Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Two things the president could do
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?
If I were in President Obama's shoes, I would continue to stand up for the American principle of religious freedom for all, including Muslims and non-believers, even at the risk of engendering misrepresentations about my religion and barbs against my patriotism.
Two things would be helpful for the president, however. First, he has declared a commitment to Christ and his affiliation with the United Church of Christ many times and still 20 percent say he is Muslim. Although the president often worships privately at Camp David, I believe joining and worshiping in a local Washington congregation would help. His recent Democratic predecessors did just that. The public remembers pictures of President Clinton leaving Foundry Memorial United Methodist Church with Bible in hand during his presidency. President Carter taught Sunday school at First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., nearly every Sunday he was in town. President Obama should not do this simply for show; but an active, visible practice of his Christianity would help counter misunderstandings and lies about his faith.
Second, the president, in his speaking, should more clearly differentiate between our Christian heritage and demography, on the one hand, and a Christian nation in law, on the other. The United States has Christian moorings. Early settlers and our nation's founders were mostly Christian of some ilk. And we are a Christian nation sociologically, with about 85 percent of our citizens claiming to be Christian. But our forebears did not intend to ensconce their own religion in our founding documents. They wanted to enshrine religious liberty and commit the government to a posture of neutrality toward religion. Along with the ban on religious tests for public office in Article VI, our Constitution and the First Amendment create a democratic, religiously plural, nation where all are first class citizens regardless of their religious affiliation, or lack thereof.
All of that said, 20 percent of the public will continue to hammer the president no matter what he says or does. But, I think what I have suggested here will help with the 80 percent who care about the facts and allow him to visit the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar with impunity.
By
J. Brent Walker
|
November 9, 2010; 9:45 AM ET
Save & Share:
Previous: Be you, Mr. President |
Next: Obama: be honest
Posted by: BookChapVs | November 10, 2010 12:35 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Gseeker said: These secularist groups should grow up, stop running tantrums, be truly tolerant (that's what they preach) and behave like mature citizens.
In my participation in this web site, the most vehement and strident responses are usually those coming from evangelical Christians.
In my church, there's a battle between two sections of the congregation. Those that believe homosexuality is a sin and a choice are intolerant of gays. These tend to be the more conservative members of the church.
There's another, although smaller group who believe "do undo others" takes precedence over all else. This group is more tolerant than the other although neither seems as tolerant as the atheists I know.
Are you experiences different? Do you attend church regularly and if you do, would you welcome a gay couple?
Posted by: twmatthews | November 10, 2010 10:51 AM
Report Offensive Comment
I don't know how Mr. Obama would be so concerned with "offending" the atheists as part of his base group. The atheist's societies are very small like the freedom from religion foundation which only 50,000 members nationwide and I don't know how that would sway any vote. But at the same time they are ferociously trying to impose their non-belief on the rest of us, by fighting Christmas and removing any public references to God that have been part of America since inception.
These secularist groups should grow up, stop running tantrums, be truly tolerant (that's what they preach) and behave like mature citizens.
Posted by: GSeeker | November 9, 2010 10:41 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Secular Humanism and Atheism are both full of folks who are religiously dogmatic about what they believe.
Neither group should be included in the Washington Post's "On Faith" blogs since they claim to be people without faith.
Posted by: joe_allen_doty | November 9, 2010 8:02 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Brent, Mr. Obama's political career has to come first. Secular Humanists and Atheists are a big part of the political coalition that supports him. If he were to go around acting openly religious in accordance with your advice, they would desert him in droves.
Remember, these guys spent the last 8 years demonizing Mr. Bush for his open religiousness. It's better for Mr. Obama to SAY he's a Christian without providing any overt activities that could be construed as religious in nature. That way his non-religious followers can at least choose to believe that he's a religious fake, and only they understand his true nature.
It's part of his political strategy. He discusses it in his book. By avoiding overt expressions of anything at all, his plan is that people will choose to see in him what they want to, whether it's there or not.
.
Posted by: ZZim | November 9, 2010 7:21 PM
Report Offensive Comment
I have to agree with the OP that if POTUS wishes to stop the rumors, he and his family should join a local assembly. Either that, or he is a Christian in name only. I can say I am a boy scout but if I never wear the uniform, never go to scout meetings, camp alone and only claim to be a boy scout, am I really a scout or just using the name? Help me out here.