Open Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

It is with great regret that I heard on the radio today that you have removed the ban on embryonic stem cell research. I initially thought I would not speak to the subject, but it is because of comments that you, Sir, made today that prompt me writing this open letter.

The US is in a state of moral decline. Our forefathers founded this nation based upon appeals to their Creator. They may have disagreed even amongst themselves the exact nature of the Creator, but they realized that they were placing their lives into God’s hands by declaring independence from the largest ruling Western empire of that time. Eventually, they decided upon a republic as the form of government. Democracy was an ideal realized. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Mr President, our nation is not a moral nation. It has not been for some time by any measure. Do you really mean it when you say, “God bless America”? Why should he?

Today, you stated, “It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda — and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.” Sir, you insult my intelligence. Stem cell research and abortion are not about politics. They are about morality. Furthermore, it is impossible for human beings to not be guided by ideology. Even the act of lifting the ban is adhering to an ideology.

Let’s take your statement to its logical conclusion. Instead of embryonic stem cell research, why shouldn’t we bring back slavery? We can raise human beings and harvest their fully grown organs for those who need them. Think of all of the people whose lives will be saved!

Do you find such a thought repugnant? Why? We would legitimately saving lives. You see, you cannot argue against any type of injustice without resorting to ideology.

Do you want to know what is really ironic about this? There has been no evidence that embryonic stem cell research is better than the utilization of adult stem cells. It all boils down to speculation. Furthermore, it has been found that adult cells may be more flexible than previously believed (source: About.com). There is valid research being conducted that can produce benefits without destroying human life.

Mr President, you claim to be a Christian. Have you not read in Genesis that human beings are created in the image of God? You see, Mr President, we are different than the animals. We have the potential of becoming sons and daughter of the Most High God. Interfering with that process without explicit instructions from God constitutes a violation of His commands, otherwise known as “sin”. In other words, Sir, it is immoral and wrong to murder a human being no matter what stage it may be in.

God drove the Canannites out of their land because of their wickedness. Please tell me what was the one sin that God specifically mentioned for casting them out of the land? While they were certainly guilty of idolatry, there were other nations practicing idolatry as well that God did not so judge. Their idolatrous worship had fertility rites associated with it, but there were other nations that did so as well. No, it wasn’t these. God told Abraham that He was waiting for their sin to become “full”. It had to exceed a threshhold whereby God would act to stop it. Know what it was yet? Dt 12:29-32 tells us that they practiced child sacrifice.

The Canaanites practiced child sacrifice as part of their religion. We in the US don’t even have that foundation to stand upon. Rush Limbaugh once stated that abortion is the sacrifice of children upon the altar of convenience. How much more harshly should God judge the US? God has blessed this nation beyond belief, and we have stooped even lower than they have.

Mr President, this is a matter of national security. You can scoff if you wish, but the Bible predicts a day when the US will no longer be an independent nation. You see, Sir, many of the English-speaking peoples of the world were descended from Abraham. God promised and gave Abraham’s descendants great and bountiful blessings. These are blessings that we did not deserve. As his descendants, we are also accountable because of those blessings. God promises punishment to Israel, even in the last days, for failing to keep His commandments.

People scoff at Pastor Danny Nalliah of Catch the Fire Ministries in Australia because he stated that God was removing His protective hand from Australia because of abortion. Yet, who are we to say he is wrong? This world is full of danger, and it is that way to make us realize we are not self-sufficient. We need God. Pastor Nalliah may be incorrect about the exact causes, but he does have the understanding that God does protect those who are obedient. God allows time and circumstances to affect those who are not. 9/11 should have been our wake-up call, but God expects obedience and not just lip service by singing “God Bless America” on the Capitol steps.

Yet, God does also actively punish nations that are disobedient. The Bible is full of examples. It also has an example of a pagan nation that turned from its sins and repented. God spared Nineveh because they turned from their sins and humbled themselves. He is patient, and He is longsuffering in order to give people time to repent. However, if we do not change our ways, He will cause this nation to go into captivity and become slaves because of our stubborn disobedience.

Mr President, I hope you will reconsider your stance on the rights of the unborn. All human actions are governed in one way or another by ideology. You cannot escape it. The real question, Mr President, is if you will follow God’s perfect ideology and not that of faulty human beings. You will have to answer to Him in the end, after all, as we all will.

Thank You,
John D. Carmack