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This story hit me as I sometimes find myself thinking the same thing that Powell criticizes. Food for thought.
Link.
Obama "is a Christian," Powell said. "He has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, 'What if he is?'It's smarter to appease 76.5% of the population than .5%.
What if he is, after claiming he was not? Or if he was and admitted it from the beginning? Those are two different issues. I agree the second one shouldn't be an issue, the first one on the other hand ...
I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
The only reason I think it could possibly be an issue if he was a muslim and open about it from the beginning, is whether he is a Nation of Islam muslim or not.
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I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
workers in the vinyard? dont tell me: the drinker of the wine doesnt care where their feet came from only that they were clean when they trod the grapes...
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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workers in the vinyard? dont tell me: the drinker of the wine doesnt care where their feet came from only that they were clean when they trod the grapes...I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
Nope. Way off ... and kind of weird.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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The only reason I think it could possibly be an issue if he was a muslim and open about it from the beginning, is whether he is a Nation of Islam muslim or not.I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
I wasn't aware that Nation of Islam had a chapter in Indonesia.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Obama is a Christian whose religious views have evolved in his adult life. In The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists") to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." In the book, Obama explains how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change."[163][164]
I wasn't aware that Nation of Islam had a chapter in Indonesia.The only reason I think it could possibly be an issue if he was a muslim and open about it from the beginning, is whether he is a Nation of Islam muslim or not.I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
I meant from the beginning of his run for president. If instead of joining Rev. Wright's church, Obama had instead joined the Nation of Islam, then it might concievably be an issue.
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I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
The parable concerns a vineyard owner, who hires some workers in the morning, and offers them a certain payment, which they accept.
Later in the day, he hires more workers, offers them the same payment as the previous group, which they accept.
Later still, he hires even more workers, offers them the same payment as the other groups, which they accept.
The earlier groups realise what is happening, and start a riot, complaining that they have been working all day for their payment, while these late-comers are getting paid the same amount for a fraction of the work. Lots of argy-bargy ensues, and people are killed, and everyone is unhappy, but the vineyard owner stands his ground.
The parable concerns the fact that many of the people (who were born into their faith) were decrying Christ for consorting with gentiles, and saw themselves as being more deserving of a heavenly reward than those pagans who converted later in life. It can also be taken to relate to religions and sects in general. The fact that your church is older, does not make you more holy. You should be working together, not arguing who got there first.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
The parable concerns a vineyard owner, who hires some workers in the morning, and offers them a certain payment, which they accept.
Later in the day, he hires more workers, offers them the same payment as the previous group, which they accept.
Later still, he hires even more workers, offers them the same payment as the other groups, which they accept.
The earlier groups realise what is happening, and start a riot, complaining that they have been working all day for their payment, while these late-comers are getting paid the same amount for a fraction of the work. Lots of argy-bargy ensues, and people are killed, and everyone is unhappy, but the vineyard owner stands his ground.
The parable concerns the fact that many of the people (who were born into their faith) were decrying Christ for consorting with gentiles, and saw themselves as being more deserving of a heavenly reward than those pagans who converted later in life. It can also be taken to relate to religions and sects in general. The fact that your church is older, does not make you more holy. You should be working together, not arguing who got there first.
I'm out of cookies. Would you accept a hot cross bun? It has raisins.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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I meant from the beginning of his run for president. If instead of joining Rev. Wright's church, Obama had instead joined the Nation of Islam, then it might concievably be an issue.I wasn't aware that Nation of Islam had a chapter in Indonesia.The only reason I think it could possibly be an issue if he was a muslim and open about it from the beginning, is whether he is a Nation of Islam muslim or not.I'm very confused.
Does anyone who has read the new testament and understands and confesses to believe in Jesus Christ really care if Obama was at some point in his life a Muslim?
The parable of the workers in the vineyard ring any bells for them?
I agree then. It's a non-issue.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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In the book, Obama explains how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change."Ah! So for him religion is a tool for manipulation of the community...not a factional belief structure to which he feels obliged to prove his membership in.
If you want to misread "power" as "manipulation" (a strictly repressive view of power), ignore the note about his religious beliefs evolving, see "social change" as irrelevant to religion, and misread "came to understand" as represents 'the sum total of his interest and commitments', then yes, in that limited case, you would be right. I don't feel Christians being are obliged to prove their membership to other Christians though.
EDIT: In fact, I think the Parable of the Tares kind of undermines any attempt to demand 'proof' of faith.
