Weldon McGaw tells us that President Obama “said in one of his many speeches that we are no longer a christian nation.” He further tells us that he “got that from Obama himself” (letter 11-6-09). Neither of these statements is accurate.
The source of McGaw’s quotation is not Obama, but instead he got that from one of many e-mails circulating which misquote Obama.
On June 28, 2006, Obama delivered the keynote address at a conference sponsored by the progressive Christian magazine Sojourners. In his prepared remarks, the following occurs:
“Given the increasing diversity of America’s population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” (Factcheck.org).
When Obama delivered the speech, he stumbled during the part of the passage that includes “no longer just a Christian nation,” but the word “just” is still in the sentence with the intended meaning. To omit “just” changes the meaning of the passage altogether. Obama is warning against the dangers of narrow-minded beliefs that do not accept the virtues and strengths of other beliefs.
Mr. McGaw illustrates the dangers of sectarian thinking in the rest of his letter as he speculates that Obama is a Muslim. He believes that a Muslim should not be president of the US.
General Colin Powell, a friend of the President, said that Obama is not a Muslim, but has always been a Christian. He added a patriotic comment:
“What if he is [a Muslim]? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, “He’s a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.” This is not the way we should be doing it in America.” (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/president bush/2008/10/colin-powell-a.html)
The U.S. Constitution does not require a test of religion for a person to become a citizen, nor does it require such a test for the president. President Obama is not a Muslim, but if he were, this would not disqualify him from being President.
Joe Hall
Shawnee
