Matters of Faith and Rumor

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Nov 29, 2007

Matters of Faith and Rumor

Posted by : Jon Clausen

I don't discuss religion around here much. Matters of faith are a very private and personal subject for me. One of the things that finally sealed the deal on my support for Barack Obama as a candidate was the eloquent, yet straightforward, manner in which he addresses the subject of faith and it's role in politics.

I saw this morning that the Washington Post, arguably one of the most powerful newspapers in the political arena, had decided to recycle the old an untrue rumor that Obama is a closet Muslim on it's front page. If he were, I can't say that it would really be a deal-breaker in earning my vote. Regardless, he's not. The real problem, though, is that these rumors keep moving the dialogue from real topics which should be on the minds of the electorate - one of them being the current fostering of divisiveness and political maneuvering under the guise of religion. As Senator Obama has said: "No matter how religious they may be or may not be, people are tired of seeing faith used as an attack. They don't want faith used to belittle or divide."

The article presents itself as simply stating facts, but the way it's framed up is done in such a manner as to cloud the truth - as the headline itself does. Don't take my word for it, though, read a some other opinions which have already been posted on the subject, this morning.

Here's the speech, made before he was even a candidate for President, that ultimately helped me make up my mind. It's quite long but full of simple truths and personal insight. It also makes all of the baseless rumors which keep making their way through my inbox, in the form of chain e-mails, seem all the more small and mean-spirited: