A Note to my Conservative Friends (who don’t read my blog!)
Those who will stop at nothing to win power have been spreading the rumor that Barack Obama is a Muslim, and some Americans would hesitate to vote for a Muslim. I’d like to correct that mistaken belief.
Barack Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ. In many parts of the country, this denomination may be little known, and if it is known, it is known as a group of liberals. While it is true that the denomination is progressive, it is as old as the Protestant Reformation.
The denomination itself was formed in the 1950’s with the merger of several smaller denominations. The way of thinking that allowed this merger is captured in the traditional phrase “Unity in essentials, diversity in non-essentials, and charity in all things.” The groups that merged included:
The Congregationalists- located primarily in New England, were themselves a coming together of the Puritans and the Pilgrims,
The Christian Church- a loose-knit movement originating in Virginia and committed to Christian simplicity,
Reform churches- Most Mainline denominations grew out of the Reform movement, driven by Swiss Reformers Zwingli and Calvin. The UCC includes German and Hungarian Reform traditions, as well as strong ties to the Dutch Reformed Church,
The Evangelical and Reformed Church- this movement brought together followers of the Lutheran Reformation with followers of the Calvinist Reform, and included many German immigrants of the 1700-1800’s.
Is the UCC Christian? Absolutely! It is one part of a group called Churches Uniting in Christ, an organization of cooperating denominations that include Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Lutherans. Its roots are as old as Protestantism itself. It has an agreement to share clergy with many major denominations.
Obama has been criticized because his pastor has questioned some of the policies of the modern nation of Israel. Since when do we need to agree with everything our pastor says? And since when does the Israeli government have divine protection from criticism?
Obama has been criticized for being interested in his Kenyan heritage. How many of us are interested in our own genealogy? In the country of our origin? Obama has been successful enough to travel to his father’s land, to visit Kenya. That does not make him less American, anymore than my European heritage and my visits to Europe make me less American.
Obama has been criticized for spending a small portion of his childhood in Indonesia . His mother divorced and remarried. We’ve had divorced presidents, orphaned presidents. Does this disqualify him? In a time when our jobs have been exported overseas, when understanding the world is essential to our national security, it may be that time spent in other cultures is a great asset. And it’s not like he had a choice as a child… He went where his mother went… He obeyed his parent. There’s a commandment about that.
If you are going to vote against Obama, do so because you disagree with more of his policies than with those of his opponents. Not because of nasty fear mongering.