In today's broadcast culture, in which issues are addressed in thirty-second sound bites and millions are glued to deeply stupid TV programming, it's no wonder that "nearly 1 in 5 Americans thinks Obama Is Muslim" per the nonpartisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
What the American public is experiencing is a gaping chasm between President Obama's intellectually complex messaging, and the dumbing down of American culture in the 21st century. It's a classic confrontation between Ivy League elites and their political opposites, working class stalwarts who daily grow more and more puzzled by who Barack Obama is.
Truth is... President Obama is partly at fault for this confusion for two reasons:
- As President, he persists in using the stultifying language patterns of a professor at a top university, combined with the sensibilities of a civil libertarian attorney who focuses on "rights." Think the cross-section of political correctness meets intellectual complexity.
- Once Obama makes a bold statement of his beliefs, as he did in his August 13, 2010 Remarks about "Muslim-Americans," he soon backpedals, thus creating great confusion, as he did on August 14th when he told the press "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there... I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding."
President Obama's muddled messaging formula is perfect for creating confusion in U.S. voters' minds in 2010. Enter desperate, agenda-less Republicans who, to win, will mercilessly exploit any confusion about all things Obama... and you have the 2010 mid-term elections.
The situation stinks. Both the White House and Republicans are to blame for American confusion about whether or not President Obama supports the "Ground Zero" mosque. About the appropriateness of building a mosque at the location in question. Indeed, about whether or not Obama is Christian, or Muslim, or neither.
Fact is that religious faith is a personal and private matter, and it's no one's business what a person's faith might be, even if that person is President of the United States.
However, during his 2008 presidential run, candidate Obama made his religious beliefs our business by speaking about and publicly exhibiting his Christianity at enormous length, including:
- Lots of trips to churches, where he spoke from innumerable pulpits
- A plethora of photos showing him kneeling, praying, even gazing at crosses
- Speeches galore, in which he proclaimed himself to be Christian
- Several well-publicized appearances at conservative evangelical Pastor Rick Warren's church
- Drenching the 2008 Democrat convention in public shows of religion
In 2006, Sen. Obama touchingly described his conversion to Christianity:
"I was not raised in a particularly religious household, as undoubtedly many in the audience were... It wasn't until after college, when I went to Chicago to work as a community organizer for a group of Christian churches, that I confronted my own spiritual dilemma."It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith..."
But in the last year, in stark contrast to years 2006 through 2008, President Obama has rarely spoken of his Christian beliefs, has rarely attended church, has rarely evidenced reliance on the Bible or pastors or prayer.
Of course, as a Christian, I realize that the lack of observable Christian practices certainly doesn't mean that Barack Obama isn't a Christian.
What I'm saying is that, in 2010, given the potent brew of:
- The abrupt drop between Obama's observable pre-election and post-election Christian walk-and-talk,
- President Obama's muddled, boringly complex speeches,
- Predictably hateful fear-mongering by Republicans, and
- Obama singing the praises of Islam, including as "a faith known for great diversity"
... well, I understand how the American people can feel confused about President Obama's personal religious beliefs, especially in a media culture based on thirty-second sound bites and the short attention spans engendered by reality TV.
Problem is... Democrats will lose and Republicans will win this election round, unless and until the White House sharpens its messaging. Now. Immediately
And unless the President starts minding his own business, and staying out of local issues, including New York City zoning laws.
- Related Essentials
- Obama Remarks on Muslim-Americans, U.S. Religious Freedoms
- Obama's Controversial Speech on Religion & Politics
- Obama's Office of Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships
(Photo: President Obama hosting an Iftar dinner in celebration of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the State Dining Room of the White House on August 13, 2010. During the dinner, Obama spoke in support of the controversial construction of a mosque near the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images.)
Comments
I disagree completely Obama is completely reasonsible for the confuse conception of the country about his religion. There is a Scripture in the Bible that says, “By their fruits you shall know them”(Matthew 7:20). Now forget the republicans or anything that they have to say, who cares all right I want to weight the evidence of Obama’s own words and actions.
Now since he has become president how does the evidence of his Christian or Muslim faith come out. Well lets see, Obama bowed down to the king of Saudi Arabia hm, ok mistakes happen. Then Obama gives a speach in the muslim world praising them for the contribution to science; this is certainly debatable. Okay now what else, Obama gives NASA a mission of making the muslim world feel good about itself. Obama states his opinion that muslims have right to build a mosque but says nothing about the church’s right to rebuild destroyed in Sept 11. Let’s see Obama insults America biggest ally in the middle east and sides with humas in gaza about the miltary bogade while the majority of American were on the side of Israel. With all this interesting stands for the rights of muslims and making them feel good about themselves why would Americans be confuse by a president who never attended church the whole time in oval office and never spoken out for the rights of Christian or praised them for the contribution to the world, look at all the aid the churches are giving around the world has Obama missioned it no. Is the church anti-Jew and hate Israel not really no. Huh I don’t know Deborah just maybe the confusion by Americans whether he is Christian or Muslims has to with his own actions and not the republicans at all. After all as the Bible say by their fruits you shall know them (Matthew 7:20)
Virginia,
your misunderstanding is that the author of this article is a Christian. Like Barack Hussein, she is a christian only in word. Read any of her articles and it is very apparent she is what most professing christians are today, a believer of universalism. Because a man mouth platitudes to garner votes makes him a christian. This author is too ignorant of biblical knowledge to understand just what a darkened state she is in.