Pastor-in-Chief

February 27, 2008 By Guest Contributor 18 Comments

The Interfaith Alliance presents the “Top 10 Moments in the Race for Pastor-in-Chief” — basically, the worst abuses of religion in the primary campaigns thus far:

It’s a nice video, but the Barack Obama clips don’t belong there. Is he pandering? Yes. Is he abusing religion? Not at all. He’s using rhetoric to play to a crowd.

Mike Huckabee, on the other hand, is completely serious when he talks about changing the Constitution to “meet God’s standards.”

(via Atheist Media Blog)


[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]

Filed Under: General 18 Comments
  • http://www.rekounas.org rekounas

    I feel bad for all my American neighbours. Yes, I spell neighbour with a ‘u’, same way I spell favour and colour.

    I noticed the religious topic was loud and clear in the debates. What gives? The stronger Atheism grows, the more threatened the Christians feel that their beliefs are all a lie. That is the only explanation I can think of.

    Off to bed now where I will be reading Letter to a Christian Nation.

  • Milena

    I actually like how Clinton answered that “favourite passage from the Bible” question. The Golden Rule is by far the most secular of the three answers.

  • Milena

    Oops, there were four answers to the verse question.

  • Kyle

    Actually, Barack keeps doing these religious things. I don’t think it’s pandering. He is starting to scare me on that front.

    Having said that, I’m still voting for him. I think he’s the best candidate and the call for atheists to sit out the vote is stupid.

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  • Matt

    Maybe I was too young to realize it in the past, but it seems like faith has taken a much more prominent role in the election process than it use to. I don’t remember it being as big of an issue in the 2004 election and even less in previous years. What gives?

  • http://www.atheist.co.za/ Atheist

    Go to PDYM Community for the most current information on all of our Purpose Driven Youth Ministry conferences. Pastors.com http://www.pastors.com Go to Pastors.com if you want to check out hundred¯ of resources by Saddleback Church’s senior pastor Rick Warren. Homeword.com http://www.homeword.com Atheist

  • http://ecstathy.blogspot.com Efrique

    The FSM just spoke to me in a gluten-inspired vision… and told me to give you all the message that what America really needs is a Pasta-in-chief.

  • valhar2000

    Hemant, don’t let your support for Obama blind you: he is a religious nut! However, he is the most benign of the weirdos available, and the other kooks are very dangerous, which is why it is essential to vote for him and against the other whackjobs.

  • Leslie

    I’m not sure why people keep trying to give Obama a pass on these things. He’s number 2 right behind Huck in the Jesus pandering. If Clinton or McCain was giving sermons and handing out pamphlets saying she was a “committed Christian” and proclaimed the “power of prayer” it would be used against them. Same rules apply.

  • stogoe

    The FSM just spoke to me in a gluten-inspired vision… and told me to give you all the message that what America really needs is a Pasta-in-chief.

    I heard that Al Dente won that election back in 2000.

  • koz

    Exactly what valhar2000 and Leslie said.

    I’m an Obama supporter, but I think you’re in denial to claim that his comments didn’t belong in there or that he isn’t abusing religion. How is “using rhetoric to play to a crowd” any different than what the others are doing?

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  • Spurs Fan

    I’m not sure why people keep trying to give Obama a pass on these things. He’s number 2 right behind Huck in the Jesus pandering. If Clinton or McCain was giving sermons and handing out pamphlets saying she was a “committed Christian” and proclaimed the “power of prayer” it would be used against them. Same rules apply.

    Leslie,

    I can’t explain “power of prayer”, nor the “prayer circle” remark he made in the Houston speech a couple of weeks ago, but claiming he’s a Christian has been mostly in response to the oft-quoted cliam that he is a Muslim who swore on the Quran, etc. (I’ve received this false email a few times). So, in his defense, he’s only bringing it up to point out the truth.

    That being said, this entire thing is somewhat offensive to Mulsims, and definitely most of us here who would like to see people swearing on a copy of the Constitution instead of sacred text. Can you imagine this debate in Turkey? Did you hear Prime minister Erdogan swore on the Bible!!!

  • http://blog.myspace.com/johnpritzlaff John Pritzlaff

    This video is too short and does not go into enough detail in my opinion.

    I’m surprised Romney’s “Faith Speech” where he says “Freedom requires religion, religion requires freedom” wasn’t included.

  • Mriana

    I saw this and found it VERY disturbing, not to mention, one of them NEEDS and education about the Constitution. It has survived this long and worked very well. It does NOT need “one iota” of it changed.

    Even this makes me a wee bit nervous about Obama, but I doubt he would violate the First Amendment, or at least hope he won’t.

  • Aj

    You’ll learn the truth but it may take a while
    Because you’re livin’ in a world of denial

    -Joan Jett

  • terri

    I agree with koz et. al. Having lived in a neighborhood with a lot of Farakan supporters, I can tell you that they have learned to keep their religious beliefs private when in public around “others”. They work very hard to create and grow small businesses and improve the lives of black youth (although all are invited – if they know about it) through academic tutoring, mentoring, jobs, etc., all of which is in great need in some poor neighborhoods, and is a welcome service. However, it’s kinda like missionaries in the desert; while they are teaching people to grow food and bringing them water works, they are also converting them with every breath they take, and they are quite accomplished at passing while doing it…
    I find Obama’s consistent, repeated religious events more and more worrisome.