This afternoon some close co-workers and I were carefully, cautiously, discussing the election. The worst it got was when one woman said, "What do you think Sarah Palin will do after this is all over???" (she's clearly insinuating Obama will be elected) and another said, "She'll be Vice President". If that's the worst it gets, it's a pretty decent conversation.
We talked about how so many mistruths float around and it is important for Americans to do due diligence to search out the truth. We are so fortunate in this country to have so many available resources to learn the truth.
One co-worker talked about the rumors flying around that Obama is Muslim. He said that Colin Powell addressed it last weekend. Colin said that 1) he is not Muslim, and 2) the bigger issue is that if he was Muslim, it shouldn't matter. Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
Except me.
I said that it absolutely would matter to me if Obama, or the candidate I was voting for, was Muslim. Not because Muslims are inherently evil, as many people spreading and believing the rumors seem to think. But because I think that your religion affects, or should affect, everything you do.
That's pretty much where I left it with my co-workers. A few seemed to think it over and possibly agree.
I continued thinking about it on my way home from class tonight when I was traveling 15 fricken mph on 35W South because of the construction.
Being a Christian believer impacts who I am. It impacts the decisions I make, how I act at work, my interactions with others, the way I respond to situations (both emotionally and mentally), what I take a stand for, when I speak up with an unpopular opinion, my approach to problems, etc. It affects everything. And I pray often that it has a bigger and bigger impact on every facet of my life.
If I was President, my fundamental beliefs as a Christian believer and the way I act in accordance to God's will for me, would clearly, unequivocally, impact how I operated in office.
I know what some are thinking... what about separation of church and state? That could still happen, and would happen, but I personally could not separate my beliefs and who I am in Christ from my role as President.
I would expect, or hope for, the same from someone of another religion. For that reason I would have a problem with my President being a Muslim. If the President's religion was, say, Baptist, and I am Lutheran, that would not pose a problem (or at least as big of a problem). But, Islam and Christianity are fundamentally different.
Those are my thoughts. Right or wrong. I am very curious to hear what others think. If you would be so kind and courageous to share, I would love you to leave a comment, or send me an email, with your perspective (and you don't have to agree with me to respond! I am actually even more interested in opinions that are different from mine!).
On a baby note- I enter the 2nd trimester this week! YEAH!!!
annie | six months
6 years ago
4 comments:
I have to completely disagree with you on this subject. A person’s religious beliefs (or absence of), in my opinion, have little to do with his ability to govern and perform his most important duty, uphold the constitution of United States. Whether a president is Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or Hindu he/she should possess certain common values and principals, including honor and integrity.
The belief that somehow Christians have superior judgment over individuals who practice Islam or any other religion is similar to judging a person by his race or gender. Granted people cannot determine their own demographics in the same fashion as they can choose their religious beliefs, yet you have to admit that the vast majority of people on this planet are ‘born into their religion.’ A child born and raised in a Muslim family is very likely to grow up and identify himself as a Muslim just as a Christian child would. Instead of having a problem with a president based on his religion one should focus on his experience and platform of issues he/she brings to their candidacy.
Finally, just as Christians share a common belief in Christ, Muslims share a common connection with the teachings of Muhammad. Yet, the interpretations of the Bible various wildly within Christian factions just as the interpretations of the Koran are wildly debated by Muslims. Generalizing a person’s executive ability and religion has no correlation in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing, Chris! Interesting opinion. I still completely disagree with you. :) I am not trying to insinuate that Christians are superior to Muslims. Islam, however, is drastically different than MY (Christian) worldview, and I am most likely to vote for a candidate that shares my worldview. I'm sure many Presidents or people that hold positions in the government don't necessarily consistently govern according to their fundamental values, beliefs, etc, based on their religion. I think it depends to an extent on how "faithful" or how strong of a believer they truly are-- how consistently they match their actions and words with their religious beliefs. Personally, my religious beliefs impact every facet of my life (including my job, how I manage people, etc). For McCain and Obama, it may not. And some people would argue that it shouldn't. But I personally don't understand how to separate what I believe and my fundamental values from who I am and how I operate.
Thanks again for sharing- I really do appreciate hearing your opinion.
I have to agree with Chris here. In addition to what he said, someone calling themselves a Christian and running for office may surprisingly not follow the values that you believe are Christian. Just because someone labels themselves as one thing doesn't mean they will necessarily believe everything you think a Christian would believe. I think the human race shares a core set of values that can be found in all of the major religions of the world - and this set of values should be what you are looking for in a President.
~ Pam
Whit-
I'm going to have to agree with 55 here...I think we are coming off of our most outwardly religous President in history, and the paragraph where you said:
-"If I was President, my fundamental beliefs as a Christian believer and the way I act in accordance to God's will for me, would clearly, unequivocally, impact how I operated in office."-
could be a direct quote from President Bush before he held office, and many people feel that those feelings (and actions based on those feelings) are a huge contributor to his inability to govern effectively the past 8 years.
This is a not a christian country by definition, and if it is to be governed by one that's fine, IF that person is capable of doing the best job possible for everybody, whether it be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.
I just personally do not agree with the decision for anybody to vote for a candidate, or against a cadidate, based on something you know about them without actually knowing anything about them...
I am aware that America is 80% Christian, but I do not believe that there is only 80% of America that is competent, and I don't feel that only 80% of America should be able to be President...KG said it best "Anything is possible". Obama proved it best, and that's only true in the United States.
Well, that's just my 2 cents...can't wait for the Christmas Party!!
Whitey
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