Saturday, August 30, 2008

Yes We Can - The Politics of Faith

Before I start, I want to make this very very clear - I am not blogging about Barack Obama. As many of you know - I hope you do, let's put it this way - the slogan for the Democratic candidate's Presidential campaign is indeed these three words, three words that have a very strong meaning attached to them. Having said that though, inevitably, I will be making references here and there to Barack - there really is no option.

In Obama's various speeches, two things he said in particular have really struck me heavily - "Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity" and "[these are] three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea". The inevitable questions obviously follow - why have they struck me, and what meaning do these specific words have to me? Well, while thinking about it, I thought that these two phrases could really tie in with our faith... not just the Christian faith, actually, but to any worldwide existent faith. In as clear and concise a manner as possible, I will now try to explain what I mean by this.

Let me primarily tackle the first quote, as that seems to be the simpler of the two to decipher. While Barack is obviously making reference to the USA as being the land of opportunity and what not, I think that we have to see our faith as an opportunity - an opportunity to show that God's message is being transmitted to us and also, over and above that, an opportunity to get in touch with and subsequently get closer to God. The term "opportunity" can also be seen from the perspective of an 'outsider', someone who might not be a Christian but wants to become one. God's family is never complete, He always leaves the door open for new arrivals into the family, and hence there is always this opportunity to join His family and indeed, follow Him. Subsequently, this leads to prosperity - the more people become Christians and follow God, the more the Christian family will prosper. I feel that God is always looking for more people to follow Him, and the more people do so, the stronger our beliefs and our faith will become.

Now, for a focus on the second quote. Again, I see this as an expansion on the basis of prosperity of our faith. "Three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can" - God is always telling us that yes, we can indeed get closer to Him. He is always welcoming us, He wants us to feel close to Him because He is our principal refuge; He is with us through the good times and the bad. The significance of "coast to coast" and "sea to shining sea" is immense though. It means that we have a God who is not just there for us and us alone, but is there, present, from one end of a country to another and indeed from one sea to the next; essentially confirming that we have a God who cares for each and every person who He has placed on the face of this Earth. If God didn't love us or indeed care for us, then we wouldn't be here, simple as. In a totally different fashion to what one might find while taking public examinations such as O or A Levels, to God we are not just a number - we are all specific individuals, each with separate characteristics but more importantly, each with our own personal relationship with Him. This is what makes God so great.

I don't know if I've been clear in my argumentation but I've tried to bring out what I think about two quotes that personally really have a deep and thoughtful meaning.

God Bless You all!
Matti

3 comments:

TaMz said...

I think faith in God is interpreted differently by all Christians, Matt. Your interpretation of Obama's quotes was very personal and not everyone will understand what you felt. Religion is also a means of self-expression. Unfortunately, some people interpret this yet again in a fashion sense, like celebrities. Of course, who am I to judge their beliefs? Still, it all looks fake. It's good to see your faith is getting stronger. I get tons of my friends mocking me on a daily basis. I read the Bible regularly to search for explanations of the Truth. But here we go again. Isn't reading subject to interpretation too? That's why I go to mass every Sunday. It's the only way I can hear someone else speaking about God because I get more non-believers lecturing me about God than all my Christian friends. It is a shame. They don't understand that we keep holding on to a faith that may sometimes seem unclear because we have seen the signs in the world around us. I'm not a perfect follower. I might be the worst. It's all subject to interpretation.

Matti said...

Of course reading and commenting is always subject to interpretation; i.e. everyone has a different opinion about it. Everything is. Another very simple example is politics, for instance - I may support the reds and you may support the blues. Hence whatever each side says is always interpreted differently from both people; if the blues say something about education, the other blues are going to agree with that that they said, but the reds will say otherwise. It's always been like that and always will be.


Re: the people 'mocking' (I know it's a strong word!) you about your faith. I use the term mocking on purpose because those who don't believe are the ones who are actually trying to turn you away from God. I feel that while friends can obviously be valuable for advice and what not, for such things one can only find solice in God. I'm far from perfect, and indeed never will be, but I feel this is the best solution to that. Possibly the non-believers would be trying to take you away from God and not further towards Him.


Good comment though. Hope what I said helps!

TaMz said...

Yeah I get what you're saying. Sometimes I ask why do these people 'mock' us. What are they afraid of? When I ask them they tell me "I'm just helping you come back to reality!!" Their truth is different from ours. We have the Faith, which is very hard to explain. Recently, I was discussing something similar with a friend who doesn't attend mass and doesn't believe in Mary and the Apostles and the saints. However, he believes that the world is too grand and infinite for there not to be some greater force which according to him 'WE' call God. Here's the funny bit...he hates Maltese festi (calling them pagan celebrations) but don't you ever give him work or ask for a favour during his village feast week or he'll break your balls. He himself can't explain this contradiction and he is uncertain of his spirituality. The difference is he is open-minded so he always likes to talk to me about these things. We kind of exchange our views. It's better that way. You get to use reason hand in hand with faith =)