Finding His Faith

[babylonsister]

Finding His Faith

So much has been made about Barack Obama's religion. But what does he believe, and how did he arrive at those beliefs?
By Lisa Miller and Richard Wolffe | NEWSWEEK
Jul 21, 2008 Issue


In 1981 Barack Obama was 20 years old, a Columbia University student in search of the meaning of life. He was torn a million different ways: between youth and maturity, black and white, coasts and continents, wonder and tragedy. He enrolled at Columbia in part to get far away from his past; he'd gone to high school in Hawaii and had just spent two years "enjoying myself," as he puts it, at Occidental College in Los Angeles. In New York City, "I lived an ascetic existence," Obama told NEWSWEEK in an interview on his campaign plane last week. "I did a lot of spiritual exploration. I withdrew from the world in a fairly deliberate way." He fasted. Often, he'd go days without speaking to another person.

For company, he had books. There was Saint Augustine, the fourth-century North African bishop who wrote the West's first spiritual memoir and built the theological foundations of the Christian Church. There was Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th-century German philosopher and father of existentialism. There was Graham Greene, the Roman Catholic Englishman whose short novels are full of compromise, ambivalence and pain. Obama meditated on these men and argued with them in his mind.

When he felt restless on a Sunday morning, he would wander into an African-American congregation such as Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. "I'd just sit in the back and I'd listen to the choir and I'd listen to the sermon," he says, smiling a little as he remembers those early days in the wilderness. "There were times that I would just start tearing up listening to the choir and share that sense of release."

Obama has spoken often and eloquently about the importance of religion in public life. But like many political leaders wary of offending potential backers, he has been less revealing about what he believes—about God, about prayer, about the connection between salvation and personal responsibility. In some respects, his reticence is understandable. Obama's religious biography is unconventional and politically problematic. Born to a Christian-turned-secular mother and a Muslim-turned-atheist African father, Obama grew up living all across the world with plenty of spiritual influences, but without any particular religion. He is now a Christian, having been baptized in the early 1990s at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. But rumors about Obama's religion persist. In the new NEWSWEEK Poll, 12 percent of voters incorrectly believe he's Muslim; more than a quarter believe he was raised in a Muslim home.

more...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971/page/1

[Hope And Change]

1. This is a great article.Thanks for posting babylonsister.K & R!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6493842&mesg_id=6493842">Here`s also the cover:

[babylonsister]

8. Thanks for that cover shot/link-nice!

Much better than another cover that's getting (too much) press...

[msongs]

2. he blieves in taking money out of your paycheck and giving it to churches nt

[babylonsister]

3. He does? Do you have a link? nt

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[babylonsister]

5. Yes, what's new? nt

[ellacott]

6. You don't seem to have a problem with Catholic Charities, B'nai Brith

They've been taking your money for years. Where was your protest when they were doing it.

I'd rather the money go to a church than Haliburton, et al.

Selective outrage is a quirky thing.

[ellacott]

7. I forgot to mention

Great article.

[LWolf]

9. Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

Personally, I'm more comfortable with his mom than I am with his faith, but I still found it fascinating.

When he found what he was seeking, I wonder how much of it was the Christ story, and how much of it was a racial pull?

I understand feeling the need to belong to something, to a group of some kind. I'm an only child, and my mom always considered herself a gypsy, moving almost every year, gaining new friends, leaving old friends behind. I craved stability among people all the way through my 30s.

It wasn't until my 40s that I realized all that time spent being the "fringe" of any group, moving on before too long, left me permanently a "lone wolf."

I did the xtian church thing when I was 17. My mom, though, taught me to question. To be open, but to look for certain universal qualities in faith, in people. I found dishonesty, corruption, misogyny, narrow-mindedness, illogic, and bigotry in organized xtian faith. There were many wonderful people, but the message taught, and lived, was problematic.

It didn't fit with what I was driven to seek. So I wonder about Obama, and his calling. And, of course, others who feel called to xianity, as well. Is it the paternal nature of the faith? The deep-seated need for a father figure who will lead you, protect you, etc.? I had that need, as well; my mom divorced my dad when I was 6 months old. The only father figure I ever had was my riding teacher. I even married his stepson at one point, and he was my "father" in truth for more than a decade. I still miss him. Still, I grew up without a father, or brothers, to look out for me; I had to learn to look out for myself. The men my mother had relationships with taught me not to trust men. They were abusive. She eventually looked at what she was doing, who she seemed to be attracted to, and just stopped having relationships. After I was grown and gone.

I find myself curious. I didn't have a problem with the statements made by Wright that Obama distanced himself from. I understand, politically, why he felt the need to do so. I don't understand it, personally. Which is more valuable to him? His political career, or the relationships he's developed through the course of his life? I had a problem with Wright being willing to campaign for one candidate, and against another, from the pulpit. I think that's irresponsible and unethical.

This article discusses faith-based activism. It does so in Obama's typical style: give the big idea, withhold the details. That's smart. It's also not necessarily bad. Or good. That's the problem; without the details, we can't tell how Obama interprets things in action. Perhaps that is deliberate, when trying to win votes from groups with so many different perspectives. I'd like to know this: does faith-based activism mean that, in order to honor your faith, you take action to promote social and economic justice, equality, civil rights, etc.? Or does it mean that you must "win souls" to your faith? Or a combination of both?

From a non-xtian perspective, most of the skepticism for xtian charities, for "faith-based" anything, is because it comes with a price. When a faith-based charity feeds the poor, it is, in essence, "buying" the right to try to convert. I've yet to see organized faith-based ANYTHING that doesn't have proselytizing at the core of the action.

This article leaves me curious about where Obama's faith will lead him. President or not, I want to know what church he chooses next, what faith his girls grow into. Part of it is just the satisfaction that spiritual evolution brings; Obama's mother made it possible for him to evolve in ways that many of xtian faithful don't.

Lest I leave anyone with the impression that I am "anti-christian," I'll clarify: I am definitely anti-organized religion of all stripes. I'm not anti-any faith for individual seekers. I'm anti-"faith-based" anything that has connections to government. I'm against the use of tax dollars by any faith-based organization.

I'm not anti-faith or spirituality. As a matter of fact, I spent yesterday morning watching my almost 70yo mom, a confirmed Buddhist, singing enthusiastically, joyfully, on stage with the gospel choir she is a member of. An ecumenical choir, obviously, since she was allowed to join. She reminds me that, while I will never be called to xianity as a faith, I can respect and learn from the joy they find, and the positive things they do out of that joy.

[ellacott]

11. Wow, you've have a lot packed into that post

And it was wonderful to read. :)

I think one of the problems with discussing religion is that most people pronounce judgments(pro or con) instead of asking sincere questions. You do the latter and provided a lot of food for thought. :)

I am not in a position to answer all the questions in your post but one thing stuck out for me:

"I'd like to know this: does faith-based activism mean that, in order to honor your faith, you take action to promote social and economic justice, equality, civil rights, etc.? Or does it mean that you must "win souls" to your faith? Or a combination of both?

From a non-xtian perspective, most of the skepticism for xtian charities, for "faith-based" anything, is because it comes with a price. When a faith-based charity feeds the poor, it is, in essence, "buying" the right to try to convert. I've yet to see organized faith-based ANYTHING that doesn't have proselytizing at the core of the action."


I was in charge of the Food Ministry of our church and we provided food baskets for those in need. We never excluded anyone who was not a Christian and we never proselytized to them. It was taught in our that an example is a better witness than words. Also, many Christians believe it is a free choice to believe or reject. From what I know of Trinity church there mission is the same. I would think that Obama also has this same belief.

I know I didn't answer all the questions(I may have created more) but thank you for the mental excercise. :)

[LWolf]

12. Better a late reply than never!

I appreciate your response.

Here is something my mom said to me about the choir on Sunday, that really resonated:

"This is the kind of ministry that I think is most effective, and most appropriate. The ministry that lightens people's hearts, brings them joy and hope, moves them in a positive way. Regardless of the faith or the doctrine, that's a ministry I like to be a part of."

[MarjorieG]

10. Richard Wolffe has been one of the fairer on TV, not hedging bets.

Enjoy him on Countdown, and he helps at Gregory's show earlier when on.