I don’t believe that he’s a Muslim or that he ever was. However, I wouldn’t mind it if he was as long as he didn’t base his decisions on the dictates of Islam.

So what do you think about Obama’s slip about “my Muslim faith?”

Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Tutu says Church obsessed with gays

I agree, I don’t think Palin will distance herself because she seems to openly advocate the teachings of her church (that Alaska and the oil pipeline will play a major role in the End Times, for example). That’s why I feel that comparing how the press treats her church ties vs. how it treats Obama’s church ties is not a fair comparison. I would say that Palin’s religious beliefs are more germane to her candidacy than Obama’s religious beliefs are to his.

I don’t know why she should distance herself. I agree with what she believes.

Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Tutu says Church obsessed with gays

I wouldn’t say it’s the same between Palin and Obama - while Obama attended his church and seemed to accept its views, Palin’s talk at her church sounded like she not only accepts its views, but endorses them enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. I would be very surprised to see if she later disassociates herself from her pastor as Obama did his.

Thanks for the link. I would say it was a fair article. I said the same thing about Obama’s former pastor. You can’t blame a candidate for everything someone else says.

The truth is no natter what side of the political spectrum we are on, we see candidates through our own lenses.

Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..Tutu says Church obsessed with gays

Excellent article! I agree - certain “issues”, whether Palin speaks in tongues or not for instance, is irrelevant. How she would govern and what would inform her decisions (see her views on Alaska’s pipeline as end-times issue for example) is more to the point than her religious beliefs per se. My sense so far is that her fundamentalist views would dominate her decision process, but its hard to know when she’s been holding her cards so close to the vest (signs of an authoritarian? maybe). If I’m right about Palin, it raises issues for me about McCain’s own decision-making process. Personally, I’m looking forward to more press scrutiny and to the debates.

I’d like to hear what you think about this blog post written by a Baptist church-state expert and former director of the Pew Forum on Religion. It is titled Basic Scrutiny of Palin and Religion: Fair and Foul

Rogers is about as fair and balanced as they come. I don’t like what the media did to Obama regarding Jeremiah Wright. However, Palin has drawn connections between her religious belief and how she governs. But the McCain campaign is unwilling to discuss Palin’s religious beliefs with the media. Palin need not answer every question about her faith. But, as Rogers notes, “a candidate whose faith has been put in play by a campaign and who has suggested that there are connections between her religious beliefs and governance cannot simply turn away the questions aimed at probing those connections. ”

Big Daddy Weave’s last blog post..John Lewis was a Community Organizer. MLK too.

Palin’s church is relevant to the extent that it reflects her views and the extent to which those views might impact policy decisions. Obama was forced to spend a lot of time answering questions about Reverand Wright and Palin should expect to have to answer questions, too.

Personally, I am curious about Palin requesting prayers for an oil and gas pipeline. Although I consider myself an agnostic today, I never did believe in a God who made known His opinion on pipelines to state governors. I happen to believe that successful governance requires a fair helping of pragmatism and flexibility, which may not be possible if a president believes that God is dictating policy positions on every issue.

Vinny’s last blog post..Palin’s Hockey Rink