Barack Obama: I am a Christian.
So, I have a deep faith. So, I draw from the Christian faith.
On the other hand, I was born in Hawaii where obviously there are a lot of Eastern influences.
I lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, between the ages of six and 10.
My father was from Kenya, and although he was probably most accurately labeled an agnostic, his father was Muslim.
And Id say, probably, intellectually Ive drawn as much from Judaism as any other faith.
So, Im rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and theres an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived.
And so, part of my project in life was probably to spend the first 40 years of my life figuring out what I did believe Im 42 now and its not that I had it all completely worked out, but Im spending a lot of time now trying to apply what I believe and trying to live up to those values.
Wrong.