Barack Obama's Christian Journey

Newsweek excerpted on Townhall (Hugh Hewitt) ^ | July 15, 2008 | Posted by Duane R. Patterson

[Hugin]

The July 1st cover story in Newsweek details the pathway of Barack Obama's journey to faith. You can read the story here. Included in this story are audio clips of Barack Obama describing part of this journey. The audio is very noisy and hard to make out, as the plane is in mid-flight. Below is a transcript of the two passages for your perusal.

"It wasn't an epiphany. You know, a bolt of lightning didn't strike me and Sunday, I said, "A-ha!" It was a more gradual process of...maybe that traced back to those times that I had spent in New York wandering, you know, the streets or reading books, or where I decided that the meaning I found in my life, the values that were most important to me, the sense of wonder that I had, the sense of tragedy that I had, that all these things were captured in the Christian story, and that...that, that, also that community of faith was one that suited me."

"It's a precept of my Christian faith that my redemption comes through Christ. But I'm also a big believer in the Golden Rule, which I think is an essential pillar not only of my faith, but of my values and my ideals and my experience here on Earth. And I'm also a believer, as part of my faith, that I am a limited being, with limited understanding. And so I operate on the basis of, I operate knowing what I know for myself, but not presuming that I know everything, certainly not enough for me to condemn others, or to presume that their path is wrong."

[sheik yerbouty]

Maybe Beelzeflubba is thinking of a certain Arkansas habit of his that defies probability..

[tessalu]

Obama says his favorite god is the Hindu “Monkey God” and that he carries a pic of one in his pocket, but he is to receive his own gold plated “Monkey god” the day before the convention. So what else is new?

Obama is about as Christian as Granny Goose.

[Zechariah_8_13]

Barak picked a politically advantageous church that would be accepting of his background in and appreciation of Islam.

Jesus Christ had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Obama’s pastor Rev. Wright is as “Christian” as Rev. Phelps.

[cookcounty]

Obama says he came to the realization that his sins "were redeemed."

Now, that's a novel theology.

Human beings are redeemed. Sins are condemned to the deepest sea.

[pgkdan]

I'm not convinced that he isn't a muslim, but I'm sure he's not a Christian. He was asked in an earlier interview who he thought Jesus was and his response was something like "a great man who serves as a bridge between God and man".

That is not a Christian or a Christian's response.

[Beckwith]

If Barack Obama thought it important enough to have his two daughters baptized, why is he not baptized?

Swearing allegiance to the “Black Value System” doesn't make one a Christian.

[AnAmericanMother]

It sounds like something a Unitarian would say, or these days an Episcopalian.

I think he just talks gas because he doesn't believe in anything outside himself.

You see these folks from time to time. They're very charismatic because they don't really care what other people think, which paradoxically attracts. They want what they want; the rest of the world is simply a supporting cast to get them what they want. Malignant narcissism, perhaps?

[MindBender26]

>>>> Obama says his favorite god is the Hindu “Monkey God” and that he carries a pic of one in his pocket, but he is to receive his own gold plated “Monkey god” the day before the convention.

Is there any sourcing on this, or is it the BOROD (Barack Obama Rumor Of the Day)