--- In [email protected], Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Obama is a Muslim to "some extent." Obviously he's a thinker > and has explored his spiritual roots to some degree, and that > means that some morals were first "driven home to him" -- willy > nilly -- by Muslim dogma.
Well, no, it doesn't mean that. What makes you think he "first" encountered "some morals" via Islam? He was raised in a secular household. His mother's heritage was Christian, but she wasn't a believer. His father, who had been Muslim, had become an atheist by the time he met Obama's mother and wasn't around when he was growing up in any case. It really doesn't make much sense to say his "spiritual roots" were Muslim on his father's account. According to Obama, his mother exposed him to various religious teachings, presumably including those of Islam, but not as anything he should feel he needed to make a commitment to; she just wanted him to be aware of religion as an aspect of culture. And there's no indication that Islam was "first" among the teachings she exposed him to. "Time" magazine published a lengthy excerpt from his 2006 book "The Audacity of Hope," entitled "My Spiritual Journey," that details all this. After working with various Christian groups as a community organizer in Chicago, he became a Christian when he was 27. (It wasn't a "born-again" type experience; he characterizes it as "a choice, not an epiphany.") Here's the URL of the excerpt in "Time": http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-1,00.html http://tinyurl.com/39z7my It's worth reading the whole thing if you're interested in Obama's spiritual development. To me it doesn't make any difference if he learned "thou shalt > not kill" from a particular dogma -- truth is truth. > > I would guess that most of the Muslim world expects things to get > better if Obama is elected. That makes him a "sorta Muslim" in many > eyes, so the label does stick to Obama depending on whose POV one > looks at him through. The more accurate label would be that of a Christian who has the ability to appreciate other religions, including but not limited to Islam. He's as much a "sorta Buddhist," for example, as he is a "sorta Muslim." > I want Obama to hail his roots and assure us all that this is a > great start for a dialog between the cultures in that he, as > President, could be expected to at least hear them out without > prejudice. I agree, except for "hail his roots." He doesn't have any religious roots to hail. It > will take the wind out of the sails of many terrorists at least. Not likely.
