I think this is one of the very few issues on which I agree with Obama’s purported postion: as an Orthodox Christian, I would regard it as a smear to be accused of being a Muslim.
Islam, as St. John of Damascus, is a heresy, a false religion derivative from Christianity (asserting as it does that Jesus was a ‘prophet’, accepting His Virgin Birth, while denying His Divinity). St. John was very familiar with Islam, having served as the Grand Vizier of the Caliph of Damascus, during one of periods when pragmatism trumped Islamic dogma in the running of the Caliphate, and wrote the first Christian critique.
I think even identifiably Christian heretics, even of the odd semi-Marxist variety that seemed to inhabit Trinity United Church of Christ, are entitled to feel the same way.
Of course, I characterize this as Obama’s purported position, since if called on it, he will certainly assert the equality of all religions (a vile heresy that), and say that his website treated the assertion of his Muslimness as a ‘smear’ only because the yahoos who cling to guns and religion would interpret it that way. (Though he’ll characterize them differently this time, since now he is consciously tralling for their votes.)
Oh, dear, I really must learn either to type as fast as I think, or proofread better: the word ‘observed’ was omitted between ‘St. John of Damascus’ and the comma.
It’s a smear to me as well. Like being called a scientologist or a Ted Haggard follower.