I went to church Wednesday night for our weekly intercessory prayer meeting. We have dinner before the meeting and, as I was discussing the politics of the day with a few congregants, they expressed to me their reservations about Barack Obama because of his so-called Muslim background. Mind you, I attend a church with a very progressive leaning congregation, so I was taken aback. I tried to explain that Barack's father had at one time been a Muslim, but that he had converted to Catholicism long ago and Barack was never a Muslim. However, one of my friends said that is how these things start and she's going to have to be very careful about who she votes for in the fall based on the fact that we've had so-called Christian candidates who led us down the wrong path.
I was saddened by my conversation with them for several reasons. First of all, they are ignorant of the facts. Second, that they would really not choose to vote for someone based soley on their religion. And third, that they are so adamant, they weren't willing to listen to anybody disagreeing with them! I was just flabbergasted that they refused to hear what I had to say on the subject. Another friend must have seen my dismay and kept unity in the family by changing the subject asap!
My question is this: Are we still that backwards in our country that we will just believe anything that comes down the pike without questioning it or allowing others to question it? These well meaning women believe what an email blast said about Obama without even thinking it could be a smear campaign. Is it me or have we totally lost our minds in this campaign season??
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Weird as it seems, religion does play a part in voting. Look at the number of Catholics that have made it to the office of President versus the number of Protestants. Only one so far... Honestly I think religion would end up playing a part in Joe Lieberman not getting elected if he was running. As a country we are having a hard enough time choosing between Barack and Hillary. Imagine if one of them was Jewish as well.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you friends reaction to Barack is more of a reaction to the mixed race issue subconciously?
ReplyDeleteFrom Andrew's site:
A reader writes:
My own grandmother was a liberal atheist. She campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment. She came from a progressive, politically active, elite liberal farming family in Iowa. She believed in civil rights for all. She treated Native Americans with respect at a time when they were still considered dirty Injuns. And she had no problem getting along with blacks in Seattle before she died.
What my grandmother absolutely would not tolerate, however, was miscegenation.
Blacks, Asians, Jews - all of these were perfectly respectable associates. But marrying one, for a "white person", was completely unacceptable. The ultimate taboo, really. For older people, and people who live in areas that have long been predominantly white, the miscegenation issue is the last bastion of knee-jerk racial identity. And whites are not alone in this. Every well-defined racial and cultural group has this taboo actively at play, even today, regardless of political bent.
no, I'm afraid we have lost our minds.
ReplyDeletei met some dems tonight, doing my vote no on 2 thing here in Florida. One said to me some craziness I had'nt even heard, nor really understood. But it seems Barack is evil incarnate, Who knew?
Sadly, many people are stupid. This has been my observation so far. I guess it's up to the smart ones to educate them. They refuse to use a hoax check.
and don't even get me started on some of the Latino population down here. It's all about race for them.
ReplyDeletefreaks me out. and there is no talking to them.