I'm becoming more and more alarmed by the HATRED I see among Americans who profess to be Christian. Their religion is becoming more like a religion of HATE. Actually they are becoming mirror images of those THEY perceive as their enemies. Islam is not the enemy. The enemy is HATRED. Extremist fundamentalist Christians are just a much a threat to civilization as are extremist fundamentalist Muslims. There are many smear e-mails AGAIN making the rounds on the Internet trying to accuse President Obama as being a closet Muslim, or praying with the Muslims. Most of the accusations and so called proof in these e-mails were circulated before the election and have long ago been debunked, proven fake, and frankly becoming absurd to be reading them again now.
Along with the numerous smear e-mails were the "robocalls," received during the Presidential campaigns. These phone calls delivered messages over and over again connecting Obama with terrorism, infanticide, and other ridiculous accusations. I find these tactics ugly and sleazy. I do not agree with all of President Obama's policies and decisions during the past 14 months, but as someone who protested the illegal, "pre-emptive" Iraq war, I obviously didn't agree with President Bush's horrific deadly decisions either. Nevertheless I question why NOW, after a black man was elected as President, there seems to be increase of Americans (i.e. Tea Partiers) who are suddenly energized to question THIS President at THIS time.
Where in the world were the majority of "devout Christians" during the Bush years? People quoted Romans 13 when I questioned the Bush Administration's decisions. I was accused of being "against God's plans" and against God's chosen leader. NOW, under a black President, it seems perfectly OK to question THIS Administration? A person can believe that whatever BUSH did as President was under God's guidance and NOW believe that whatever Obama does is NOT under God's guidance? That wouldn't be using the essence of Romans 13. We can't have it both ways. What many devout Christians are saying now is that Bush was God's chosen President, but Obama is NOT God's chosen President? If so, then THROW out Romans 13 and perhaps some other portions of the Bible too!
Personally I believe that with Obama's background, he is more agnostic rather than being a Muslim or being a devout Christian. I believe that his grandparents, who raised him were atheist and his mother was leaning more towards atheism or agnotism too. I believe that because of Obama's schooling, especially overseas, that he experienced aspects of the Muslim faith AND the Catholic faith (he attended a Catholic school too). His religious background is more diverse than the typical American's experiences. In his book: The Audacity of Hope:
"I was not raised in a religious household. For my mother, organized religion too often dressed up closed-mindedness in the garb of piety, cruelty and oppression in the cloak of righteousness. However, in her mind, a working knowledge of the world's great religions was a necessary part of any well-rounded education. In our household the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology."
"On Easter or Christmas Day my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites.In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well."
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