or woman. It has always been up to us."

Ronald Reagan, marking the 1984 observance of the same:

"Something else helped the men of D-day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause."

The marked difference between these perspectives may signify nothing more than President Obama's rejection of America's civil religion, for which this blogger holds no brief. However, President Reagan's remarks, which in some ways echo, but do not rise to the level of, similar sentiments expressed by Abraham Lincoln, seem to convey a gracious humility and sense of dependence on Divine favor that have been largely lost on this generation, regardless of political and religious outlook.

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