I read that Barack Obama is pretty much non-religious.

[heidler1]

Is this true? If it is is he electable as President?

[bigdarryl]

1. TOTAL BULLSHIT!! he's religous in his own way

[mike_c]

5. wtf does that mean...?

I mean, I'm an atheist-- does that mean I'm religious in my own way?

[stepnw1f]

2. Where Did You Read That? Link? (nt)

[1932]

20. This is a whisper campaign. Don't ask for links!

[Coexist]

21. *snort*

[Karenina]

30. Hit-n-run.

Don't kick it, let it drop...

[noahmijo]

3. Remember part of his speech at the DNC convention in Boston?

"We worship in awesome God in the blue states"


So...dunno about that.


Before I am accused of taking things out of context he was in fact trying to smash the republican stereotype that only Republicans in Republican states do "American things" so in essence he was saying that we blue staters do stuff like enroll our kids into little league and enjoy picnics ect

[BluegrassDem]

4. No, it's not true

He said he grew up in a non-religious household, but now he's religious.

[nolabels]

35. Success in politics often breeds piety

The need for approval for politicians from just about anyone they can get from is an irresistible force

[BattyDem]

6. Define "religious"

That word means different things to different people. Is it merely a belief in God or is it something more?

By the way ... I'm currently reading Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope." He is a Christian, but he is "suspicous of using government to impose anybody's religious beliefs - including my own - on non-believers." ("The Audacity of Hope" - page 10)

[MrCoffee]

7. that's totally wrong.

[ellacott]

8. He's a Christian. n/t

[w13rd0]

9. I read that George W Bush...

...and every elected Republican drink the blood of newborn babies and the urine of virgin girls in an annual ritual to keep their dead hearts pumping. Is it true? Does that make them unelectable???

[az chela]

11. hmmmmmmmm you must be reading David Icke books

[az chela]

10. A great reason to vote for him.We dont need religious people

destroying our government

[ellacott]

12. All religious people are not the same

This is just as prejudiced as comments like; all gays ............. or all blacks....

There is intolerance on both sides of the aisle.

[MrCoffee]

15. Stereotype much?

there are plenty of "religious people" who hold sacrosanct the boundary between church and state, not so much for the state's benefit, but for the church's benefit.

[KingFlorez]

17. Not fair

Not all religious people are the same, generalizations aren't fair.

[elocs]

13. Wow! Did that ever touch a nerve here.

If people would more closely read the words of the OP they might notice that is poses a question which asks IF Obama is non-religious, is he electable as President? It might be good to think a bit before snapping off a snippy reply.

I heard Barak Obama give an interview on NPR the other day and he did indicate that he was raised in a non-religious family. His mother would have him go to church, but also to places like a Buddhist temple. Obama does have a personal faith and here are a few of his thoughts about religion: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-07...

Here is a snip:
"My lesson

I've fallen into this trap myself. During my 2004 Senate race, my opponent said, "Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama." I answered with what has come to be the typically liberal response: that we live in a pluralistic society, and that I can't impose my religious views on another. I said I was running to be the U.S. senator of Illinois, and not the minister of Illinois.

But my opponent's accusations nagged at me, and I knew that my answer didn't address the role my faith has in guiding my values. I, like other progressives, should have realized that when we ignore what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew, when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, when we shy away from religious venues because we think we'll be unwelcome, others will fill the vacuum: those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends.

Moreover, it's wrong to ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square. Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Martin Luther King Jr. — indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history — were not only motivated by faith, they also used religious language to argue for their cause. To say men and women should not inject their "personal morality" into policy debates is a practical absurdity; our law is by definition a codification of morality.

If progressives shed some of these biases, we might recognize the overlapping values that both religious and secular people share when it comes to the direction of our country. We might recognize that the call to sacrifice, the need to think in terms of "thou" and not just "I," resonates with all Americans. And we might realize that we have the ability to reach out to the evangelical community and engage millions of religious Americans in the larger project of America's renewal."

My guess is that many here have absolutely no desire to reach out to the evangelical community, but would just as soon write them off. That's too bad because I would also guess that they believe that it is only Republicans who have narrow minds. Senator Obama makes good sense. How many will listen to him?

[MrCoffee]

14. The thing is, it's patently false, so why even bring it up?

If you want to ask whether a non-religious candidate is a good/bad choice as a nominee, ask it. The reaction (as I read it) was more toward the statement that Obama is non-religious, which is simply not true.

[Cha]

18. Yeah, like Jesus Christ would

vote for allan keyes, fascist pimp.

[AtomicKitten]

16. I think it just means he doesn't use his belief system

to club his opponent over the head.

[Iris]

19. well, if lying about having some sort of revelation that makes you stop drinking

can get you elected. . .

[wildvine]

22. Read his speech...

http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal_k...

He's got my vote!

[beaconess]

23. I don't think that's true

But how does one prove that someone is "non-religious" without getting inside his head?

[Critters2]

24. He's an active member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago

and often praises the influence of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. This is his church

http://www.tucc.org/home.htm

[LoZoccolo]

25. LET IT SINK! LET IT SINK!

We can have this discussion in two weeks. Until then, LET IT SINK!

[snowbear]

34. "Don't drop it --- LOCK it !"

If *cough* some people followed this dude's post, they'd lock this crap immediately and tombstone this freeptard ass.

[Doctor_J]

26. stop reading freakrepublic

and stop posting what you read over there here.

[karlrschneider]

27. As the kids say, "I could give a shit less"...

:

[AZBlue]

28. Not true.

He's the best kind of religious person (at least in my opinion)- he's looked at and deeply analyzed his faith, at times questioning it, coming up with his own conclusion that he knows is right for him.

There's an interesting article on Slate about it - the link is posted here, but here's a good synopsis from the story itself:

"Obama began with a story about his 2004 campaign for the Senate. In the last months of the campaign, Obama's opponent, the volatile Republican Alan Keyes, declared that 'Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama.' Against the counsel of his political advisors, Obama fired back. He now admits that his volley was weak. 'I answered with what has come to be the typically liberal response in such debates,' he told the crowd at Jim Wallis' Call to Renewal conference. 'I said that we live in a pluralistic society, that I can't impose my own religious views on another.' Obama's statement was reasonable, but he now thinks it was the wrong one. 'My answer did not adequately address the role my faith has in guiding my own values and my own beliefs,' he said last week.

(snip)

"The senator was raised in a primarily secular home: His father was born a Muslim but became an atheist as an adult; his mother was 'spiritual' but a skeptic of organized religion; his grandparents were nonpracticing Protestants. Obama's first prolonged exposure to the church came when he moved to Chicago to work as a community organizer. Working with African-American churches, he said, 'I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world.'

But—and he is firm about this—conversion wasn't for him the end point. 'Faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts. You need to come to church in the first place precisely because you are first of this world, not apart from it,' he said last week.

http://www.slate.com/id/2144983/

[ButterflyBlood]

29. Hardly true, he is definitely a Christian

He's mentioned this in speeches and remarks before. This sounds like more Freeper lie crap, let it die.

[Lithos]

31. He brings up his Christian outlook quite frequently

It's personal to him, I don't think he wears it on his sleeve like the Neo-Cons.

L-

[Mr_Spock]

32. He was being criticized on DU last week for being too religious!

Sometimes I am just left confused

[snowbear]

33. heidler1 pulled another "post and flee"

Crazy how everyone is still responding.

The dude posted his crap, then fled for the hills.

Hey Heidler: