No, NOT Mike Huckabee. That would be too easy. Not even Hillary Clinton, whose husband’s history of trying to God-ify the White House is lengthy and well documented. No, this little nugget came from none other than Barack Obama.
Jacques Berlinerbrau, of Georgetown’s Foreign Service school, makes some interesting points about how liberal secularists - myself included - seem to set a double standard with our candidates. Religious orthodoxy is scorned by secularists when it comes from the usual suspects (Evangelicals, Republicans, Catholics), but is at best, brushed off or even conveniently ignored when it comes from “one of ours.”
Seeing a quote like this doesn’t make me dislike Obama - he, like every last man, woman, and child in this country is entitled to his faith, his opinion, and his right to speak it aloud. It does, however, make me further dislike that this country seems unable to accept a political candidate that doesn’t take his or her turn pounding the Bible.
Will we ever get over ourselves long enough to elect a legitimate secularist, an agnostic, or - heaven forfend - a bona fide atheist? Somehow I doubt it. Despite the lip service public servants, both liberals and conservatives alike, pay to obeisance to the constitution and the First Amendment’s prohibition against the establishment of a state religion, it remains unacceptable for politicians to be anything other than “people of faith” (preferably Christian). Or at least, “people who use their position as candidates to broadcast at least the appearance of piety.” Disappointing? Yes. Change my vote? No.
On Faith: Georgetown Blog
