If you haven't already heard, one of the biggest stories today is the results from a gallop poll focused on Obama's religious beliefs. Why is everyone so worried about Obama's religion? If you're one of those people who believe that, because you are a Christian, you are somehow better than everyone else, then you're already lost and you can stop reading this now. For all those other people out there, especially those who want peace, freedom, and equality, stop drinking the Kool-Aid.
For far too long differences in religion have caused pain, dissent, and, yes, even war. If we continue to be caught up in this childish "my dad can beat up your dad" game then we will never achieve peace and we can never stop all the corruption and pain that is far to prevalent in a world that is so interconnected by planes, telephones, and the world wide web.
Earlier in this post I may have come across as targeting Christians. That is because I live in the United States where Christianity rules. However, I hold contemptuous feelings toward all religions of the world; yes, that even includes the Buddhists. Any form of organization with doctrines that tell people how to live will always create friction between opposing beliefs; Communism and Capitalism.
I am not a religious person; an attribute for which I am very proud to voice. This does not mean I don't toy with the idea of there being a creator only that I will never position myself with an organization that orders me to follow a doctrine written by man, which, not to mention, comes with the blood from millions of innocent civilians attached to it's practices (This sounds very familiar; like another organization we all know of). When I think on the possibility of a "God", I think of an entity that is just, fair, and full of love. God would not want it's (the idea of a Supreme Being having a gender is ridiculous) name used as a scapegoat for war or violence (maybe a demi-god would). I don't think a righteous god would want people fighting over it’s words, which seems petty but have been the catalyst of such hate, condemnation, and confusion.
Sure some religions are worse than others. Fundamentalism in any religion is dangerous. However, doctrines that suggest superiority are just as menacing. I suggest the best president should be someone who does not affiliate themselves with any faction of religion but instead holds a spiritual and moral idea that they are but one person and that their religion is hovering somewhere within their own intellectual interpretation. This president, well any president, has far more to deal with than such an unimportant thing as their religious denomination. There are child soldiers in Africa, indentured servants in Asia, human rights violations in the Middle East, clear cutting in the amazon, and the political unrest in the states. Shouldn't we be focused more on things of this nature than on which of the ancient texts our president believes in?
