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My interview with Obama on his Christianity and the 'Muslim issue'Long before last week's revelation that a large and growing chunk of Americans believe that the President is Muslim - and that only about one in three Americans correctly identify him as Christian - Barack Obama was battling misperceptions about his religion. In early 2008, right as Obama was in desperate need of a win in the South Carolina primaries - he'd beaten Hillary Clinton in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses but lost to her in subsequent contests in New Hampshire and Iowa - false rumors swirled that he was Muslim. Obama's father was raised in a Muslim household, though the presidential candidate had repeatedly called him an agnostic, and Obama had spent time attending an Indonesian school where most students were Muslim. An e-mail smear campaign alleged that the White House hopeful was disguising his true faith. In South Carolina, whose primaries were Obama's first electoral test in the Bible Belt, that was a big problem. Less than a week before South Carolina's primary, Obama began calling media outlets with large Christian audiences to set the record straight. His first such interview was with Beliefnet, where I was then political editor. With Thursday's Pew poll showing that nearly one in five Americans think Obama is Muslim, our conversation from 2008 - conducted by phone while the future president sat aboard his grounded campaign plane - has become relevant again. Here's what Obama told me in 2008 when I mentioned the false rumors that he was Muslim:
Clear enough. Obama had almost zero contact with his tacitly Muslim father and had been a committed Christian for decades. But Obama also used our chat to make a case that his exposure to Islam, through his extended family and during his four years in Indonesia, made him unusually well suited to heal the rifts that had opened between the U.S. and the Muslim world over President George W. Bush's war on terror:
He elaborated on this argument elsewhere in our conversation, in comments that would foreshadow his administration's efforts on Muslim outreach:
In recent days, two major themes from my conversation with Obama - misunderstandings about his faith and his vision for improving U.S.-Muslim relations - have become the stuff of national headlines. It was just days before Thursday's Pew poll revealed growing confusion about Obama's faith that he'd come out strongly for the rights of Muslims to build an Islamic center and mosque near ground zero. With the imam behind Park51 - the name of the proposed center - touring the Middle East for the State Department, Obama appears unlikely to back down from his campaign to improve relations with Muslims. Whether he will step up messaging around his religious faith to Christians, as he did in the days before South Carolina's caucuses, is still an open question.
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While so-called christians question Obama's religion, they should be questioning their own. One thing is for sure, they are not acting as Christians, but as heathens!
http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2010/07/why-is-islam-so-successful.html
This article provide information about how to survive against Terrorism.
Let me see if i get this right. If my father is a muderer, I automatically become a murderer since my father's blood flows through me. There is no room for me being my own man, living a christlike life. So all those christian preachers on TV who converted from the muslim faith should not be taken seriously. See Below:
"By age 34, Nasir Siddiki, a successful businessman, had made his first million, but money meant nothing to him on his deathbed. Diagnosed with the worst case of shingles ever admitted to Toronto General Hospital, his immune system shut down and doctors left him to die. Born into a Muslim family, Nasir had pinned all his hopes on modern medicine. When doctors could not help him, Nasir whispered, "God, if you're real, don't let me die!"
In the darkest hour of the night, Jesus appeared beside Nasir's bed and said,"I Am the God of the Christians. I Am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Those brief moments in Jesus' presence left Nasir Siddiki miraculously healed. From that day to this one, Dr. Siddiki's passion has been to know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
An international teacher and evangelist, Dr. Siddiki holds crusades around the world and has led thousands to the Lord in India, Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. God has given him a mandate to proclaim the Gospel from nation to nation while setting the captives free. He and his wife, Anita, host a television program on TBN, Winning with Wisdom, which is broadcast to 15,000 stations via satellite reaching millions of people, including those in the Middle East".
Imaging moving to NY form Ohio, you join a local church, after one year in the church someone asks your pastor/ priest if you are a christian, and your priest/pastor says "that was he/she said". I bet that will be the last Sunday your church gets your tith and offering.
Not surprise at all about the poll. I've read that 52% still believe that Saddam Hussein got something to do with 9/11.
It's always amusing when you give a sense of reality isn't it? these people. Where do they find them?! I agree. It's helpful putting things into perspective every once in a while.
his name is muslim, he slipped in interview with george stepanopolis and said his muslim faith and george had to correst him and say " you mean your christian faith, oh yeah right, liberals or so weak- their kids are to fragile to play games like freeze tag and dodgeball so they grow up in bubbles like john travolta in that movie, bubble boy. get a rude awakening when liberals go into the real world and see that trophies arent handed out for FAILURE and neither or promotions. DIM WITS.
Such an ungrammatical post for one so convinced of his own superiority...
Hey dumby you watched 15 secs of it. Keep watching. RrrrRRrrr Seriously? how do we fight such apathy.
Well, the KKK claims to be Christians, even though they also hate the Jews, behind the fact many conservatives say America was founded on Judaic-Christian principles. To me Obama appears to be of the Free Mason agnostic principle prevalent of all American Presidents. In fact one of the founding fathers, Ben Franklin was an open satanic worshipper. So this argument is not about religious spirituality but about religious politics. Are you going to start accusing left wing, Liberal and Progressive politics as being Muslims now if one happens to support Obama’s politics? This is beginning to look like the epitome of divide and destroy America.
If it gets real bad, Sharon Angle can be the next president of America. And, this can actually make the Conservatives happy.
Breaking News: Coc-kroaches pleased with Obama green light for Iranian reactor.
Reading everyones comments, and respectively agreeing or disagreeing, one thing is for sure. Muslem or not, we are in for a change and it's not good. We are fast approaching a time when we will not have the freedoms of choice we now have. Under Islamic rule, you will find persecution as never before seen in this country, to those who are of a different faith, To our Women (mothers, grandmother, sisters, etc.) and children, to our homosexual, bi sexual acquaintences etc. The openess they have now will be taken away. Talk about protesting for civil rights, that will be a thing of the past. Protest and die. They don't serve the true and living God.
There have been many 'gods' throughout history-My being atheist simply means I believe in 1 less god than those with various religious beliefs....
Give me a break!!! This interview indicates that he self-identifies as a loosely affiliated Christian. No doubt this is due to the undeniable pressure put upon all public figures to appear god-fearing. I'll bet in reality he's just like me: a thoughtful, rational, moral Christian-turned-atheist who's trying to do his best for the people around him. All you purported "Christians" need to re-examine the underlying message of the leader of your faith...stop spouting hate, lest you be judged...
This world is full of high level of conspiracy. Most terror acts tagged to Muslims I believe were not actually perpetrated by Muslims otherwise why would a so called muslim kill other muslims in an Islamic country through suicide bombing? This makes me cry but I'm convinced that the truth would be revealed before my exit in this world. To the true christians all over the world, don't let us be naive and lazy, find out the truth and be objective in your search for the truth. Don't just believe in whatever you're fed by the press. It is full of conspiracy. You are human with sound mind for reasoning, please use your senses. Some people claimed Quran could have been deliberately misinterpreted to english with possible omission. Well, I would advise you to study arabic so that you can discover the truth about Quran if truly you intend to be fair and sincere.
Islam from time immemorial values human life, respect and love for one's neighbour irrespective of religion. It promotes harmony, peaceful coexistence, wealth redistribution and sharing. It also advocates tolerance and teaches morals among its followers. Islam frowns at and seriously condemn any act of terrorism but little or nothing were known about Islam by so many people in the world and to make it worst, people are not ready to know because they blindly believe what they have been told over time about Islam is the true representation of the religion. What a pity!
There were so many misconceptions and made beliefs but I believe no matter how far lies travel, truth would catch up with it in one day.
So, here is a question where were all those 18% doing the whole Rev. Wright stuff? I mean if I recall folks were really having a major issue with the President sitting in that church for years listening to Rev. Wright!! How quickly we forget!!
After having read his interview, it seems fairly obvious that he is a Christian. He said it himself, and he describes how he came to the church after not being a very religious person. He recognizes its influence on making moral decisions but strives to keep it separate from his public and secular duties as a person in office. How exactly does that make him a bad person? Are any of you reading the same article I'm reading? Or are you so caught up in wanting to believe he is against your kind that you harp on about insignificant things? It is beyond me how anyone can read that interview and think he is pandering or insincere. I savour the irony of calling you all Doubting Thomases.
They only have hate in their eyes and heart, thats the reason they can't hear peace
Let's look at the obfuscation in Obama's comments, since every time he says "let me be clear," it's a sure sign that he's about to be anything but.
He says his mother "came from a Christian background" but wasn't "particularly religious". Actually, his mother's high school friends remember her being a fairly militant atheist for a teenager of that time.
He claims his father, "for all practical purposes" was agnostic. Why the qualifier?
He says that he went to a Catholic school in Indonesia yet the AP photo of his registration lists his religion as "Islam". His own biography recalls him attending Koran classes in Indonesia. Why would he be in a Koran class if he wasn't registered as a Muslim?
He says that the school wasn't religious but avoids discussing whether he attended any religious classes, even though his own biography mentions the Koran classes.
He evades any additional discussion of his stepfather and what kind of religoius experience he had in Indonesia despite friends recalling him going to Friday prayers with his father and his being able to recite, from memory and a "first rate accent", the start of the Muslim call-to-prayer which is also the Muslim declaration of faith.
Basically, like a good lawyer, he never lies but leaves a bunch of false impressions about his childhood. He never clearly says that he was never instructed in Islam. He doesn't say what he learned at the Indonesian school. He never really says what his mother believes.
And that's why so many people don't trust and believe him. He talks like a sleazy lawyer and misleads and lies about almost anything and everything and did even before he was elected. Heck, this is a guy willing to casually lie about how he met his wife. So why should anyone believe what he says about his religious beliefs?
John, first of all, you're looking for a black and white answer to a religious question? Really? Second of all, where's your proof? Point me to that.
Did you know his Mom's friends in high school? "For all practical purposes" he was an agnostic. Most likely because you don't have to declare agnosticism or go to agnostic church when you are one. There's no proof of agnosticism. Him being able to recite a prayer and have a good accent only means he has a good ear and a good memory. Just cause I learned to swim doesn't make me a fish. And apparently you never went to school and had to take BS classes as requirements.
Furthermore, John, if he was a muslim, our constitution would not care a whit and he would still be our president. Honestly, John, I think you're stretching pretty far for reasons not to like him.
Hi
I had an hour to kill, so i spent it here reading all these comments.
I am not american, it really doesn't matter if i am jewish, christian, hindu or a muslim.
In the continent where i live, a lot of americans come to work and a few end up staying here for good. A few have become friends, and one or two dear friends.
Most of them after living outside of the US for a few years, and i'm talking about those who really live the local life and get to know the "locals" and discuss their opinions with other people, change their views about their country and say that looking at the US from the outside as taught then a lot about it, and that they wish all americans could do that.
Where i grew there was a lot of political turmoil and changes of political direction over the years, and one thing we learned is that politicians are all the same, and the people who believe in them with their eyes closed are just as good as them. We are still learning, and i doubt we ever will, and this applies to you also, to choose the better program for the country, there is no such thing as right or left if you think well about it. The government has to do what is best for its people and for the country, and that includes better education, health, better jobs, better pay.
In our case, we are not tangled in a web so big that we can not see the other side of it or understand the implications of the decisions politicians make.
In your case, your country is such a mess, that i doubt you will ever recover to be a leader among other countries and earn back the respect you once had. This has nothing to do with terrorists, muslims, christians or happy clappies.
I have some sympathy for Mr.Obama and a profound dislike for any president that sends is army abroad, no matter what the reason. But i also have to say that its not going to be Obama or the next Republican to put your country back in its axles, It as to be you the People of the United States of America, with all your colors, religions and mannerisms.
I come from a country with a lot of religions, different colors, different hairstyles, colonized by Muslims and Christians, and after a civil war thrown at us by a neighboring country, we signed a peace accord and all the aggression and violence stopped on that day. We are all human beings before we get a nationality, a religion or even a haircut. Our actions must be what people judge us by.
Good luck with your country.
This is one of the smartest things that I have seen on these blogs. Nice perspective from someone outside, who isn't being judgemental, just observing.
Then that means that 4 out of 5 Americans believe that Obama is NOT a Muslim. THIS IS A NON ISSUE!!! The President was a US Senator before he won the white house. He was checked out then and nothing has changed. Beside you can be whatever religion you choose in America. Some Americans will always have a problem with accepting people of different faiths than their own. Thank God that it's just one fifth. WE ALL NEED TO STOP ALL THIS PARTISAN FIGHTING, AND WORK TOGETHER TO FACE THESE CHALLENGES OUR NATION IS FACING!!!
I was born an American, have lived in America all my life, and I'll die an American. I love this country with everything I am.
That doesn't change the fact that right now, many Americans are idiots.
If you think Jesus hated homosexuals, you're an idiot.
If you think Jesus wants you all to own massive amounts of weaponry, you're an idiot.
If you think Jesus would support huge tax cuts for the rich and for corporations, you're an idiot.
Oh wait, I almost forgot.
If you think President Obama is a Muslim, you're an idiot.
I'm proud to call myself an American. Get your head out of your behind, and maybe I'll be proud to call you one, too.
I am a vet and I can assure you that Republicans do not have the best interest of this nation in their heart. They are using fear tactic to get eclected and we are buying into it. I read the Koran and I met muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan and they are nothing what the media and politicians portray them to be. They are the most kind people I have met. They have a few that hate our politics and they use terror to justify their actions. Visit TANZIL.INFO if you need to read koran and hope that you find it has a lot of similarities with the Bible. I am praying for my country that I have fought for.
I am a veteran also. 20 years worth of wearing an Army uniform and then a couple more years in the middle east as a civilian "contractor". Your entitled to your opinion. Evin if it is screwed up.
Even if it is screwed up rather.
Well, vet2010...my experience with Muslims is not like yours. I am 70 years old, but a few years ago I had a cleaning service. Oned of my employees was a "Bible College" student who planned to go abraod to share the GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
I had a Muslim cleaning client for whom I did the cleaning much of the time. These people were VIP (S) and supposedly came to learn about USA CULTURE to take back to Pakistan. In the meantime they had a business...attended a mosqued
and were learning the AMERICAN "CHARITY" SYSTEM. They were supported by the Pakistanian government. To make a long story short.....I allowed the Bible College student to help me with their home. I never told the muslims my faith and acted interested in theirs to get to know them......and get to know them I did! These were drunken violent people whose agenda was to locate " poor black" people and convert them to THEIR FAITH...which would offer them more charity than they were getting from USA.....and to enlist them in the ISLAMIC "HATRED OF AMERICA" system!! Back to the Bible College student. Well, she ended up on the floor underneath the kitcen table after she revealed her school and what she planned to do (Christian missions). I was upstairs when the WOMAN pushed her to the floor and made her get under the table to clean....which was not the job I had offered her. When they found out she was going to be a CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY...they immediately "took their positions" as warriors.....moving to different parts of the home to protect it from this sweet, unassuming "CHRISTIAN" ! Before this event, I found out the "young Indian girt" from India had been with them since she was 12 years old as a slave. She had not seen her family for 7 years. She cornered me one day and nervously and whispering said..."I am not a Muslim" and told me her story" The woman began to suspect I was a CHRISTIAN and began yelling at me and demanding that I carry heavy bags of trash......which injured my back. Of course, I did not go back. I have thought many times about telling the police about this, but thought it was not in my best interest to do so.
There is much more to this story and many more "frightening" events. I got what I went for......insight! Very violent people....wealthy Muslims here to convert poor unsuspecting people to their faith. The hated Christians!
I have read a lot of the previous posts. The fact of the entire matter is, that if President Obama wasn't a man of color and didn't possess the name that he was given at birth, nobody would be discussing these trivial topics. The President of this country has worked very hard, since taking the oath, to help this entire country recover from a near depression. He has worked very hard at improving world relations with all nations. He has repeatedly and publicly requested assistance from ALL americans, regardless of their political affiliation, to accomplish what is needed to improve this nation.....yet all he has received is obstruction, accusations, rude behavior and disrespect from nearly half of the occupants of this country. I sincerely hope, despite my feelings that he has been one of the best presidents this country has ever had, that he DOES NOT seek re-election! As a nation, this country has shown that it does not deserve him.
After retaking the Oath of Office in the confines (privacy) of the White House I knew he was a Muslim but his religion does not matter to me. His actions do.
Don-MN wow you were there?! Awesome. It's nice to have an eyewitness account of things. Makes you feel all up close and personal. Tell me, how do they change the oath of office to accommodate muslims?
What does retaking the Oath of Office have anything to do with him being Muslim? Do you think it was said in Arabic or something? Is that what you are suggesting because the retake was in private?