After 20 years at Trinity where Pastor Wright appeared to be Obama’s mentor and spiritual advisor, nevertheless, during his presidential campaign, Obama left that church. He believed the controversial statements made by Pastor Wright were damaging his political campaign (The National Center for Public Policy Research: by Deneen Borelli).
Furthermore, when asked by Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times if Obama considered himself “evangelical,” part of his response was:
“Does it mean that you feel you've got a personal relationship with Christ the savior? Then that's directly part of the black church experience … My faith is complicated by the fact that I didn't grow up in a particular religious tradition ... There are passages of the Bible that make perfect sense to me [emphasis mine] and others that I go, 'Ya know, I'm not sure about that.’”
So why the fuss about Obama’s religious affiliation? To me, the answer is simple. Christianity’s most basic tenet is that an all-knowing divine God sent his only Son, Jesus, down to earth where he allowed himself to be murdered by humans as reparation for human sins. How can an intelligent person accept such a heinous crime? How could rational beings build a church on that horrendous premise or become affiliated with such an organization?
If Obama accepts a Christian faith, he must accept its foundational precepts or he is a faker. To put this in perspective, imagine the following tale.
In an unprecedented rage, Michelle Obama kills her White House chef. Why? He had provided each guest at a state dinner with one bright, unpeeled red apple as a salad course. Of course, she had hand-picked the apples from a special tree behind the White House, planted there by Johnny Appleseed on September 26, 1774 (Wisconsin Apple Growers Association).
The apples from this tree have always been forbidden. In the 235 years since the tree’s tiny seed was planted, not a single apple has ever been eaten because of the tree’s historical significance. Instead, the fruit are left to ripen, fall, and rot, re-fertilizing this ancient tree.
Barack Obama is mortified at Michelle’s sins. He is a man of power—he is Commander-in-Chief of the United States armed forces. In addition to murder, his wife has committed the grievous sin of serving forbidden fruit to topnotch world statesmen. Obama must now consider an appropriate punishment for his wife’s sins.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy
Obama should have moved quicker. In March, he had everybody eating out os his hand - the messiah. Why wander into someone else's church when you can start your own and hire a preacher you like to deliver YOUR message to the country?
A shame that Obama does not think outside the box. The boxes he allows his thoughts to run in will bury him.
2 - Joanne Huspek
I'm wondering how religious/spiritual he really is.
It's possible he used Reverend Wright's church as a platform, which would explain how and why he threw his supposed spiritual leader so quickly under the bus.
I don't see any problem with him not belonging to a specific church. Reagan wasn't a churchgoer either, but he didn't attend regularly before the Presidency. I do see a problem with trying to appeal to those who do, and switching gears for those who don't.
Pick a policy regarding church and stick with it.
3 - Jacob
To be perfectly honest, I've always gotten the impression that he's agnostic/atheistic but is attending church for his wife's sake.
4 - Baronius
My hunch is that Obama approaches questions of religion and culture with the detachment of an anthropologist. When asked if he's an evangelical, he analyzes the black church experience. When he talks about becoming a Christian, it sounds like a decision rather than a conversion. He sees himself as better able to approach Islam because he's not pulled into sectarianism.
That said, when they say that he's choosing a church, they don't mean a religion or a denomination; they mean that his staff is trying to pick an acceptable local facility.