Europeans have a difficult time trying to understand the connection in the United States between politics and religion. In Europe, where mainline, traditional church groups receive substantial financial assistance from the state, religion is kept out of politics. No leader will ever end a speech with “God bless Germany” or “God bless the UK.”
Yet in the United States, where the notion of separation of church and state is frequently a social battlefield, political leaders go out of their way to inject personal religious affiliation into their lives. This is the growing dilemma for President Barack Obama, whose faith is a private matter, yet who is being viewed as a Muslim by nearly one-fifth of the American people, according to recent polls.
The Wars of Religion Continue Between Democrats and Republicans
In a September 1, 2010 column in Human Events, Ann Coulter states that Obama is an atheist and that, “All liberals are atheists.” Coulter cites comments made by Al Gore and Howard Dean and refers to the hypocrisy of Bill Clinton’s church attendance.
Coulter doesn’t mention Republican President Richard Nixon, a Quaker, however, perhaps because of the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s probable impeachment had he not resigned.
Conservative media personality Glenn Beck has also criticized Obama on matters of faith, alleging that he is not a Christian. (Boston Globe, on-line, August 30, 2010) Beck, however, is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormons. Evangelical Protestant Christians do not accept Mormons as Christians, claiming that the LDS church is a cult.
Why 18% of Americans Believe Obama is a Muslim
Obama attended the Trinity United Church of Christ for twenty years, severing his relationship during the 2008 presidential campaign after his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, made statements that were construed as un-American and racist. Wright’s beliefs have also been equated with Liberation Theology. But Obama has always been guarded in his religious comments.
Additionally, Obama entered the debate over the proposed Islamic Center blocks from New York City’s Ground Zero by stating at a White House-sponsored Ramadan celebration that Muslims have a right to build the center. Many Americans viewed this negatively, reinforcing their suspicions that the President is a Muslim. Most Americans know little about Islam, and this has added to the fear and growing intolerance regarding Muslims.
Extreme critics point out that Obama’s paternal family side was Muslim and that his middle name is Hussein. There are even some Americans who believe that Obama took the oath of office using the Qu’ran instead of the Bible. This is, of course, completely untrue. Finally, one of Obama’s first international addresses, given in Cairo on June 4, 2009, focused on the Muslim world.
American Politicians Benefit When Identified with Mainstream Religion
In 1828 President John Quincy Adams failed to be reelected for many reasons. One of the spurious accusations he faced was that he was a “Sabbath breaker.” The first Republican presidential candidate, John C Fremont in 1856, was said to have been born an illegitimate child by the Democratic opposition. Warren Harding, the Republican President elected in 1920, was a notorious womanizer whose escapades in the White House were far worse than the allegations against Bill Clinton. Harding was a Baptist.
Jimmy Carter, whose Christian credentials were questioned by Ann Coulter, was a Sunday School teacher who told the American nation in 1976 that he was a “born again” Christian. Through John F. Kennedy, dubious Americans came to see that there was nothing to fear in a practicing Roman Catholic. His election was a milestone in tolerance for a nation with a long history of fearing Catholics.
Shifting Trends in Politics and Religion in America
The United States may one day have a president who is Hindu, Muslim, or atheist. It is noteworthy that of the current nine Supreme Court justices, none are Protestant. Mitt Romney, a possible presidential candidate in 2012, is a Mormon. So why should it matter what Obama’s personal religious views are?
The extreme political polarization in the United States has centered on Obama’s religion for the same reason the New York Ground Zero Islamic Center has morphed into a national debate. Republicans believe it will help them win control of the Congress in November 2010. The same strategy was used in the reelection campaign of George W. Bush in 2004 when the so-called culture wars focused on gay and lesbian marriages. Issues, even non-relevant ones, bring people to the polls on Election Day.
Brian Williams, NBC news anchor, interviewed President Obama in New Orleans on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (MSNBC). During that interview, Obama addressed the Pew survey which disclosed that so many Americans believed him to be a Muslim. Obama denied being a Muslim and stated that he was a Christian.
The religious beliefs of political leaders may always be an unwritten criterion for public service. In America, this is steeped in historical precedent. But in a post modern world, religion – and even the term “Christian,” takes on new meanings. The danger can be that religious affiliation may become a distraction from good leadership. Significantly, the Constitution prohibits any religious tests for public office. And separation of church and state should extend to the qualifications for political leadership.
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