Posted on 01/15/2012 10:25:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind
With the New Hampshire primaries behind the GOP and South Carolina on the horizon, Mitt Romney seems the likely presidential candidate. Perhaps surprisingly, Romneys Mormonism has yet to be a major stumbling block, and as time passes it doesnt appear that it will become a hindrance.
But lets consider another question. Could America vote for a Muslim?
Say a Muslim arrived on the scene with powerful and equitable ideas and challenged the status quo. Perhaps doubts are cast that a Muslim could actually become president, but the same was once said about Catholics and people of color.
One stumbling block to the potential Muslim candidate would be that many people think America is a Christian nation. At one time even this would have been questioned. If you had said to the predecessors to what would become the United States that America is a Puritan nation they likely would have agreed.
Simply put, there very well could come a day when a president who prays to Allah sits in the Oval Office. As Christian privilege slowly erodes due to tidal waves of globalization and pluralism, Americas hope is that religious differences will not erode but become respected. This is thanks in large part to the Constitution.
Just this week the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court order striking down an Oklahoma constitutional amendment that would prevent state courts from considering Sharia law. The decision is based not on respect for Muslim tradition, but rather for the First Amendment -- the same First Amendment that protected Baptists early in the American experience.
If anyone should be the greatest allies with Muslims in America, it is Baptists. Yet time after time many Baptists lead the charge against religious differences, even at the risk of harming their own self-interest. Many Baptists have kowtowed to political power in order to protect their power and privilege, in the process sacrificing their prophetic voice.
As Roger Williams stated in The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, the blood of so many hundred thousand souls of Protestants and papists, spilled in the wars of present and former ages for their respective consciences, is not required nor accepted by Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
A truly Christian nation not only imposes no formal religion on its citizens but also fosters freedom to express ones own conscience Muslim, Mormon or whatever.
-- Zachary Bailes is an M.Div. student at Wake Forest University Divinity School. He is editor of Those Crazy Liberals
and Conservatives and a contributor for Progressive Christian Alliance .
You would lose that bet. Express your "feelings" for yourself.
That’s exactly what a “feeling” is, another word for suspicion, hunch, opinion, etc. And I stand by it.
The uninformed are wrong all of the time.
Did you read the other post to you about muzzie doctors?
If not you ought to. If so you are crazy.
I’ve forgotten more about this topic than you’ll ever learn. Ain’t it interesting that no major conservative voice agrees with you on this? Not even Michael Savage. Maybe David Duke.
That statement says everything about your ignorance.
It is a shame so many of the new FReepers came from liberal sites.
You really need to face the fact that not a single leading conservative—going back to Reagan — believed in or believes in the kind of discrimination you advocate. You’re free to believe what you like, but you can’t deny the fact that you’re in a really small minority.
“Could a person who HONESTLY and OPENLY calls himself a Muslim be President of the USA?”
I believe Obama answered that question in his autobiography when he basically stated that “when an ill wind blows, I will stand with the Muslims”. The book was out before the election. He was elected. Therefore, there could be (there IS) a Muslim president.
I am not politically correct, a liar or a wussie OR in a small minority.
Sorry if a little frank honesty bursts your wee bubble but tough luck if you think you are going to find a bunch of bleeding heart liberals here.
Maybe you ought to head up to Zuccotti Park.
My, you’re getting aggitated! Actually, I really believe that a huge percentage of Freepers would reject your premise, that an American Muslim doctor,’surgeon, or other specialist should not be trusted. I thank God for the excellent Muslim health prefessionals back in Dearborn who gave my family care over the years.
Agitated? You aren’t too perceptive either; a typical liberal trait. Y’all are more into projecting your own “feelings”.
Good luck with your love of muzzies.
I learned everything I need to know about this murderous sixth century cult of child molesters and wife beaters on 9/11. Did you notice that the vast majority of people on this thread agree with me and not you? If you are unable to count them and ask me pretty please I could do a tally for you. Nah, I’m not going to do your legwork for you.
BTW, did you ever bother to read MamaDearest’s post# 80?
Oh, no doubt your pals on this thread all agree with you. And I find it so precious that you’re so insecure in your believe as to need to call them over. There’s plenty to criticize about radical Islam and Muslim extremists are my enemy. But the hateful threads about honest Muslim Americans represent a dark hole stain at FR.
That’s about all I have to say on this for now. You and your buds are free to yimmer yammer on.
LOL!
What are you, in third grade?
I ping one person who vocally disagreed with you and one who posted a response that you apparently couldn’t comprehend. Do you want me to explain Post# 80 to you?
Simply because you support a bunch of murderous savages doesn’t mean that very many others on FR do and if you are too liberal to understand that then it is your shortcoming. More proof that you are on the wrong site.
Posting to you is no different than showing a chicken a card trick. Neither you or the chicken have the mental acumen to get it.
I wish.
RE: I believe Obama answered that question in his autobiography when he basically stated that when an ill wind blows, I will stand with the Muslims.
I don’t call this HONEST and OPEN ( IF Obama is indeed Muslim ).
An honest and open Muslim politician running for president would openly declare that he believes in the Koran, Allah and Mohammad being His prophet.
What did Obama give us? He said OPENLY that he believes in Jesus Christ and prays to Him.
See here:
Here he is in his own words:
My Christian faith then has been a sustaining force for me over these last few years, all the more so when Michelle and I hear our faith questioned from time to time,
Except that, before he said “my CHRISTIAN faith”, he said “my MUSLIM faith”, and only when Stephanopoulus corrected him.
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