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Obama should avoid religious overtures
President Obama's 10-day Asia trip includes visits to India and Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country.
The president chose not to visit the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar during his time in India because it required a head covering that his advisers feared would fuel speculation about his faith. A Pew study showed that nearly 20% of Americans believe falsely that the president is a Muslim.
The more Obama reaches out to Muslims, the more his critics are likely to slander him, implying that he is not a Christian.
An example is his April 2009 speech in Turkey, in which he said, "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation, we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." The president's critics have seized on that statement, insisting that he rejects the Christian foundations of America.
Is Obama stuck between a rock and a hard place? If you were the president, how would you handle this dilemma?
The political Right Wing has hijacked the nation and wants to declare it a Christian nation defying both the Constitution and commonsense. America invites the "huddled masses" of the world, not the "Christian masses," to come and make this country their home, and they came. Not so many of the "huddled masses" as the "brainy masses" from various religions. They came here to make a future, not to live in a Christian country.
I have said this in the past and will continue to repeat it that religion is a private matter and not something we need to wear on our sleeves and make a public broadcast of our faith. I agree with President Obama's speech in Turkey when he put the United States in the right perspective when he said that the United States is a country of honest, hard-working citizens and not a Christian country. These are my words, the president, of course, was more eloquent.
I did not agree with the president when he earlier agreed to visit the Sikh Golden Temple in India and was glad that he eventually cancelled it. I am equally disappointed that he has agreed to speak in a mosque in Indonesia. As a leader of a secular nation he should refrain from visiting any religious institution, to visit or to speak. My grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, realized more than a century ago that the only way we can reduce violence among human beings is by being secular which means that we respect all the different religions and Faiths in the world as much as we do our own. He made a "friendly" study of all the scriptures and came to the conclusion that none of the religions possessed the whole Truth, that we were all pursuing the Truth in our own way. He used to tell us that religion is like climbing a mountain. We are all going to the same peak so why should it matter to anyone which side of the mountain one chooses to climb up? I have said this often enough that the United States has shown the world that it is a leader in material power but it has yet to show the world that it can also be a leader in moral power. That will come not by being obsessed with religion but being obsessed with being compassionate citizens. Not with hate, but with love and respect for all.
By
Arun Gandhi
|
November 9, 2010; 7:04 AM ET
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Posted by: ThishowIseeit | November 9, 2010 5:35 PM
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NOMOSTAE:
THE post-WW2 "LEAGUE of NATIONS" turned into a (2nd) U.N. via CONSENSUS, Needs an UPGRADE since S.pace-S.hip Earth's Inhabitants are Screaming For a 3rd-U.N.
Note: Correcting the U.N.s CHURCH/Religion Based "NGO"s needs some purging.
Example: The Islamic-Based U.N., not Secular U.N. of the 54 "OIC" and "ARAB LEAGUE" (22 Islamic Members), CAN't Have Their Secular-Cakes and Eat the Secular-Cake Too? "2bl, 3rpl Standards Psychosis" Playing the Religious-Card and the Secular-Card between Islamic-Based Nations Must END! The 54 ISLAMIC-Based "OIC" Nations must be Abolished and not Participate in the 3rd U.N. (192 Nations minus 54 OICS) = 138. And This includes a Conflict Of Islamic-Religion within the IMF's 187 Nations infiltrating a Secular-Based IMF.
This Religious-Based Interest therein Need to finally "Separate CHURCH/RELIGION from STATE whom compromised OUR HolySecular-U.N. be dealt with NOW, while We have a Chance.
TIME TO CHANGE! But With NO political 'Infighting and NO Religious Jealousy Wars in the Governments.
After-All; Does Not the Holyi U.N. (1st, Then 2nd now 3rd, even 4th later-on) Belong to All, Every & Any "Automatic-Born Denizen/Citizen of S.S.-Earth" Regardless of Religion,Sex etc..?
Even though Obama "Endorsed-India" to be the 6th U.N.S.C. "VETO" empowered Member That; IF
OBAMA, in 2 Years can Create-more-Jobs, Stimulate-Business Borrowing and Help along to rebuild the Old U.N. into a 3rd-NEWer U.N. THEN
Lame-Duck Obama Admin & CO., might re-win the next Election by a Land-Slide, Where the Young Voters who Voted Him In Last Time, may Come-Out In Droves again. Out of Closet via NET?
Please see, A "NEW United Nations [Master Plan] & NEW U.S.A.":
http://onwapo.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/a-new-u-nited-n-ations-a-new-united-s-tates-of-levant-yes-wei-can/
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Aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Amennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.. AND now Sing
EKLAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht-i.
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1) Inhale on 'E' 2) Exhale on 'KLAH' THEN 3) Inhale on 'i' (sounds like hhii).
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PEACE,PAZ,SHALOM,SALAAM,AHIMSA,MIR, ZHINGYU..
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Credits "JJ"
Posted by: woodstock-41 | November 9, 2010 12:12 PM
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As a Believer in Jesus, US President Barack Obama has a spiritual right to talk about his relationship with Jesus in any church building where Believers in Jesus meet for worship.
He just shouldn't talk about politics from the pulpit.
Believers in Jesus have a spiritual right to refrain from going into a shrine or temple where God, the father of Christ Jesus, is NOT worshiped.
Posted by: joe_allen_doty | November 9, 2010 11:24 AM
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"As a leader of a secular nation he should refrain from visiting any religious institution, to visit or to speak."
Good solid common sense statement of what should be obvious to everyone.
The State of the Union Address should not be made in any church, temple, or synagogue in the USA and political addresses and official political visits to other nations should not include going into institutes of religion either.
The clear separation of government rule and rule within organized religious institutions should be maintained at all times both within and outside of the United States.
For people around the world who have trouble imagining that such a separation can really exist and is the best form of governing, blurring the line in any way is detrimental.
Posted by: Elisa2 | November 9, 2010 10:24 AM
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Arun, I fully agree with you, the reason being that human created deities, not the other way around. Many religions claim that their is a "just" supreme being, but random tsumanies and earthquakes - caused by the slow moving tectonic plates over which we have no control - causing suffering and casualties of innocent babies and children, prove that the concept of a just big daddy in the sky is absurd.