Obama "not just a Christian nation"

Truth.

Every other politician would have not told the truth for political points.

Word

...this cat has no qualms about speaking the truth.

The man.....Obama!

finally, something a politician says about religion that didn't come off a fortune cookie.

thank god :)

yeah, i'm not sure when it was but the secular humanists have a helluva time. not like we are immoral or amoral or sociopathic. god is a template not a mandate.

i have been drinking.

"god is a template" i like that.

but i'm drunk too.

This is pretty cool stuff. :-)

Quick question, has there EVER been a statement like that coming from a man or woman who has a realistic chance of being the President of the United States?

finally some truth

that's the first sane thing i heard said about religion from ANY politican. just because somone doesn't believe the way you do, they aren't less human, or more evil. live and let live.

I agree with you gimp15, (and Obama for that matter). As a multicultural nation the government should accept all faiths and non-faiths alike. Atheists unfortunately have a bad rap in this country and hopefully Obama's acceptance of non-believers can resonate throughout the United States.

We are a melting pot of differing culturals and religions. Personally I like the Amish -- you can't get any more different than the Amish and yet we get along with them just fine and they, well, they ignore us and that's okay too.

So why is it that we can get along so well with the Amish who are so different than the rest of the country -- but the Religious Right can't live another day if we don't teach Creationism is high school?

I'm sure the Amish don't approve of abortion - and their solution is to just not get one. They don't really care if it's legal and they don't care what outsiders do.

Think how much better we would all be if the hardcore believers in this country took a page out of the Amish Tolerance Manual and just followed their own moral compass and left everyone else to make their own personal decisions?

Not everything has to be legislated.

Gay marriage. Again, I'm thinking the Amish are probably against homosexuality in general, but they aren't trying to get a Constitutional amendment to prohibit homosexuals for marrying.

Any Amish Current.com users that wanna jump in?

I'm drunk as well.

when and where did he say this? I feel like he said this a while ago.

great - let's see how Obama responds to having "intelligent design " taught in schools in texas , or having the pledge of allegiance modified to exclude "god" , or eliminating swearing on a bible when delivering testimony before a jury , or having "in god we trust" on currency , or banning any and all "faith based initiatives " of any kind , anywhere , etc. - in the meantime , i am hearing nothing but BS .

"i am hearing nothing but BS ." So are we, and most of it's coming from you, Malathion.

it's politics 96th . i support Obama , but i'm also aware he is , in fact , an individual whom is seeking the presidency of this country , and will therefore be inclined to "say" anything to get elected - he's no exception from the age old game , and if i criticize Obama , i don't criticize him any more than i do anyone else - actually , less so .

Obama is not just saying anything here. He is actually stating what is constitutionally true and should be obvious. America is not a Christian nation. America is not even a religious nation. America is a democratic republic with laws that permit religious freedom and tolerance for citizens to practice and exercise the faith and practices of personal choice.

'Under GOD' was not even in the original Pledge of Allegiance. And, 'In GOD We Trust' constitutionally should not even appear on our money, since we do not have a national faith.

Before we as a Nation were dumbed down and left behind, our education system advocated teaching our citizens the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a more truthful history of the Nation than the revisionist BS that esteems intelligent design over pure science.

exactly . if O. feels so strongly about this nation including everyone , then i look forward to seeing how he handles the issues i've mentioned , once he's in office . i really don't care for rhetoric - i personally want action - and i will bet you he won't do a thing about changing anything remotely related to the hypocrisy we're talking about , as he'll be too busy trying to undo Bush's war - but at least he "says" something which isn't pushing a neo-con agenda , i'll give him that .

obama when are u not right? =)

Amen! It's sad people are so strongly against an Atheist holding public office. I don't need to be scared to be good, I do it because it's the right thing to do. If someone wants to believe whatever and they can do it without abuse and forceful persuasion, more power to you.

I still think I'm dreaming man. How is this our Democratic nominee. It's bizzaro world, and I hope I don't wake up.

Funny thing is that this is the last thing he would say to get a vote.. Christians follow Muslims in majority and then a long list of others with Atheists somewhere at the bottom near 23% in the US.. So i doubt hes trying to win a vote.. I think hes making an effort to be real and honest with himself and those who listen.. No agenda just reality.. It sort of tarnishes the whole thing if hes on camera.. But imagine the same conversation at a bar or stoned on a couch in your grandmas basement, even on the bus.. For once, its just people being people...

Obama is the truth. Enough said.

I really do not understand the jump to an argument about how Obama would respond to intelligent design being taught in schools, malathion...?
I understand the point here to be that Obama is recognizing and/or pointing out that the United States has more religions than the Christian faith (contrary to what some may believe). It seems a rather straightforward, simple message; something unusual coming from a politician, but that is all he is saying nonetheless...

Just an honest answer. I wonder how many Fundamentalists will blow a gasket over it? I wish I was drunk.

Finally someone says it! I knew I voted for the right guy.

What kind of nation would you call us?

Secular Nation.

In the dictionary "secular" has one definition that states ": not bound by monastic vows or rules; specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation <a secular priest". The Antonym was PROFANE with related words: atheistic, godless, irreligious, pagan; lay, nonclerical; nondenominational, nonsectarian; earthly, mundane, terrestrial, worldly; material, physical, substantial; bodily, carnal, corporal, fleshly; blasphemous, impious, irreverent, sacrilegious; unconsecrated, unhallowed, unsanctified. This is not the America I know.

Secularity (adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from religion

Well regardless, the more you spew your propaganda out over the ears of the intelligent Americans the more keen to your faults and glorified fairy tales we'll all be. Religion is dangerous when offered to thirsty ears, but it doesn't mean it will ever quench the thirst for awareness and knowledge, science or reason. Leave it in your head were it is meant to be.

I'm sorry but I don't understand how you can tell us to "leave it in your head were it is meant to be." and the next time someone else will argue that we have freedom of speech to say anything we want.

I agree that some religions are dangerous but Christianity isn't. It is the foundation of the great country.

As far as knowledge, science and reason...the Bible has all of that. I agree that some people have turned the stories into something that sounds like fairy tales but history will prove it is accurate.

It is sad that so many people place 'religion' with 'Christianity'. No one is perfect but some think religious leaders are. I was always taught to ask questions, investigate things on my own and not take anyone's comment as truth. This has made me a stronger Christian....not a person of a certain religion. Religions fail be God does not.

If this is going on too long, I apologize.