Today's poll about the public's belief that President Obama is a muslim (secret or not) is one of those little piece's of information that annoys me. The fact that the White House felt compelled to release a statement reaffirming Obama's Christianity is infuriating. And it's insulting to people who follow the tenets of Islam. Here's why.
President Obama is a committed Christian, and his faith is an important part of his daily life. He prays every day, he seeks a small circle of Christian pastors to give him spiritual advice and counseling, he even receives a daily devotional that he uses each morning. The President's Christian faith is a part of who he is, but not a part of what the public or the media is focused on everyday.
This is part of the statement released by Jen Psaki, the deputy communications director. Quite frankly, I could care less about the president's faith and how he chooses to worship, if at all. I know when Kennedy ran that people were afraid he would take his marching orders from the Pope. I also remember during the 2004 campaign that people were asking what Joe Lieberman would do if there were a national emergency on the jewish sabbath (a Saturday). Personally, I find it fascinating why no one has every asked the same question about any of the christian presidents and what they would do if there were an emergency on a Sunday.
Actually, I don't, and it's all beside the point. The issue here is the fact that in reaffirming Obama's "christianness," the White House has sent the message to muslims and all other non-christians that they are not qualified to sit in the big chair.
If the White House really wanted to address this in a forceful way that really respects the religious and cultural diversity of the nation, it should have released a statement that said something to the following:
As a nation that holds as part of its deepest roots freedom of religion in the form of no official state religion, it does not matter if or how the Office of the President chooses to worship. It is a private matter for the President and the first family. The fact that certain elements of the US public persist in making this private matter a public wedge issue is an insult to all members of the nation who believe the First Amendment of the Constitution protects Americans' private religious choices.
My words, no one else's.
The fact that the White House made the statement to appease the fearful without addressing the larger issue of bigotry speaks volumes to me about how close minded too many in this nation continue to be.