Barack Obama--Not a Muslim

I feel like on the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus that it is time to talk a little bit about Christian values.  One of which would be to not lie about other people.  The fact that there is a persistent and completely unsubstantiated contention that Obama is a Muslim is my bone to pick today.  What??  First of all, it shouldn’t matter.  That has no bearing on his ability to govern the country.  Then you could say that there were so many other lies about him during the most recent campaign cycle that what difference does one more make?  I don’t know why this one irks me so much, but it does.  I am not a religious person, so it is not that it offends my sense of piety.  I am definitely live and live on that account.  It just offends me deeply that people for whom religion does matter quite a lot, and who profess to be conservative Christians would tell such offensive lies.  It just seems to me to be a disservice to Jesus.  When they ask “What Would Jesus Do?” I am pretty sure it would not be to malign a man for your personal gain.  I have read the Bible backwards and forwards on more than one occasion that that just is not in there. 

Is this out of step with social conservatives these days?  I would contend no.  Theirs is an interventionalist God.  The prevailing trend is to see everything through their lens.  When things go their way it is because God is on their side.  When they do not it is not because they are wrong.  No.  It is because sinners abound, and God is teaching us all a lesson.   We are not worthy of saving.  This is not the teachings of Jesus  that I learned.   Tolerance, forgiveness, charity—those are some values that stand out in my mind.  Not so for the social conservative.  My way or the highway—to hell, if some recent political ads are to be believed.   I am hoping that the New Year brings more tolerance, but I am not holding my breath.