In case you missed it, (I did!) Newsweek had a good article on Obama's religious beliefs. You can read it here. Obviously everything Obama or McCain says right now about their religious beliefs is carefully calculated so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but this article provided some interesting information on Obama's background, how he came to decide to follow Jesus, and some hints about what he feels 'following Jesus' means. It's a good read and helps clear up some of the misinformation out there. (No, Obama is not a closet Muslim!!) In fact, in my opinion his life history compared to McCain's shows a stronger pattern of following Jesus. Obama researched multiple religions, made a conscious decision, was baptized, and was an active member of a church (until that recent flare up!). McCain is not a member of a church although he does attend one sometimes. He has also stated that he found great comfort in prayer while a POW in Vietnam. I'm certainly not saying I agree with all of Obama's theology (or McCain's for that matter). And I'm not saying that Obama's policies are more 'Christian' than McCains. I'm just saying from a life event standpoint Obama has a solid Christian history.
On a side note, I'd like to officially declare myself as firmly undecided. I'm attracted to things about both candidates. Right now I'm leaning towards McCain because his strong pro-life stance tips me in that direction. However, there is much more to leading this country than being pro-life so I'm still trying to balance out all the issues. On the other side, personally, I feel it would be a huge benefit to our country both domestically and abroad to show the world (and ourselves) that we can elect and follow a president that is both black and has a Muslim sounding name. I really like the fact that I'm basically OK with either Obama or McCain - a complete opposite from 2004 where I didn't really want either one.
My wife would accuse me of being sucked into the Obama media frenzy. I don't know about that, but I am intrigued by him. I think he dominates the media not really because of bias (although I'm sure there is some of that), but mostly because he is an infinitely more interesting story than McCain. Of course, a more interesting story doesn't make a better president.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
That's what is so hard about being Catholic (haven't determined yet if you are) is that we are called to vote Pro-life first.
I feel that neither side is going to change the other's mind and the best we can hope for is the reduction of unwanted pregnancies.
But maybe God has a miracle in store.
Hmm. Obama's story is more interesting than McCain's? Maybe he's not sharing enough about his POW days. Not that I blame him- I just find it hard to believe that a man raised by his grandmother is a more interesting story than a war hero. (everybody and his dog was raised by his grandma.)
Stopping by from your sister's blog!
No, I'm not Catholic. I guess technically, I'm Baptist (Yikes, hope that doesn't turn you off!). Really, I'm just about following Jesus - whatever you want to call that.
I agree, McCain is very private about his personal life which makes stories about him less interesting. Of course, if Obama was quiet about his personal life, he'd have nothing left to talk about. He hasn't been around long enough in politics!
Post a Comment