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Focus should be on actions, not labels
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.
For a significant number of conservative religious adherents, especially those in the Abrahamic religions, the label you put on your belief system is almost more important than what you actually believe, and clearly more important than what you do. Such individuals tend to evaluate people based largely on the beliefs they claim to hold and the label with which they call these beliefs. It should not be a surprise, then, that as an increasing number of Christian Americans become frustrated with Obama's policies in general and by what they perceive to be a negative direction for the country, they will look for a way to explain and justify their fear and anger at what is happening and will begin to question whether or not the president is a "genuine" Christian. Of course, how they understand the term "genuine" is solely within the framework of their own sectarian understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Glenn Beck expressed this very point in suggesting that Obama's beliefs are a "perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."
Along with their frustration with the way Obama is handling many of the problems in the country, an increasing number of see his words and actions as being more supportive of Muslims than of Christians or Jews. This, too, provides them a reason to question his beliefs, and calling him a Muslim or a non-Christian is a way to do so.
In reaction to this, many of Obama's supporters and members of the news media criticize these Christians for basing their view of the president on the label of his religious ideology. At the same time, however, how many of those who decry this focus on a religious label use the same kind of narrow focus when it comes to voting. How many of them will rarely if ever vote for someone with the "other" party's label, irrespective of his or her views, since of course such an individual must be "bad" or "misguided." What is the difference between determining the quality or legitimacy of politicians by their religious affiliation or by their political affiliation. Both are broad external ideological categories that can never tell us the true character of the individual. Most people are far more complex than what a single label can reveal. Unfortunately, a majority of both Democrats and Republicans ultimately vote and evaluate by the party label, not by the person. I wonder how many of Obama's supporters would have voted for him had he been a Republican. Probably, very few. Are they not guilty of the same narrow mindedness for which they condemn Obama's conservative Christian critics.
As long as we judge our leaders, or anyone else for that matter, on external labels, be they religious, racial, or political, we will rarely, if ever, elect truly honest and qualified individuals. I would much rather have a president who is called an atheist, a communist, or any other label but who runs the country with honesty, sincerity, fairness, and compassion and who puts his or her focus on justice and goodness rather than on the promotion of his own and his party's agenda and power. We need to stop focusing on external labels and on religious or political rhetoric and start focusing on what people who we elect actually do to make our country and the world a better place.
By
Ramdas Lamb
|
September 2, 2010; 5:31 PM ET
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Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 6, 2010 12:07 PM
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DEAR Fellow American(s) & Friendly's:
Note: As Ye/Yo can See; Once WE[i], i[WE] Elect these two-face WORD-MERCHANTS of certain Politician-GANGs aka "USURPER"s, Then THEY DO WHAT They WANT. So There is
NO U.S. or State CONSTITUTION!! YES, Things Must Change, Not only Yes We Can hot air. DO, No Talk!!
Maybe SARA PALIN Ms. RIGHT is right (Not Wrong)?! Sarai Ain't Afraid to Break or Dirty Her finger Nails. Now That's Tough; So Sara Ain't No "Manicure-Babby", but a Lipstick Momma! eeeeeehaaaa!
Note: Sisstar SARAi is starting to look really good ('Platform/ticket', not only Lipstick & looks) soo maybe she should be our 1st LADY President, aye? OR/b>
Maybe Brother MiTT ROMNEY is the ripe Mr. RiGHT (NOt Wrong). Likewise; MITT is looking & Sounding GOOD too. A Good Politician & a Great BUISINEES MAN Who Will Save AMERICA from Poverty & out of Debt? Fix Amerika MITT! [Maybe "Joe The Plumber" can fit-in Somewhere, aye].
Note: MITT maybe should be our 1st MORMON (A Xrstian , but Persecuted People, NOt only AFRO-Americans) Prez aye??.
"WE, The People" Need To Take Our Nation Back & fix the Sick Constitution? This is NOt a Test! This is Real!!
Note: And GLENN BECK might be 1/2 or 3/4 right (NOt Left, oopps Wrong)? Hint; HE needs to REPLACING 'God', NOt "Restore" God" That's the Problem.
See What Happens When Obama & Ventriloquists Negotiate With Terrorists Orgs contrary to Policy's???
SUGGESTION: Maybe Ms. Sara Palin & Mr. Mitt should Marry (Politically) and Run as PREZ & V.PREZ ALL IN ONE (1 Ticket, 1 Platform!) aye? PS: With Obama & Clinton, There Will NO [permanent] PEACE in MIddle-East Just Yet. Maybe only a Patch-up Job so Hillary & Gang/Crony's can Fool "The-People" again? and get RE-Elected on a slate.
___VOTE:
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
___ OR
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
--
GOOD-BYE OBAMA & CO! GOOD RIDDANCE NEPOTISTic Hillary et al!! Time fo a Real Man, or a Real woMan Prez!! Ya Ya!
--
Hailaluya! Praise the Holyi NO MON/WOM!
LOVE AMERICA! LOVE AMERICA! LOVE AMERICA..!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 6, 2010 8:53 AM
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Ramdas, the Glen Becks of this world come and go. Like the poor, they will always be with us.
But the the suffering of hundreds of millions--for three thousand years, that we can end.
What do you have to say, Ramdas?
"End Dalit Trafficking. Make slavery history."
Posted by: farnaz_mansouri2 | September 4, 2010 12:22 AM
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Shame on self serving CO-Defendants or Partners within the Federal & State & Local Governments in Crime who got away Scott free during the Depression and laughing at US Voters while Laughing all the The way to the Bank Worry-Free, for Causing AMERICAN's financial HARDSHIP's (Broken Hearts, Spirits, mass homelessness, low esteem etc] via Selfish Elected-Officials [as if GANGS] thus creating the Tsunami" via them U.S. FED RESERVE people & U.S. TREASURY too! Includes the, turning other Cheek, S.E.C. & I.R.S. & CO., gang/people.
Secret: Psychology: All Those U.S. Victims, Especially U.S.A. Kids Whom was a Victim & their Parents For What Happened during Bush's & Clinton's, Will Become Extremists, Radicals & Worse Revolutionaries! a/k/a America's Silent future CIVIL-WAR!? And
Pleazza, BUSH & Clinton Lovers, Do NOt call these good American Kids who will eventually grow-up [Terrorists when ye have to turn the Malitia against them] when they Rise-Up against US, the Establishment in the Next 10 Years! It will be like a bunch of Frankin-Steins or Worse a Bunch Of TiMOTHY McVAY's (Clinton/Bush made) going mad all at once or sporadically. Soo
Only SARA PALIN & Or MITT ROMNEY Can Help Them [Prevent Future Terrorists to not be terrorists] by Correcting The Clinton Admin & Bush/Reagan Admin & Bush Admin SINS of the National-Fathers; To Heelll with Bibles story's! Atleast i[WE] warned You. Note: This is NOt a Cartoon. It is More Than That!
Note: If This was China, They All Would/ve Been Shot Already. And If It Was Russia They would be working in the Gulags. And If it was Saudi Arabia, They [COMMISSIONERS] Would've already got their Hands Chopped-Off for STEALING/Enriching selves!
PS: And Now; It is highly Recommended That the CIA & The NSA & The PENTAGON Take Over The "WHITE-HOUSE". And that this Current Presidency's "EXECUTIVE POWERS" via "Executive-ORDERS" (Abuses,& Recklessness) should Be Snuffed-out or Stopped!
AMERICA Should Have a "GENERAL ELECTION" In 2011, Not 2012: Under NATIONAL [Financial] EMERGENCY Reasons or Find some Other Pretexts to do so, "INSTEAD OF CONSTITUTION"! AND
The U.S. Constitution Needs To Be REPEALED, or Fixed or Tweake'd for the 21/22nd Century+; Especially To ONLY ALLOW a President to Serve up to 2-Two, 3-Three Years-Terms (max of 6 years not 8)! Or Maybe up to 3 Times 3 (for 9 years Total if HE or SHE is really good, Like Roosevelt {pbuh}, Lincoln {pbuh et al})
AND Congress Shall Establish a "U.S. RELIGIOUS POLICE" with Powers to "LIMIT" Mosques, Synagogues, Temples Building etc.. so to Police Their "Tax-Exempt" Leaderships More Closely! AND
Ex- SEN. Hillary Rodman Clinton should be IMPEACHED for Usurping U.S. CONST. 1:6 et al. And Prez Borack H. OBAMA should be Censored for Kissing The Hand Of a G-d Player, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia & for other Oss kiss'ngs or of Enemies.