What matters is conduct of the office

In the wake of his weekend rally, Glenn Beck kept up the drumbeat of criticism about President Obama's religion, calling it a "perversion" and saying that America "isn't recognizing his version of Christianity," which Beck characterized as "liberation theology."

Despite critique of Obama's Christianity, a recent poll showed that nearly 20% of Americans believe falsely that the president is Muslim.

Why is there so much attention on Obama's religion? Does it matter what religion the president is?

The presidency of the United States is a secular position in a civil government of a vast and pluralistic society. Fitness for the office of the president is determined by a wide range of factors that include relevant experience, moral discernment, high intelligence, sound judgment, intellectual curiosity, interpersonal skills, rhetorical ability, knowledge of and commitment to the Constitution, political skills, poise under pressure, managerial ability, etc. It is a ridiculously difficult office. What an amazing array of skills are needed.

The religious views and practices of the president of the United States are primarily significant insofar as they inform his (or, one day, her) ability to conduct the demanding responsibilities of the office as effectively as possible. The mere fact that a president might self-identify as a person of faith, might use rhetoric associated with a religious tradition, or might undertake religious practices like attending church, means little to me. I am far more interested in the way the president's faith shapes his character, judgment, intellect, reading of the Constitution, handling of conflict, fidelity to the law, and so on. And I say this as a committed Christian.

One reason for this approach is because we all know and have seen amply evidenced the use and abuse of religious self-identification, rhetoric, and practice by all kinds of politicians in order to gain 50.1% of the vote in a given election. This is a degradation of religion that anyone who takes any religion seriously can hardly celebrate, and that, as a Christian, I shudder at. But in our highly religious country it happens every election.

Religious traditions are vast and varied realities that are interpreted and integrated into people's lives in ten thousand different ways. I am far past the day when just because someone plays the Christian song in their speeches and self-presentation this inspires my confidence that they are a more fit leader. If someone wants to tell me that he is a Christian and his faith affects the way he would conduct political office, I will look at what kind of Christianity this is and how it manifests itself in character and policy.

I don't need my president to be the national symbolic embodiment of Christian faith. It helps to have a robust theology of the church, and to know the difference between what the church and the state are each called to do. I try not to confuse the two institutions or the set of commitments, skills, and abilities required in each. The qualifications and responsibilities of a pastor and a president are very different.

There have been times when a president's searching and thoughtful grappling with the Christian tradition has served our nation quite profoundly. I think of Abraham Lincoln's theological wrestlings as reflected in the Second Inaugural. (Of course, Lincoln was not exactly the model of a straightforwardly orthodox Christian.) But there is not much of that kind of serious religious reflection evident in our public life these days. Much of what passes for Christianity in the public square we could do without.

The "controversy" over Barack Obama's Christian faith has been manufactured to harm him politically. It should be rejected, and his presidency evaluated in terms of his performance of the office. Presumably that will happen in about two years.

By David Gushee | August 31, 2010; 4:33 PM ET Save & Share:
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Mr. Gushee, I hate to break it to you, but Obama's faith IS important to ALL Americans. Whatever faith he belongs to, he has lied about it.

First of all, he has very obvious Islam contacts. One of the first things he did as POTUS was to offer support to Islam. Just in case you don't know, Islam isn't quite as "bland" as one might consider Christianity. Their book, the Qu'ran, impels them to convert all they can to Islam. Those who can't be converted are to be subjugated. If THAT doesn't work, they are to KILL the "offenders."

Obama HAD claimed to be a Muslim, but after public opinion was voiced, he stated that he's a Christian. However, a Christian would NOT have sat at Jeremiah Wright's feet listening to him spew out blasphemous words (even using God's name in vain)OR his bold racism and hatred.
Wright is so similar to Farrakhan and other Muslim racists in his theology that it's hard NOT to see those similarities between them.

Then, again, no matter what religion Obama is, he DID lie about it, in that he certainly didn't change Gods or we would have seen obvious changes in him. If he had changed from Islam to Christianity,
he would have changed Gods; God the Creator and Allah are obviously not one and the same! One calls for peace through a Messiah, while the other declares war upon "infidels." Islam never was and never can be a "Peaceful religion." Those who see only "nice" Muslims see only those who don't understand the Qu'ran.

NOTHING has "been manufactured to harm him politically." BO is BO, and he'll change his story to placate any specific group of Americans from day to day. If you think his lack of Christian ethics isn't important to you, maybe you need to study the Bible bit more....especially Ex. 20:16.

I would never insist upon a Christian ...or a person of ANY specific faith... to serve as president, but a lying president of ANY faith isn't fit for office. BUT...getting rid of lying politicians would pretty much empty out top government offices, wouldn't it?

Even thinking aside from "religion" per se, would you trust a known liar enough to do business with him? I think not!

Posted by: flipper49 | September 2, 2010 1:48 PM
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Abraham Lincoln was born into a Baptist family and attended New York Avenue Presbyterian Church where a plague designates the pew he rented while President.
Obama is commonly believed to have been born into a Muslim family and so far the only church we know he attended regularly was Reverend Wright's version of Christianity.

Posted by: whineridentifier | September 2, 2010 10:10 AM
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Remember that Thomas Jefferson (one of the revered Founding Fathers) was all about separation of church and state.

Posted by: EvilOverlord | September 2, 2010 7:11 AM
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It is obvious that Obama's real religion is a qualified liberalism and a lot of the country is fed up with it. The "formal" religion is something of a red herring.

Note that on the mosque issue, his position is the same as that of Palin, "You have a right but it is not wise". They are WITH Democrats like Howard Dean and David Patterson and to the right of a Republican like Orrin Hatch whose support for the mosque is unqualified.

On the abortion issue, most Muslim countries are on the same side as Beck and Palin. Most of them ban abortion.

So the actual reality is different from the picture which the right, AND the left, are feeding us as part of their political agendas and perhaps, as part of their own confusion.

Posted by: rohit57 | September 2, 2010 6:05 AM
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There is no proof the Abraham Lincoln even believed in Jesus before he ran for the office of the President of the United States.

Posted by: joe_allen_doty | September 1, 2010 1:15 PM
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David Gushee

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