Interesting article :)

[OneGrassRoot]

(CNN) -- In the summer of 1943, when Adolf Hitler's armies marched unchecked across Europe, a pastor in a remote New England village decided to write a prayer.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change," he began, "the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."

It is now known as the Serenity Prayer. It's been adopted by 12-step recovery programs and cited in numerous self-help books. Yet few people know who wrote it. His name is Reinhold Niebuhr, and he was a Protestant pastor in the mid-20th century whose words tended to unsettle people, not offer comfort.

<snip>

"I take away," Brooks quoted Obama as saying, "the compelling idea that there's serious evil in the world and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief that we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn't use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away ... the sense that we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard, and not swinging from naive idealism to bitter realism."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/05/Obama.theologian/index.html?hpt=C2

[goclark]

1. K

[OneGrassRoot]

2. I honestly had never heard of Neibuhr before...

and certainly had no idea he was the author of the "Serenity Prayer."

I find the things that Obama resonates with about Neibuhr's philosophies comforting. It confirms things for me a bit, as far as Obama's approach, which I continue to firmly support.

:hi:

[grantcart]

5. Neibuhr was hugely influential after WWII. Probably the most imporant voice

in moving mainstream US protestantism from far right to left of center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Thanks, grantcart

:hi:

[goclark]

12. K

[OneGrassRoot]

3. I'm so sorry...

It's one of those days; I'm not making any sense. :eyes:

I posted the article here because of this:

Niebuhr is getting attention again because he has a fan in the Oval Office.

In a widely cited New York Times column, President Obama called Niebuhr his "favorite philosopher."

[HopeOverFear]

4. I love that prayer

[OneGrassRoot]

10. Me, too

For some reason, I thought it was very, very old.

:hi:

[Cha]

6. Thank you, OneGrassRoot (I love that name!)..

This is so good to know..the Serenity Prayer has helped so many people~

And, that Reinhold Neibuhr is Obama's favorite philosopher.

[OneGrassRoot]

9. You are most welcome...

:hi:

[treestar]

7. Is that the same guy who said: First they came for the Jews?

[Cha]

8. No it was Martin Niemoller..

<snip>

"In Niemöller's first utterance of it, in a January 6, 1946 speech before representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt, it went (in German):<1>

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me."

<more>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...

[firedupdem]

13. Interesting article indeed. Thanks for posting this. n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

14. Thanks, OneGrassRoot. A very interesting piece. nt