I think I'm gonna be sick....

[churchofreality]

Barack Obama: Putting faith out front

By Ariel Sabar Mon Jul 16, 5:00 AM ET

CHICAGO - On a recent Sunday, the magnetic pastor who led Barack Obama to Christianity was at his usual perch on the dais here, a South Side megachurch where a plaque beneath stained-glass depictions of the African-American struggle reads "Unashamedly Black, Unapologetically Christian."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070716/ts_csm/aobama

I hate to break it to ya Barack, the democrats tried this before, it don't work. Like John Kerry with the fucking duck hunt.

[babylonsister]

1. Do you know for a fact whether Obama is religious or not? If so, how so? nt

[churchofreality]

2. You think he's faking?

[babylonsister]

4. I asked you a question since you sounded like you made an assumption. nt

[churchofreality]

8. He said "I am unapologetically Christian" I think that means he's religious

Just my tiny little brains' interpretation.

[babylonsister]

19. Why would that make you sick? I see nothing wrong with that. nt

[markk]

13. I think 99% of people claiming to be religious are faking it

[Atman]

21. Especially politicians

They're saying it because pollsters tell them it's suicide NOT to say you've found Jesus these days.

.

[11 Bravo]

27. I think that 99% of people who make blanket assumptions about any large group ...

are either lazy or stupid.

[churchofreality]

34. I think there should be a new forum for quoting percentages.

[11 Bravo]

36. 99% of DUers disagree with you.

:hide:

[churchofreality]

37. 100% of posters named Bravo live in their moms basement

[11 Bravo]

39. Sorry, Ace, this is why you need to leave yourself that 1% wiggle room.

I'm a 56 year old father of two. (And 11 Bravo - light weapons infantryman, ie: grunt - was my MOS when I served in the US Army way back while attending classes at the University of A Shau Valley.) But, hey, your's was still a really clever riposte, I never heard Mom's basement invoked before.

[H2O Man]

45. !!! n/t

[WinkyDink]

42. That's an odd opinion. Are you considering, e.g., the world's Muslims?

[Warpy]

6. He's a long time member of Trinity UCC

which is a very liberal congregation in Chicago. No, he's not faking it and no, he's not pandering. He's taking the name back from the thieves and charlatans on the right.

Unfortunately, those thieves and charlatans have given Christianity such a bad name that a lot of us get a little queasy when any politician boasts of the label.

[babylonsister]

11. I had read he was religious in his own way/right; I get tired of people

making assumptions, or thinly veiled accusations, with nothing to back it up.

[H2O Man]

35. Right.

Kind of makes you wonder what their agenda is.

[TahitiNut]

23. The physically ill go to a hospital. The spiritually ill go to a church.

:evilgrin:

[babylonsister]

29. I DARE you to start a thread with that sentiment!

:spray:

[Toasterlad]

47. It's On His Website

He's the only Democratic presidential candidate to a "politics and faith" section on their site, BTW.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. No national politician

does himself any harm by touting his Christianity.

[Ladyhawk]

17. That's why I'm against it.

It's a tool. And it is on the edge of being against the spirit of the Constitution. Personally, I'm against mixing religion and politics no matter what side you're on. For awhile there, I felt differently, but I finally gave in to my gut feeling that religion is bad news.

[MonkeyFunk]

22. oh, I don't like it either.

I'm an atheist, and I wish they'd all shut the fuck up about it. But I was just pointing out the reality that it doesn't hurt any candidate to play it up.

[Silent3]

5. If I had to choose between liberal religion...

...and conservative religion, I'd take liberal any day.

But what I'd REALLY like to see is religion out of American politics entirely. I'm looking forward to the day someone can become President in this country without invoking the Name of God more often than the f*cking Pope.

[churchofreality]

10. I agree with that.

[TwilightGardener]

7. He's got the Freeper-sponsored "Muslim" suspicion about him--

no reason NOT to embrace his Christianity--it only helps.

[churchofreality]

12. I guess in that context, yes it does.

But overall, I think there is a feeling that one needs to court the fundies because of the 2004 election.

[LostinVA]

9. Rev. Wright sounds like a stand up guy to me

Against domestic abuse, homophobia, etc. and for equal rights for ALL? Sounds like someone who took Jesus's words to heart.

Hell, I wish he'd run for office instead of Obama.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Good For Him! I Respect Him For That. I'm Proud As Hell Of Obama.

Not sure why you're sick to your stomach, but I hope you have some tums to aid you.

Thanks for the article though. It's a great read about one of our shining stars.

[churchofreality]

15. I like him alot, I'm just sick of democrats thinking that acting like a republican

Will help you win.

[WilliamPitt]

16. I'm just sick

of people who equate having a religious faith to being Republican.

The GOP does not own the cross, and statements like yours don't help.

[churchofreality]

24. I'm saying that the media tried to convince us that we lost in 2004

because we weren't Christ'ey enough.

[11 Bravo]

25. Thanks, Will.

I am a person of faith (Christian, as it were), and I can't tell you how tiresome it is to regularly see all Christians tarred as RW fundy nutjobs.

[NeedleCast]

18. Being religious = acting like a republican?

I find your math illogical.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

20. I'm Sick Of Those Who Bash The Slightest Whiff Of Religion Every Chance They Get.

So we're not allowed to have deep personal faith now? Fuck that.

Intolerance is ignorance. Like I said, I'm proud of him and what he stands for.

[churchofreality]

26. Have whatever the fuck you want, just don't make a big fucking deal

about it

[NeedleCast]

28. Why? What's the harm?

n/t

[churchofreality]

32. I'm talking about in general, for a candidate.

Because I think the intent is to pander.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

40. That Ain't For You To Decide Pal. There Ain't A Goddamn Thing Wrong With Talking About Ones Faith.

Should gay people stay in the closet? Should minorities drink from different fountains? Should women shut up and just do the cleaning? Obviously those things would be absurd. Telling those with deep faith to shut up and keep it to themselves is just as bigoted and ignorant.

[11 Bravo]

43. Nailed it, OMC.

Even when I don't agree with you, you manage to cut through all the bullshit.

:toast:

[Silent3]

30. I'm sick of people who can't tell the difference...

...between criticizing something, and saying it's "not allowed".

Someone who's tired of candidates wearing their religion on their sleeve = Someone who isn't going to allow anyone "to have deep personal faith now"?

[churchofreality]

33. Thanks for that, you're right.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

41. The 'We' Meant Democratic Candidates.

The poster was oh so disgusted that a Democratic candidate had deep spiritual faith. Put the OP together with the screenname of the poster, and it is fairly easy to ascertain that it goes a bit deeper.

I'd wager that the poster is disgusted not solely because they believe Obama to be pandering (though to think so is fairly ignorant), but because the exposure to deep faith itself disgusts the poster. That's my perception and you're entitled to yours.

[Silent3]

44. Even if the poster in question...

...were disgusted by "exposure to deep faith", that's still not the same thing as the poster saying that you, I, she, he, we, or they aren't/am not/isn't allowed to have "deep faith".

You're focusing on the issue of a pronoun when the whole point of my comment was the difference between criticizing and disallowing. You seem to be under the impression that someone is out to disallow something.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

48. Oy Vey.

Sometimes, a reader must have the mental capacity to figure concepts out for themselves. Since that concept seems to have failed here, I'll explain further.

When I said 'allow', it wasn't meant in the way of its core technical meaning to infer that I actually thought the poster was attempting to outright ban such behavior. That much should've seemed obvious based on the context in which it was said. Instead, common sense would dictate that in the terms it was spoken, there was an 'understood' inherent afterwards, as in : "We're not allowed to have deep personal faith now (without having to be subjected to melodramatic ignorant outrage)?".

See, the latter part was to be understood by the reader, since the premise would've been obvious and of common sense. I'm a bit amazed you perceived it as having meant something different. But what can ya do. :shrug:

[Silent3]

49. It's a matter of overused, overblown rhetoric.

Yes, I know that you know that there wasn't a law or constitutional amendment on the table here barring expression of religion. But whenever I see "allow" used this way, there's quite often an emotional indignation there of someone reacting as if someone else truly is threatening to restrict their rights and freedoms in some terrible way beyond, oh, merely having to face contrary opinions out there in the world.

If anyone has anything to complain about when it comes to public attitudes so strong that they practically have the force of law, it's an atheist. Try running for office being openly atheist. Try actually speaking about atheism on the campaign trail. We all know that's political suicide.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

50. It's A Matter Of Not Being An Intolerant Bigot.

Some here go way overboard in their derision of anything pertaining to religious faith. It's quite sad to see such ignorance. (And no, that isn't directly to you)

[DemGa]

31. I don't see Obama "trying" anything

This is a story about Obama's history regarding religion and his time in the church. And that plaque "Unashamedly Black, Unapologetically Christian" is not specifically related to Obama at all; it just hangs in the church.

[onenote]

38. Precisely what has Obama done that makes you feel ill?

He belongs to a church and identifies himself publicly as christian. He makes no bones about the importance of his faith to him personally.

So far, I see things that he has in common with Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter. Even JFK, whose speech on religious tolerance and separation of state should be mandatory reading for every politician still noted that he would not disavow either his views or his church in order to win election.

[Tarheel_Dem]

46. I agree with you onenote....

I also agree with Al Sharpton who so cleverly said that "it's time for the christian RIGHT to meet the RIGHT christians.

As an African American, (a very loyal Democratic voting bloc), I fail to see how any mention of religion causes such ire by some on the left. If Obama, like Bush, claims to be spiritually lead while at the helm of the Presidency, then I might see a problem. But just mentioning that you're a person of faith shouldn't disqualify one from political office.

[and-justice-for-all]

51. NO PREACHERS FOR PRESIDENT! nt

[SoCalDem]

52. Pandering Politicians are everywhere. all the time.

It's all so infantile. It's admitting that apparently, religious people cannot live one minute of one day without calling on their saviour..:puke:.. Like a big ole blankie..

I long for the days when people worshipped on sunday and spent the rest of the week in the secualr world with everyone else.

[LittleClarkie]

53. He ain't tryin' shit. He is what he is.

And Kerry does hunt btw.

[rucky]

54. Should he have talked about baseball instead? n/t