I go to church every Sunday - but, being a pastor, that’s sort of a hazard of the job. It’s not like I can simply decide one Sunday to just ignore the alarm, roll over, and not show up. More than a few people would take note – and I don’t think I’d be in the pulpit for very long after being AWOL a few times.
Conservative Christians are beginning to take note that President Barack Obama is AWOL from church on Sunday mornings – since he has not yet chosen any church to be “officially” affiliated with during his term in office. At least one rightwing columnist has issued “A plea to the president to attend church” and expressed his disappointment that the president has not yet chosen a regular house of worship:
Before your inauguration, a reporter asked me if you might choose not to attend church. I responded that this was very unlikely because you frequently claimed that your faith is genuine and that you derived insight and direction from worship and prayer. Moreover, you appeared to want to provide a church home and experience for your family. I added that your desire to set a good example and maintain positive relations with religious conservatives, many of whom criticize your positions on various moral and political issues, also made your regular church attendance likely. So far, Mr. President, I have been wrong.
Gary Scott Smith, in addition to smarting a bit over being wrong about his predictions about Obama, believes the president would not only benefit from a sermon and some singing each week, but would also serve as a national role model and encourage others to warm a pew each week themselves. Perhaps. But, is that the real agenda behind encouraging this particular president to get thee to church?
I don’t remember anyone issuing a call to President Ronald Reagan to hurry up and pick a home church. Reagan hardly darkened the door of a church building, yet is lauded by religious conservatives as a holy man after God’s own heart. George W. Bush was an infrequent guest at a house of worship but was applauded by the religious right for his strong faith. Oddly, two of the presidents most vilified by the right wing – Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, were both regular church goers during their terms.
But, President Obama has far more to prove to the right wing base than Clinton, Carter, Reagan, or the younger Bush. As recently as last April, eleven percent of Americans persist in believing that Obama is not a Christian at all but is, in fact, a Muslim, according to a Pew Center Research poll. The percentages are, of course higher among Republicans (17%), white evangelical Protestants (19%), and frighteningly a full 10 percent of mainline Protestants continue to buy the lie about Obama’s religion.
Seeing President Obama go to a Christian church each week could put some minds at ease about his true religious preference, or, knowing the right wing, could actually pour more gas on the fire and leave Obama open to charges of “faking it” to fool us into believing he’s a Christian and not a secret Muslim plotting the overthrow of democracy in favor of Sharia law.
Personally, I don’t care if President Obama goes to church. As a pastor I know first-hand that church attendance and personal values or morality rarely go hand-in-hand. I know many regular church goers who will still turn their back on a neighbor, kick their dogs, cheat on their spouses, and rob their own grandmother blind if it meant they’d profit in some way. As the old saw goes, “Being in church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car.” I’d rather judge President Obama on Jesus’ standard of morality than on the frequency with which his butt hits a pew.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the harrowing story about how God (represented as a king) will separate the sheep from the goats – those who knew the right thing and did it and those who profited off the backs of the poor and outcast.
He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:33-40 (NRSV)
A gander at the poverty rates in our country gives you an idea of which president, churchgoing or not, did the most for “the least of these.” Under George W. Bush’s tenure in office, poverty rates soared from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 13.2 percent in 2008. Nearly 40 million people live in poverty in one of the richest nations in the world and their numbers grew significantly during on Bush’s watch. In addition, 43.6 million people under the age of 65 are without health insurance, leaving them open to financial ruin if they become ill.
These are just two indicators of how the “least of these” are faring in our country, and the picture looks bleak. Presidents who talked a good game on faith like Reagan and Bush, saw poverty rates climb during their administrations (the poverty rate hit a whopping 15.2 percent in 1983 under Reagan), proving that “the least of these” were the least on their minds as they brought profits to the captains of industry and made the gap between rich and poor into a yawning chasm.
Obama made a big show out of consulting pastors from diverse backgrounds like Rick Warren and Bishop Gene Robinson early in his tenure. These sorts of public displays of piety seem to have receded a bit in recent months. That makes me wonder if religion is just for show or if Obama might truly have a moral base that favors "the least of these."
I, for one, won't be judging Obama on his church attendance or how many pastors he surrounds himself with. What matters is if steps up and works tirelessly to implement real policies that help “the least of these.” If Obama's efforts raise people out of poverty, gives them the health coverage they need to withstand a health crisis both financially and physically, and brings this country to a better understanding of what it means to live in true harmony with one another, then he will have accomplished more than any other president who regularly sat in a pew.
How do you know that President Obama's Christianity is a sham? Could you share some of the things that you have learned about him and what research you have done on this topic? It would be so helpful to those of us who do not know that the Presient lacks integrity.
I stopped attending church. Churches don't amount to much when their is a giant national flag on display and the language of the lay people is worn-out market fundamentalism or, even worse, Christian fundamentalims.
Good grief, I hope the president stays a way from that branch of the churches.
It is quite possible to hold different views on various ethical questions. This is clearly spelled out in Book 4 (On Human Values) of the free ebook series “And Gulliver Returns” (http://andgulliverreturns.info) We use quite different basic assumptions (self-centered, God based, or society based) and build upon that assumption with varying types of evidence (such as: historical, empirical, authoritative, etc.). So in the issue of abortion a fundamentalist Catholic, being God-based, might accept, from authority, the idea of recent popes that the soul enters the ovum with the sperm. He would therefore be anti-abortion. Another God based person might accept the traditional Jewish idea that human life starts at birth, so could be accepting of abortion.
A person can also hold different assumptions and use different sources of evidence in different ethical situations. For example, a religious athlete might use a self-centered assumption and empirical evidence to justify his use of steroids. What we want in a president who is one who uses society based assumptions and empirical evidence to make policy. A God based person might, or might not, fill this bill.
Thank you,I have been saying these same things for some time now... ever since my grandmother sent me a hysterical "OMG Obama is a Muslim" spam-email. Being in church does not make you a more moral person; being out of church doesn't automatically make you evil.
Not being Christian myself, I have an outside view of all of this "church-going" stuff ;) But, I have noticed that some church people tend to use that as their justification for doing whatever they wish. Those persons who are Christian tend to live their faith as opposed to telling you about it.
Is that not the basis of Christianity? A personal relationship with Jesus... as opposed to a public "See me, I've got God"...
Perhaps I misinterpreted that bit.... but I doubt it ;)
If there was such a thing, how would we know it? When you are part of a church, the personal relationship with Jesus is a mutual profession of the group. You know your relationship is real because the group tells you, and you return the favor by telling them how real their relationships are. If your relationship is a private matter and not part of a church, nobody knows about it. A personal realtionship with Jesus could only be real up to the time when it is churched.
Are you saying that we cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus unless we profess it in a group? How does the group tell you that you have a personal relationship to Jesus? Is it necessary that others know you have this personal relationship? I have never heard about this. Is this a Roman Catholic rite or another Christian Church rite? It isn't possible to have a personal relationship with Jesus outside of a church?
Any relationship with Jesus inside a church is defined by the church. Nobody looks at it that way, but clearly that is happening. Who feels a stronger relationship with Jesus, progressive Christians or conservative evangelical Christians? I think all progressives have at least some doubt, and the faith of the conservatives is much stronger. As the people in the church are led to be less and less the way Jesus actually was, their faith in their relationship with Jesus multiplies. This must mean their relationship with Jesus is actually church driven, and has nothing to do with Jesus himself.
As an active chuch (and choir) member all my life, I am not at all bothered that Presudent Obama has not joined a church. Active church membership is time-consuming and Mr Obama has enough on his plate already. Attending a local church would present security problems and probably seriously inconvenience other members of the congregation. And finally, what is important is what Mr Obama does as president and not whether he wears a church membership on his sleeve. -- Edd Doerr, Pres., Americans for Religious Liberty, www.arlinc.org
It won't put their minds at ease. Because 1. They don't really intend to ever change their minds about Obama. And 2. They wand someone to hate, they hate Islam, and they like having a president in the other party they can demonize by associating him with stuff they fail (and refuse) to understand, Islam included. Sorry for being cynical, but the idea that he should go to church to pacify his critics is also very cynical. Church is his business and should not be a matter of politics. It's a matter of the soul, the heart, the reaching out to God (or whatever, if anything) that each individual addresses in his or her own way. I hate that religion is politicized, but that's been the way of civilization since ancient times. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't, you know, change it and actually evolve into something better.
I applaud Obama if he has decided there are more more important things to do than warm a pew like a pawn for religious leaders.
So, if your the president, some religious leaders expect him to be the church's whore.
Doesn't every American citizen have the right to their own religious beliefs and the right to change them....freedom FROM religion.
More importantly, Maybe Obama knows that that would be a horrible example to his children and the people of the US.
There's a saying in the Catholic Church, that was shoved down my throat despite leaving the church as a priest child rape victim for my own safety and the safety of my future family. It goes like this: Once a Catholic always a Catholic...another guilt/control trip to keep those victimized in the pews.
Even Jesus's disciples (I'm of no faith) criticize Jesus for healing on the sabbath and working on the sabbath by pulling an animal out of hole.
Also as a parent, I applaud Obama and his better half if they have opened their eyes that sitting their daughters in a pew as pawns to please church leaders is not in their best interest; and is an insult that any church believers expect them to deny their own convictions to appease the masses. That would be fraud in the moral sense.
So, it is especially true now for church leaders to take note that they should remove the beam out of their own eye before removing the speck out of their brothers'.
So, you can keep your toxic doctrine, but don't think you can fool ALL of the people all of the time.
Obama and his better half are setting a good example for child rearing. Some of us don't have it that easy. What if you and your better half are divided on the pew issue and the church seems to be dedicated to preventing the discussions that you are dedicated to demanding?
How are you doing?
I'm sorry your suffering the division of your family that many church leaders perpetrate. Filling their pews are more important than anything, even your family.
I know, been there, I'm still trying to recover, heal from my own pain and protect others.
I can just tell you my own experience, you gotta decide how u will cope with this for yourself. I wish I had a majic wand, I truly do.
I got my oxygen mask on first (like they we are instructed to do in airplanes if you want to save/help your kids or others) and get professional treatment/therapy from trusted sources.
All the best
Who do you trust? I live in a conservative part of the county where secular sources seems to mean religious, just a little less evangelical than all the others. Their advice is if you have different opinions from your wife, don't talk about them or you will have an unhappy wife.
That's a good question. I ask the same thing for myself.
you may want to go to SNAPnetwork.org
Tthere's a link to how to find a therapist and questions to ask when interviewing counselors. It's a resource website for victims of clergy abuse.
There also may be a support group link in your state or area. That group might be a good resource in finding professional indepentant couselors without hidden religious agendas.
You may want to look for one that specializes in religious abuse...Sadly, because of all the religious abuse, there are many who specialize in religious abuse and are also Family marriage counselors.
Ask alot of questions until you find the right one for you. There are good and bad therapist out there.
I'm no expert, just a survivor, yet, do reasearch on-line..in your state, interview as many counselors as necessary.
It may take a very long time even with the best therapist until you can build trust if you have suffered from betrayal by trusted religious authority figures.
I hope this helps you by sharing resources and information. And be gentle with yourself!
all the best
I think the problem is Christianity because it has divided my family along the lines of me against everyone else. If I found someone without any hidden religious agenda we would probably have nothing to talk about. If only people could start to see the flaws in Christianity, then perhaps the religion could end, and people would be happier and my family could come back together.
Their biggest mistake was selling their soul to the party of the rich. Christian vanity wedded to Republican greed has turned out to be a damaging union, and the fallout harms us all. You can't blame the Republicans, they are just being Republicans, but Christianity needs to repent of what they have done and ask the rest of the world for forgiveness.
I think minority's are so desperate to have a minority president,that they will vote for who ever.If Obama gets president and screws up.What will the minority community have to gripe then.I don't have a problem with a minority president.I just think their is a better choice besides Obama.I hope if Obama gets elected he is a good president.This country needs someone to turn thing around.But be careful what you wish for you just might get it.
Acai Force Max
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