The truth is, religion has always been a pain in the ass issue for American presidents. During the Civil War, anti-catholic feelings were extremely high. Lincoln was constantly besmirched by rumors that he had been baptized a Catholic. Rumors of Franklin Roosevelt being a Jew were non stop during his administration. When Kennedy was running for president, he had to give a special speech to assure everyone he wouldn't take orders from the Pope if he was elected.
Some day Americans will elect a Muslin, or an atheist president and people will say, who cares. I am hoping I live long enough to see it.
Pretty much, Mike. Pretty damn much.
ReplyDeleteHowever…I doubt I'll live to see it, and I've been around for a few years less than you.
While I definitely agree that 20% of Americans believing Obama is Muslim is utterly ridiculous I gotta disagree about a presidents religion being a mute issue. Religion colors peoples opinions on all sorts of things things. The main ones that come to mind are the obvious two - gay rights and reproductive rights like birth control and abortion. So in my opinion a president's religious affiliation (and really the religious affiliation of anyone who is going to pass laws not just the president) does matter.
ReplyDeleteI'm far more nervous about the ones who wear their religion on their sleeve than those who think, as does the Constitution, that it is nobody's business.
ReplyDeleteI don't think religion should matter either. I don't care what you do in your private life whether it's kissing the pope's ring or having orgies every weekend (as long as no laws are broken of course). The only things I find relevant are how well you're able to run a democratic country and can you leave your personal beliefs at the door?
ReplyDeleteNice post, but I can't be confident that I'll be around to see it (and I'm 22). Then again, maybe I'm being too cynical. I wrote a post just this morning on the same issue:
ReplyDeletehttp://sarahcerta.blogspot.com/2010/08/perhaps-youve-seen-recent-headlines.html
Absolutely right, King Mike. This blog is already one I eagerly look for in my feed reader. If you'll forgive a language nerd moment, though, I noticed that you (and one commenter as I write this) use the term "mute issue". At first I thought this was a classic eggcorn ('mute' for 'moot'), but on second thought, it might be a Cupertino effect induced coincidental eggcorn, or perhaps a deliberate pun. As with the best eggcorns, the statement is correct either way. Would you please satisfy my (incompetent wannabe linguist) curiosity by telling me which it is?
ReplyDeleteClem - I would go with the eggcorn.
ReplyDeleteSarah - thanks for the link to your blog. I read your post and I was happy to see atheists are up to 45% -- I bet it was 20% just 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMike, sorry this is OT. I came here from your daughter's blog and have enjoyed what I've read. But I gotta tell you the color scheme is hell on 70 year-old eyes.
ReplyDeleteHis being Muslim, Jew or whatever should not matter Your Highness. But right now the country is still at an Anti-Muslim phase right now mainly because of 9/11 and the fact that we have sons and daughters over in Iraq and Afghanistan with their lives on the line. It also does not help when Obama publicly supports the mosque being built so close to Ground Zero in Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteOur country has been founded on religious freedoms but in different eras of our history has shown bigotry towards other religions.
It will probably be a on going problem for a long time to come. Maybe 10 years down the road the catholics will be persecuted. Who knows?
Don't you people understand! Damn it, freedom of religion means you can be any kind of christian fundi you want. Freedom of choice means the right wing has the freedom to make all of our choices for us. And freedom of speech means they can say anything THEY want with out fear of anyone calling bs on them
ReplyDeleteThe only amendment in the bill of rights that is special is the 2ND - but, everybody knows that.
I forgot freedom to assemble does not include - gays, the poor, Muslims or any other unpopular group of the "others"
ReplyDeleteArticle 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, unanimously approved by the Senate in 1797 and signed by President John Adams, begins:
ReplyDelete"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."
If only we were as civilized now as our founding fathers were back then we wouldn't have half the mess we do today in Washington.
Freedom of Religion remains fundamental. But we ask too few questions about the religious beliefs of our leaders, and how those beliefs affect their world view and policies. Our entertainment based media should not shy away from these important questions.
ReplyDeleteJames Watt, Reagan's Interior Secretary,(in)famously believed the second coming was imminent. Twenty years after, the only way to make sense of Dubya's 8 year foreign and domestic policy is if filtered through the eyes of an Apocalyptic fundamentalist born again Christian. Why conserve, seek peace in the Middle East, steward the resources of future generations, or tax if the world will end in 2012/2020/2050 in rapture?
I don't care if the President is Muslim, Christian, Agnostic, or Pastafarian. But the aspects of his/her personal religious beliefs (in contrast to those espoused by their sect)which form a world view and strategy are fair game. (Nixon being a Quaker helps explain his psychology, but did not diminish his role as Commander in Chief).
If the media had been free to ask Presidential candidates thoughtful and practical detail about their religious beliefs in 2000 and 2004, Bush would have been Baseball Commissioner and Hillary would have succeeded the Gore presidency in 2008...
Well, sure, it makes a difference. It also makes a difference if our leaders think they are a chicken, or think that Mister Rogers tells them how to run their political career from the great beyond, or thinks that their car is also their mother.
ReplyDeleteReligions - all religions - are just different forms of insanity and child-abuse-through-brainwashing. Why would anyone want their leaders to be insane?
Unless they themselves share the same insanity, of course. Then it's all okay.
Don't you people understand! Damn it, freedom of religion means you can be any kind of christian fundi you want. Freedom of choice means the right wing has the freedom to make all of our choices for us. And freedom of speech means they can say anything THEY want with out fear of anyone calling bs on them
ReplyDeleteThe only amendment in the bill of rights that is special is the 2ND - but, everybody knows that.
Sarah - thanks for the link to your blog. I read your post and I was happy to see atheists are up to 45% -- I bet it was 20% just 10 years ago.
ReplyDelete