President Barack Obama's speech last month at the annual Planned Parenthood gala sparked a plethora of critique, especially considering that it was delivered in the middle of the Dr. Kermit Gosnell murder saga. But it is the words he concluded with that have Pastor John Piper and political activist George Weigel calling him out for blasphemy.
"Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you," Obama said at the end of his address. This conclusion capped off a speech during which he vigorously defended the organization, while overtly decrying its critics.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Planned Parenthood Gala at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on April 26, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama defended the organization and told delegates that he would block efforts to cut off funding. Credit: Getty Images
In a May 15 article for First Things, Weigel outlined his views on Obama's overall speech, noting that the president declined to use the word "abortion." The writer considered that this might have been due to the event's timing (i.e. during the Gosnell trial). But timing aside, the author and activist said that the omission was anything but surprising, especially considering that the speech, in his view, "may have set a new standard for deliberate misrepresentation of reality."
As for the blessing that Obama offered to Planned Parenthood, Weigel called this act "nothing short of blasphemy." Here's more of the activist's perspective, directly from his First Things article:
It was an appalling speech that had the sole benefit of clarifying the last-ditch commitment of the present administration to the most open-ended abortion license possible. And it drew a line in the sand that those committed to the biblical view of the sanctity of human life cannot ignore—and must challenge.Planned Parenthood is a multimillion-dollar industry, funded in no small part by the federal government, that has been directly responsible for the deaths of millions of unborn children and is currently responsible for over one thousand such deaths every day; yet the president described Planned Parenthood’s work as “providing quality health care to women all across America.”
Faith leader John Piper seems to agree with this assessment, as he sent a tweet on Wednesday that read, "The president's blasphemy"; it included a link to Weigel's story about the contentious Planned Parenthood address.
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/JohnPiper/status/334884377391669248"]
It seems these two, influential men believe that the president was wrong to offer blessings upon Planned Parenthood. TheBlaze previously noted the five most controversial comments Obama made during the speech -- and his God-infused conclusion was among those details mentioned.
What do you think about Obama's statements? Let us know in the comments section, below.
(H/T: Christian Post)
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