HOUSTON—The words “faith” and “politics” held vastly different meanings for several dozen Texas clergy and other voters attending an Obama campaign forum on faith at Texas Southern University earlier this week.
Faith, people said, was about “spirituality,” “community,” “perseverance,” “God,” “Christ,” “belief,” and “hope” for a largely African-American Christian audience.
Politics brought to mind words like “sneaky,” “underhanded,” “shifty,” “charismatic,” “expediency,” “secular,” “bureaucracy,” “propaganda,” “disconnection,” “loyalty,” “petty,” “bias,” “liars” and “partisan.”
The forum held two purposes: Asking religious voters what is important to them, and showing Obama as a man of faith, a man they and their congregation or fellow church-goers can trust and relate to.
Some argue that religion has nothing to do with politics. But politicians, reporters and ministers like the Rev. Runwararo Fana, who attended the faith forum and volunteers for the Obama campaign in his community, know differently.
Churches can turn out the vote. A politician may not be allowed to actively campaign from the pulpit, but plenty show up in churches with entourages of reporters and cameramen around election day.
“For us, politics is sacred because it controls and touches every part of our constituency’s life,” said Rev. Fana, a minister at the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church in Houston. “We have to be involved in politics and economics in order to create a different kind of community and different kind of environment where people can have the kind of life where we feel the creator put them on the planet to have.”
Fana has been active politically outside the church for decades. Fana, who teaches black history and coaches a youth basketball team, passed out Obama fliers Wednesday afternoon in his neighborhood in Harris County.
“There was a time in my life when I was very arrogant, when I didn’t listen very well, and I thought my way was the only way,” says Fana, a former missionary who, at 60, has learned not to argue with people about their faith or their politics but instead to be an example.
“One of the things that happens in religion is you evolve,” he said, standing outside the Harris County Office of the Justice of the Peace, where the line of early voters snaked out the door, almost to the sidewalk. “And if you continue to work with people, you will evolve to certain states of mind that give you a different perspective on life.”
Fana's own thought evolution is evident in his voting. He said he voted twice for former President Bill Clinton but is not supporting Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama’s message of hope and change, his record at Harvard Law School and as a social activist resonated with Fana.
“I think we have gone through a period of time that has been depressing,” he said. But, he added, he’s seeing a renewal of spirit in his community, what he calls an “upliftment” that comes with looking forward.
“It is that hope that is propelling us to feel much better about the opportunities to change the world that we live in,” he said.
Next: A faithful Clinton voter.
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Comments (3)
How about Faith and lying about it? Here is what I read on the website of Council Of American Islamic Relations (CAIR);
Rep. Keith Ellison said Wednesday that attempts to insinuate that Barack Obama is Muslim won't have any effect on the presidential candidate, arguing that Americans won't fall for such a "bigoted" appeal.
Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat and the first Muslim member of Congress, also said he has no doubt a Muslim could be elected president.
"It's a deliberate attempt to associate him with things Islamic," Ellison said of the use of Obama's middle name.
"There has been a concerted effort to whip up fear, anxiety, bigotry against Obama based on his Muslim roots, but he is in fact a Christian, and on top of that, those people's efforts are going to fail," Ellison said. "And they won't fail because he's proven that he's really not a Muslim; they'll fail because Americans will come to the conclusion that the organizing principle of our nation is freedom of worship."
Obama's father and stepfather were Muslim, and he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, a largely Muslim country — but Obama was not raised Muslim.
"Assuming that the American public is bigoted, and infused with religious bigotry against Muslims, is incorrect," Ellison said.
And he insisted that a Muslim could become president.
"Look, we elected a Catholic," Ellison said. "Mitt Romney was a viable candidate in this race. I don't think that his decline had to do with him being Mormon." Romney, a GOP candidate, dropped out of the race earlier this year.
"So I think that certainly America could elect a Muslim president," he said. "America could elect a woman president. I think we probably are going to elect a black president. And we'll all be better for it."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which fights anti-Muslim bigotry, said he agreed with Ellison.
"There clearly is a level of anti-Muslim attitude in our society, but I think it's still a minority," he said. "It's a vocal minority, but it's still a minority. The majority of Americans respect people of all faiths, and I think while taking faith into consideration, it would not be the main factor in their voting." (End Qoute)
For everyone's informaion, according to Islam if a childis born to a Muslim father, he is a Muslim, whether he is raised Muslim or not and regardless of the mother's religion. We American have come down to a level where we join the bandwagon without even thinking once.
We are not a Kingdom or Sheikhdom where one man rules without question. Our President even President-Elect is NOT an Emperor who can change anything without working with the Congress. Looks like we have accepted that we are not going to say this emperor has no clothes.
Regards.
Najam
March 2, 2008 11:01 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on March 2, 2008 11:01
Look, I'm not voting for Obama because he's too liberal for my way of thinking, but I do find him an interesting character. I'm constantly amazed that he's doing as well as he is, considering the state of profound ignorance in our country.
How is he going to get past these attacks on the rightwing spam network? Even my father thinks Obama is really a Muslim hiding in a Christian package ... these people send each other these viral messages which they never question, claiming he's related to Saddam or Osama, that's he's trying to convert our children to Islam ... the most amazing crap.
How is he to overcome this? I worry too that some fine Christian is going to try to save our country from this awful result and take a 30.06 down to the next speech and take him out.
I won't vote for him to be my president, but if he wins he will be my president.
March 1, 2008 9:32 PM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on March 1, 2008 21:32
The truth of the matter is, I can't vote for
Obama because of his church.
Recently, an article by www.worldnetdaily.com,
referenced a statement made by Obama's Pastor
Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Rev. Wright spoke about "Natalee Holloway" in his church publications. Prayer?
"Black women are being raped daily in Darfur....
that doesn't make the news....but one 18 year old white girl from Alabama gets drunk on a...."
Please read the article and study Mr. Obama's church. From Muslim upbringing to a (20 year
support for this church)...Mr. Obama must have
absorbed some hate.
March 1, 2008 9:35 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on March 1, 2008 09:35