Can the (Political) Spam: “Defending the Facts on Obama’s Faith”

OK people: If you get one of those stupid e-mails proclaiming that Obama is a (gasp) Muslim and therefore, just a step or two away from handing the country over to al Qaeda or some other bull$*!+ like that, look no further than Jim Wallis’ post over on God’s Politics.

Even better, read Barrack’s own words in his book, The Audacity of Hope

One point Jim doesn’t mention, and for that matter I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere else in reference to this flap: would it really matter if a candidate were a Muslim? I mean honestly, now! The vast majority of of the followers of Islam are wonderful, faithful, peaceful people. Equating millions of Muslims with the likes of Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Wahabbis who we see in the media day in and day out would be like saying that all Christians are like Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson or the other “Christian leaders” who get all the airtime. You know it’s not true, so why do Christians paint those of other faiths with the same broad strokes?

Isn’t it a little odd that in a campaign where gender and ethnicity are taking a back seat to ideas, we are jumping headfirst into a different kind of prejudice? I seem to remember that Jesus had a little something to say about this issue. The story goes that a man was robbed and left along the side of the road… And who was the neighbor in that story? The person who was despised for having a faith that was different.

Now the fact remains that Barrack Obama is a Christian. Hey, I’m one too. And as a Christian I’m going to love my Muslim and Hindu and Buddhist neighbors just the same. Because God’s grace is freely given to all.