In the spirit of keeping on topic, after the parade of religious diaries submitted recently, I feel the need to vent. First of all, full disclosure. I am a Barack Obama supporter. I'm also a bit of a deist, that is to say that I don't believe in organized worship, however, I'm willing to hedge my bets that there may be a God although I'm quite sure there is not. I guess I'm complicated to say the least.
This being said, I have felt a lot of anxiety as "Obama's Pastor Problem" has gotten plenty of play on the MSM the last few days. I've tried not to react and get pulled into this inferno, but I feel that I must. According to our Constitution,
No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
While I believe that this quote pretty much speaks for itself, it infuriates me to hear the talking heads to continue to rattle on about how Obama needs to come out and profess and explain to the nation what his religious beliefs actually are. Are we kidding ourselves here? It is 2008, and its as if we are somehow stuck in Medieval times. Every single person has the right to believe in absolutely any religion they like. Or, if they wish they can believe in no religion, this is our right. Spirtuality and religion are private matters, and should be treated as such. To question a man's religious beliefs because of what his former Pastor has said is just plain stupid. For those of ya'll who regularly attend church or such, how many times have you heard something at church that you didn't agree with? I know from my past experiences in the Catholic church, I heard a lot of things that were a bit outlandish and probably not very pc. I believe that sometimes preachers say certain things at times to wake people up, and to get some kind of rise out of their flock.
Does anyone here actually believe that religious or spiritual leaders have some sort of cultist grip on their respected patrons? Do we really believe that a sermon one of these persons delivers is somehow supposed to be a replacement for sound logic, judgement, and intellect?
I don't agree with a lot of the things espoused by many religious leaders, however, I don't hold it against those persons who choose to patronize their respected houses of worship. Religion is a complicated thing, and far be it for me to believe that I can speak with authority on this issue, but this whole episode is just plain idiotic.
And to make matters even worse, is the racist element that drives this entire story. The audacity for a Black Pastor to have an opinion that runs contrary to the mainstream. How dare he blame U.S. policy for the tragedy of 9/11. How dare he suggest that racism and eliticism exists in the good ole U.S.A. It is pathetic that we would simply choose to condone his message because it does not conform to the pc friendly rhetoric that we have been accustomed to.
In closing, I believe that we should be outraged and challenged at times. If we are able to make it through our lives without being offended, something has drastically went wrong.