I found it interesting that, in conjunction with the Alabama and Mississippi primaries, Public Policy Polling thought it would be a good idea to poll the people of my fair state and those in Mississippi to see where those voting in the Republican primary stood on the President’s religion. They found 45% of those polled in Alabama believe him to be a Muslim and 14% consider him a Christian. His numbers were even worse in Mississippi where 52% of those polled believed him to be a Muslim and only 12% a Christian.
Some question the accuracy of these polls which considered responses from only 600 voters. However, maybe the numbers are accurate. Consider the results of similar polling done by Pew Research among conservative Republicans on a national level. In 2009 they found that 18% of conservative Republicans believed the President to be a Muslim. When taking the poll in 2010 the number was on the rise having increased to 34% of conservative Republicans believing him a Muslim.
Maybe the Alabama and Mississippi numbers just reflect a growing trend to believe or paint the President as a Muslim. Regarding the 2010 polling, Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham said he believed the problem the President was having is that“[He] was born a Muslim and that those religious roots affect his governance today. He said that although Obama says he’s a Christian the “seed of Islam” is in him and “the Islamic world sees the president as one of theirs.”
Recently, Graham was a guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and refused to acknowledge the President is a Christian while freely admitting he thought a Republican candidate was a Christian. A week later, Graham apologized stating his regret for “any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama.”
Prior to his apology, it seems Reverend Graham was simply expressing an opinion held by a significant portion of the population. In fact, the Pew polling in 2010 found that 18% of all who were polled still believe the President to be a Muslim, despite his claim of being a Christian.
It seems odd to me that my fellow political conservatives and fellow Christians who continue to try to paint the President as a Muslim refuse to offer any Christian grace that he might actually be just what he proclaims – a Christian. I know what some of you are thinking – blasphemy; but, really? Is it our calling to go around and question the genuineness of everyone who claims to be a Christian?
I realize some will argue that in this case there is no evidence he is a Christian. Okay, let’s go with that. Perhaps he is not. However, there is even less evidence that he is a Muslim. In fact, if he is a Muslim, he is without question the worse Muslim in the history of “Muslimdom”. I know – not a word; but, you get the point.
Just because enough people polled believe something to be true does not make it true. Nor does something become true if you say it often enough. Perhaps it is time to consider the facts and let go of the whole “Obama is a Muslim” mantra. If you are a Republican, or a political conservative, you have many legitimate disagreements and stronger issues to raise concerning the President and his policies (his “birth certificate” is not one of them).
I do get it that preaching to the choir is a lot easier than actually debating the issues. Maybe, I am even wrong. Perhaps, it is true that if you tell a Republican or political conservative something often enough they’ll believe it, despite the facts. I hope that’s not the case.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
If you are convinced President Obama is a Muslim, I would very much appreciate you letting me know the basis for that belief. I am certainly open to looking at the facts. Email me at bob@crosswindsfoundation.org
Some question the accuracy of these polls which considered responses from only 600 voters. However, maybe the numbers are accurate. Consider the results of similar polling done by Pew Research among conservative Republicans on a national level. In 2009 they found that 18% of conservative Republicans believed the President to be a Muslim. When taking the poll in 2010 the number was on the rise having increased to 34% of conservative Republicans believing him a Muslim.
Maybe the Alabama and Mississippi numbers just reflect a growing trend to believe or paint the President as a Muslim. Regarding the 2010 polling, Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham said he believed the problem the President was having is that“[He] was born a Muslim and that those religious roots affect his governance today. He said that although Obama says he’s a Christian the “seed of Islam” is in him and “the Islamic world sees the president as one of theirs.”
Recently, Graham was a guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and refused to acknowledge the President is a Christian while freely admitting he thought a Republican candidate was a Christian. A week later, Graham apologized stating his regret for “any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama.”
Prior to his apology, it seems Reverend Graham was simply expressing an opinion held by a significant portion of the population. In fact, the Pew polling in 2010 found that 18% of all who were polled still believe the President to be a Muslim, despite his claim of being a Christian.
It seems odd to me that my fellow political conservatives and fellow Christians who continue to try to paint the President as a Muslim refuse to offer any Christian grace that he might actually be just what he proclaims – a Christian. I know what some of you are thinking – blasphemy; but, really? Is it our calling to go around and question the genuineness of everyone who claims to be a Christian?
I realize some will argue that in this case there is no evidence he is a Christian. Okay, let’s go with that. Perhaps he is not. However, there is even less evidence that he is a Muslim. In fact, if he is a Muslim, he is without question the worse Muslim in the history of “Muslimdom”. I know – not a word; but, you get the point.
Just because enough people polled believe something to be true does not make it true. Nor does something become true if you say it often enough. Perhaps it is time to consider the facts and let go of the whole “Obama is a Muslim” mantra. If you are a Republican, or a political conservative, you have many legitimate disagreements and stronger issues to raise concerning the President and his policies (his “birth certificate” is not one of them).
I do get it that preaching to the choir is a lot easier than actually debating the issues. Maybe, I am even wrong. Perhaps, it is true that if you tell a Republican or political conservative something often enough they’ll believe it, despite the facts. I hope that’s not the case.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
If you are convinced President Obama is a Muslim, I would very much appreciate you letting me know the basis for that belief. I am certainly open to looking at the facts. Email me at bob@crosswindsfoundation.org
Comments
Comment:
For the record, I don't think Obama is any more Muslim than he is a Christian. I think instead he is very much of the liberation theology mindset like his pastor, Jeremiah Wright and that he believes in this collective salvation non sense. But first and foremost, he is in reality a politician, which in this nation means he stands for nothing but himself.
He just happens to lean Muslim due to his upbringing.
Comment:
In some ways I think it is easier for folks to believe he is a Muslim than in the cult of Black Liberation theology. They understand Islam to some degree they have little understanding of Black Liberation Theology.
Comment:
There may not be any hard evidence that he is Muslim in his actual faith - BUT there is plenty of evidence that he is a huge Muslim sympathizer - moreso than any other president ever. He even apologizes to foreign governments who hate us and evidence that by attacking us and our allies at every opportunity. He even bows to Islamic kings - something none of our founding fathers would have ever done. In fact that is one of the basic tenets of our revolutionary government - NOT to respect royalty over the free man. Does Obama bow to the Queen of England? What other American president has ever bowed to any other foreign leader?
Giving favor to Islamic countries is even more egregious when it is Islamic fanatics around the world that are our most avowed (number one) enemy (their vow - not ours).
Comment:
I believe our president worship's himself, like many in this country. He only uses the Muslims to further his own agenda, which I believe is guided by our Father Himself to bring America to the place He has destined us to.
Comment:
I consider myself a theological, political, and social conservative but I am mortified by this nonsense. With all of the substantive issues we should be discussing why must we fixate on these paranoid delusions? And the worst of it is that when we indulge these claims we are sinning against the command of God. See John Piper's comments on honor made during the last Democratic administration at http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/slaves-of-god-free-from-all-to-honor-all.
Comment:
I traveled in Saudi several times prior to my retirement from U S Pipe. In expanded answer to "is Obama a Muslim" I submit the following:
1) When Obama went to Saudi his wife did not go. Muslim leaders do not take wives on such trips.
2) OBAMA'S BOW WAS NOT TO THE SAUDI KING BUT TO "THE KEEPER OF THE HOLY CITIES OF MECCA AND MEDINA" one of his several titles.
3) Major Garrett (Fox news reporter traveling with Obama) reported on TV that he (Garrett) had a free day because Obama had "gone with the King to Medina". NON-MUSLIMS cannot enter the Holy city of Medina!!!! I sold water pipe for the city of Medina and was not allowed to go there for any reason!!! Once while flying near the city, an Arab got up and closed my window shade telling me that I should not gaze on the Holy city!
(Garrett is no longer with FOX hmmmm?)