When Religion is More Important Than Governing

This morning, a retweet from one of the Fox News stations opined, out loud, if the President should not be more open about his religious position. This follows a number of surveys that indicate as many as a quarter of Americans think he is Muslim. This is probably the same group of people that think Iraq had something to do with the September 11, 2001 attacks, but I digress.

On another site, I found this interesting evaluation:

United States Constitution Article VI, paragraph 3

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Of course, this begs the question. If the Constitution says no religious test shall ever be required then the issue is moot right?

If only it were that simple. Let's face it, most in the United States choose to hide behind the Constitution when it suits them, such as the issue of gun rights, but choose to ignore it when it is less convenient, such as the issue of being granted citizenship at birth. And those that are screaming loudest for the President to reveal his religious beliefs are those that are also most willing to shred the Constitution when it is inconvenient to their argument.

Religion is a personal issue. To make it more than that is to devalue the entire purpose of religion. Who you worship is between you and your god, and who the President worships, is completely and utterly not the business of the American people. Sadly, most seem to feel this is not the case.

Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow

An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ. A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow". (BBC News)

I just about fell out of my chair laughing when I saw this. And it was done by an Anglican church (as Robin Williams would say, it's Catholic light - same rituals, half the guilt). They certainly have stirred up a hornet's nest by going after one of the most sacred cows in all of the Catholic Liturgy.

If you follow along, you will note that I accept nothing at face value, and certainly most of the Liturgy just does not do it for me. There is nothing miraculous about Jesus's birth. Fishy, circumspect, curious, but not miraculous.

The point of the billboard is, as pointed out by the church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, Is [Christmas] about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus? I guess the vicar has not been paying attention to the message the religious right has been touting, in Jesus's name of course. Love thy fellow man, just do not love thy fellow man.

That of course is only some of the discontinuity between the message and the meaning but the point here is that many Catholics will find it offensive. To which I say too bad. It is long past time to wake up and start questioning the marketing material. It is not a question of faith. It is a question. And it does not pass the smell test.

Interpreting interpretations.

"I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view, his own confused theology," Dobson said, adding that Obama is "dragging biblical understanding through the gutter." (CNN)

Ah, I was expecting someone would step into the mess, but I thought it would be someone more radical. Not that Dobson is not a radical.

It is amazing how much the Religious Right want. Take this quote from Dobson: "Evangelicals are people who take Bible interpretation very seriously, and the sort of speech he gave shows that he is worlds away in the views of evangelicals."

Interpretations? If you are going to interpret the Bible, shouldn't you actually read and understand the whole book and not just selected sections or passages that say what you think they should say?

The Religious Right has been trying for years to dictate their view of morality on the population of the United States. And if Obama will not come out and say it, let me. The Emperor Has No Clothes. That goes for Mr. Dobson and the rest of those who follow his leanings.