Obama On Newsweek Cover: Finding His Faith

Newsweek :

In 1981 Barack Obama was 20 years old, a Columbia University student in search of the meaning of life. He was torn a million different ways: between youth and maturity, black and white, coasts and continents, wonder and tragedy. He enrolled at Columbia in part to get far away from his past; he'd gone to high school in Hawaii and had just spent two years "enjoying myself," as he puts it, at Occidental College in Los Angeles. In New York City, "I lived an ascetic existence," Obama told NEWSWEEK in an interview on his campaign plane last week. "I did a lot of spiritual exploration. I withdrew from the world in a fairly deliberate way." He fasted. Often, he'd go days without speaking to another person.

For company, he had books. There was Saint Augustine, the fourth-century North African bishop who wrote the West's first spiritual memoir and built the theological foundations of the Christian Church. There was Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th-century German philosopher and father of existentialism. There was Graham Greene, the Roman Catholic Englishman whose short novels are full of compromise, ambivalence and pain. Obama meditated on these men and argued with them in his mind.

Read the whole story: Newsweek

Comments

[Retrofuturistic]

Obama = Bush
McCain = Bush
Therefore,
Obama = McCain

[joeyp404]

And why is no one outraged by this cover? The New Yorker gets the splash - this nada. Shocking!

[Retrofuturistic]

It's an egregious display of religiosity, any way you look at it. And it's calculated. Therefore, it's sickening. Someone worthy of respect would not lower himself to this, would not jump through this hoop like a puppet.

[northeast73]

ENOUGH ALREADY.

It is so IRRATATING to see these "messianiac" cover photos and headlins(especially from Newsweek) of Obama!

"what He Beleives" "Obama race and us" "the O-team"...­..all with pictures of Obama looking "reflective and important and historical" GOOD GRIEF.

its like they are trying to say "look, look at us...we are covering this historic race in such a glorious way..we'll all be remembered for being a part of this...loo­k at us look at us"

Its so g-damn annoying. He is JUST A SENATOR RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT (and NOT AT ALL the hero many thought he was)

Just further proof that Obama is the MEDIA'S CANDIDATE.­...these images of him are so UNBELIEVABLY phoney...U­CK!!!!!

[mypov123]

I posted two comments earlier this afternoon and I have yet to see them here...wha­t gives HuffPo??

[meanguy]

unless they are worshipful, down the memory hole they go!

[wanj]

HuffPo is going to lose it's audience if this comment ":black hole" continues. I'm sick and tired of posting comments and never seeing them posted. Ariana, do something b4 it's too late! This is a business gal.... get with it!

[MariaHopeful]

And while they are correcting that problem, probably they can make it so that you just go directly to your comments instead of having to wade through pages before finding it. That makes for a more lively "conversat­ion."

[milo9]

I'd be more comfortable with Obama believing less in his faith and more in the Constitution.

[mypov123]

From the News & Observer: "[Obama] and other Chicagoans have praised Trinity's role as a melting pot that brings together blacks and some whites from all levels of wealth and education, boasts a joyous and energetic choir, and is deeply involved in community work, such as helping the homeless, the incarcerated and those touched by HIV and AIDS."

[mypov123]

Since I know someone is going to bring this up on this story, I wanted to post some excerpts from other articles about Barack Obama's faith, Black Liberation Theology and Trinity.

From the International Herald Tribune: "Mr. Wright preached black liberation theology, which interprets the Bible as the story of the struggles of black people, whom by virtue of their oppression are better able to understand Scripture than those who have suffered less. That message can sound different to white audiences, said Dwight Hopkins, a professor at University of Chicago Divinity School and a Trinity member. "Some white people hear it as racism in reverse," Dr. Hopkins said, while blacks hear, "Yes, we are somebody, we're also made in God's image."

To me, Black Liberation Theology means that as a Black person, I am liberated in knowing that I am as good as someone from any other group, that being Black isn't something to be ashamed of. There was a time in our country when by law, Black people were considered to be 3/5 of a human being, not a full human being, but only partly human. This theology is not one of hate, but of uplifting people who have historically been made to feel inferior, to believe that they aren't good enough or they are unworthy of certain opportunities or are incapable of achieving certain things because they are Black. This sense of inferiority still lingers in the Black community.

[meanguy]

yeah, never mind that 'if God is not agianst the white man, we should kill Him' stuff...ir­relevant, right?

[mypov123]

Please cite the source of your "quote" about BLT.

[gvc]

I'm going to complain again. Blocking more than 1/2 the comments introduces serious spin.

[MizLiz]

I don't mind a political candidate having a deep religious faith. However, I don't want him/her imposing on those who don't share his beliefs or hold any belief at all. And he's right: The most effective witness is deeds, not empty words.

[coba]

im sick of obama having to prove hes christian, sensico.wordpress.com

[Retrofuturistic]

This makes me sick. Sorry, I wanted to vote for Obama. But I will NOT vote for any candidate who flaunts religion (makes them look like Republicans to me). Guess I'll have to do a write in....

Even the bible, which I am averse to anyone thumping, would not condone this. See Matthew 6:6 (King James Bible): But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

The only reason anyone would flaunt religion is because they are trying to MANIPULATE other people who are religious. That is degrading and INSULTING. And it shows a SERIOUS disrespect for the separation of church and state. (As does Obama's position on faith-based initiative­s.)

[gvc]

Ten pending comments after more than two hours? And five fluffy comments make the (automated?) cut? Sort of impedes meaningful discussion, no? Get with it, moderators.

[MrPragmatic]

YUK.....Is­n't this the exact same build up that they gave to W when he was running for his first term? There are starting to be some eerie likeness to both of these men or at least the way they are framed by the MSM is similar. If you recall, W was a media darling much the same way that Obama is today and there was much made about his (Bush's) faith when he was running in 2000. Back then the press labeled W a "compassionate conservati­ve." Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[mypov123]

This is different. Bush wasn't being smeared about his religious beliefs the way Obama has been smeared. And I wouldn't exactly say that Obama is the "media darling". I've seen at least three major negative news stories about McCain in newspaper articles on the HuffPo, and CNN and other news channels have yet to report about them. If these stories were about Obama, we would hear about them immediately and they would be over-analyzed by the media talking heads.