Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

Glenn Beck and Obama's Religion: Presidential Piety Wouldn't Be Enough

1 year ago
  0 Comments Say Something  »
Text Size
I'm gonna make this so clear that even y'all in the lamestream media can understand it.
1) Saturday's Glenn Beck march was not about politics, not at all. We know this because Beck said it, and the New York Times did, too. Plus, there were no political signs at the rally, as per Beck's specific request. Yes, Sarah Palin was there, but "in a new role," as a soldier's mom. To review: It was not about politics.

2) Instead -- hell-o -- it was all about God, turning back to God, after "walking in darkness for too long." (Can you think of things that are dark? Let's see: dirt, night, sin, what am I leaving out?)

3) Speaking of God, however, right after the march that was not about politics, Beck could hardly help but suggest, on his network, Fox News Channel, that Obama's God was not, as he said at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in '04, "an awesome God" but a God experienced through a version of Christianity "that's not something most Christians recognize.''
One final time, for you in the back who might be snoozing: March is not political, march is about God, and Obama's God is highly suspect. Questions?

President ObamaOf course, even before Saturday's Beckapalooza, nearly one in five Americans said they believe our Christian president is Muslim. And Monday night on MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews," Howard Fineman joined the chorus suggesting that some of the confusion over Obama's faith is his own fault.

"Barack Obama probably should have joined a church here. . . . Some things in politics you have to do at least for the symbolism."

Now, as a big fat believer, I find this offensive; just as you don't have to wear a pin to prove you love America, you don't have to pick a church to prove . . . anything. What a system, where everything a person in public life does is assumed to be cravenly political -- but the absence of said craven political maneuvering we call just plain dumb.

This is not to say that there isn't some truth to what Howard said; the day the Pew Research Center survey came out, Politics Daily's Carl Cannon and I had the same argument:

CC: "He should have picked a church.''

MH: "Reagan didn't go to church.''

CC: "Reagan's middle name wasn't Hussein."

Because Obama's is, he could carry a Bible under each arm, do a spirit-filled dance in Lafayette Park or kneel in St. John's across from the White House every time the doors were open and doubts would still be there for Beck to exploit. Yet at the same time, I find it difficult to believe that on the eve of an election that's about jobs, jobs and jobs, the man who came to our attention in a speech in which God figured so prominently is losing the public over his lack of piety. More likely is that by checking the box marked "Muslim," Americans are expressing an inchoate, free-floating "you are not like me" anxiety -- some of it racial -- that no amount of presidential prayer in the public square would address.

Instead, Obama had better pray that he can make the even larger case to a public that elected him and still wants to believe it chose wisely: Tonight, and every night between now and Nov. 2, he needs to explain what his watch has been about, and why, despite challenges on every front, it's been better than we might think.


Follow Melinda Henneberger on Twitter.

Our New Approach to Comments

In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.

Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum Comment Moderation Enabled. Your comment will appear after it is cleared by an editor.

18 Comments

Filter by:
RW1951

You failed to mention that Obama spent 20 years at a church lead by a minister that preached "hate America". Is your new approach to comments simply an attempt to censor comments that present alternative views ? It seems that democrats are finding more and more ways to disguise suppression of free speech. It has become the Obmama way of squashing opposing views.

September 12 2010 at 12:50 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
jasonhahnfl

What a nice article... I wish schools taught people to be more open minded... all this hate is ridicolous... to think people with no credentials can be elected AS LONG AS THEY FLASH enough commercials and call the other a terroist.... 3rd graders did this to make fun of kids and grown men do this to get elected by the mob.. erhmmm I mean public

September 02 2010 at 6:30 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Rob & Kathy

foxnewstoldmeso1:57 PM Sep 1, 2010 I wonder if the Republicans/Conservatives/Tea Party members will ever realize that white/overage/fat people are not the majority in this nation? *********** Nor are far left idealogues...

September 01 2010 at 10:42 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
HAHAHAHA

I wonder if the Republicans/Conservatives/Tea Party members will ever realize that white/overage/fat people are not the majority in this nation?

September 01 2010 at 1:57 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Rob & Kathy

hi6:31 PM Aug 31, 2010 Read the Constitution, separation of church and state. Plus, what he believes and his faith and how he chooses to worship is his personal business and not open to public scrutiny or debate. *************** You support a Mosque at ground zero but oppose school prayer?...

August 31 2010 at 10:24 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
ConantheAmerican

sad, sad, sad, the author is out of touch. let me help the left sort this out. Obama was born a muslim, given a muslim name, and attended a muslim school. for some part of his life he was a practicing muslim. this is not debatable. we know he turned to atheism(which i believe he still basically is) until he sat in the racist rev. wright's church for 20 years. a little bit about obama's church of choice: rev. wright teaches "liberation theology" which is basically the intertwining of socialist politics and faith. is it any wonder why it appealed to obama? wright's church(and i use that word loosely) is more about controlling the black vote through faith than any religious doctrine. so we know that obama's three main religious influences have been , in order: islam, atheism, and socialist liberation theology. is it any wonder why americans doubt his faith? is it any wonder why any mainstream christian church is unacceptable to obama? that lib media, is the reason we doubt him. he can't find a church to practice in because there is nothing christian about the man.

August 31 2010 at 5:42 PM Report abuse +10 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ConantheAmerican's comment
barney2022

I challenge one person to show me anywhere in the constitution where it says separation of church and state.

August 31 2010 at 7:32 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
wrsyst

Too bad we can't have a mulligan on the 2008 Presidential election. Otherwise sensible people go through amazing contortions trying to justify Obama's subsequent actions and words, when it would be so much healthier merely to say, "oops, I expected something different than I got."

August 31 2010 at 4:22 PM Report abuse +11 rate up rate down Reply
flyingwisconsin

The damage is done,both to this Country and the office of President. I know that we the American Public have been lied to by public officials or as they say mis-quoted.Enough is enough as we are being ruined from within and we are the only ones to stop it.Lets look at it this way,Obama may not have a birth certificate ( not a forged copy to settle the problem either) and he may really not be a Christian (he could be the Muslems man in Wahington) but no matter what we have to stop wasting time pointing the finger at him,forget him and start thnking about what we are going to do for the next elections(local & presidential). We are stuck with Obama and his Washington/Chicago Mob but we can start by telling our own elected officials on how we want them to vote and if they do not,they to will be replaced.The time has come to take the bull by the horns and straighten our Country and the Political Machine Out by voting.If you don't then don't complain or Question what is being done.Stand Up America!

August 31 2010 at 3:45 PM Report abuse +17 rate up rate down Reply
flagag

the obama brand is damaged....he promised certain things to get elected. he has not come through. the brand is damaged...just like new coke....everyone thought it would be the newest thing.....anyone remember it now...gone forever. just like the obama brand...first the midterms, then gone in 2012.

August 31 2010 at 2:56 PM Report abuse +23 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to flagag's comment
HAHAHAHA

What, like the economy? If I remember correctly, he said it would take about ten years to rebuild, yet you guys act like he said it would be fixed overnight. Are you guys just deaf or still a little upset that the almighty McCain/Palin ticket didn't go through? Trust me, it's okay to turn off your political commentators and try to think for yourselves.

September 01 2010 at 2:12 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
grrywalk

Thank you Melinda.

August 31 2010 at 2:30 PM Report abuse -12 rate up rate down Reply

Follow Politics Daily

  • Comics
robert-and-donna-trussell
CHAOS THEORY
Featuring political comics by Robert and Donna TrussellMore>>
  • Woman UP Video
politics daily videos
Weekly Videos
Woman Up, Politics Daily's Online Sunday ShowMore»
politics daily videos
TV Appearances
Showcasing appearances by Politics Daily staff and contributors.More>>

News From Our Partners