Obama's Faith: Fascinating Interview Unearthed

Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times interviewed Barack Obama in 2004 on his faith and spirituality. She's now published the entire interview. Here are some highlights.

On prayer:

FALSANI: Do you pray often?

OBAMA:
Uh, yeah, I guess I do.

Its' not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day, I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why am I doing it.

One of the interesting things about being in public life is there are constantly these pressures being placed on you from different sides. To be effective, you have to be able to listen to a variety of points of view, synthesize viewpoints. You also have to know when to be just a strong advocate, and push back against certain people or views that you think aren't right or don't serve your constituents.

And so, the biggest challenge, I think, is always maintaining your moral compass. Those are the conversations I'm having internally. I'm measuring my actions against that inner voice that for me at least is audible, is active, it tells me where I think I'm on track and where I think I'm off track. ...

Looking for, ... It's interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I'm talking to a group and I'm saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I'm just being glib or clever.

FALSANI:
What's that power? Is it the holy spirit? God?

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OBAMA:
Well, I think it's the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience.

On spiritual leaders:

FALSANI: Do you have people in your life that you look to for guidance?

OBAMA:
Well, my pastor [Jeremiah Wright] is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.

I have a number of friends who are ministers. Reverend Meeks is a close friend and colleague of mine in the state Senate. Father Michael Pfleger is a dear friend, and somebody I interact with closely.

FALSANI:
Those two will keep you on your toes.

OBAMA:
And theyr'e good friends. Because both of them are in the public eye, there are ways we can all reflect on what's happening to each of us in ways that are useful.

I think they can help me, they can appreciate certain specific challenges that I go through as a public figure.

On his church:

FALSANI: Do you get questions about your faith?

OBAMA:
Obviously as an African American politician rooted in the African American community, I spend a lot of time in the black church. I have no qualms in those settings in participating fully in those services and celebrating my God in that wonderful community that is the black church.

(he pauses)
But I also try to be . . . Rarely in those settings do people come up to me and say, what are your beliefs. They are going to presume, and rightly so. Although they may presume a set of doctrines that I subscribe to that I don't necessarily subscribe to.

But I don't think that's unique to me. I think that each of us when we walk into our church or mosque or synagogue are interpreting that experience in different ways, are reading scriptures in different ways and are arriving at our own understanding at different ways and in different phases. ...

Nothing is more powerful than the black church experience. A good choir and a good sermon in the black church, it's pretty hard not to be move and be transported.

On spiritual inspiration:

OBAMA: As I said before, in my own sort of mental library, the Civil Rights movement has a powerful hold on me. It's a point in time where I think heaven and earth meet. Because it's a moment in which a collective faith transforms everything. So when I read Gandhi or I read King or I read certain passages of Abraham Lincoln and I think about those times where people's values are tested, I think those inspire me.

I can be transported by watching a good performance of Hamlet, or reading Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, or listening to Miles Davis.

On heaven:

OBAMA: What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don't presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.

When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I've been a good father to them, and I see in them that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they're kind people and that they're honest people, and they're curious people, that's a little piece of heaven.

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[merle7]

Corrections :President elect should put Christ first in his life,after obeying the Gospel of Christ,and ask for guidance and wisdom to lead our country.

[ckfan]

You mean the way Bush did? You see where that got us. And your thoughts about Palin her teenage pregnant daughter, hmmmm?

[nomobull]

again that was not God

[BillMelater]

No not the way Bush did. Bush is a hypocrite.

http://billmel8er.wordpress.com

[DevRock]

No, Christ or whatever "god" should have no bearing on our President's decision-making. Look where that got us the past 8 years. I wish people would leave "faith" out of the political discussion. Period.

[nomobull]

that was not God

[LeftLeanWing]

That's cool as long as Jesus doesn't whisper " You Must Veto the Omnibus Spending Bill" or something or "I Have Plans For Lieberman, Keep Him Close My Son".

[demjustice]

I don't know...I kinda wish he would whisper the Lieberman thing.

[ThankGodforAtheists]

I, and the rest of the world, are sooooo glad that you have pointed out where Obama is wrong in his faith and should change to your persective. Wow, you are sooooooooo wise.

[Meah]

Corrections: merle7makes the mistake of presumption and arrogance whilst talking about the religion of another person in this country. We have freedom of religion here. That is our right.

[OregonMaggie]

This is my two cents worth. This is America - freedom of religion, or freedom from religion. It's your choice. PE Obama isn't going to push his beliefs on anyone. Sheesh - even within the Christian community - there are a huge number of differences in how the Bible is interpreted, how belief, and faith, and religion intertwine. There are as many interpretations and beliefs as there are people to have them.

None of this matters - what matters is that our soon to be POTUS believes that each of us needs to make our own decision about our faith, or belief system. That is the way it's SUPPOSED to be - it's a PERSONAL matter. We can differ on our theology, faith, religion, whatever, but it as long as we respect differences in our belief systems, it DOESN'T MATTER. As long as we remember WE ALL MAKE UP THE FABRIC OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY, as long as WE ALL PULL TOGETHER, AND PUT OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON TRACK, we will all be just fine!

[rollingdivision]

Isn't one of the huge problems people have with Bush the fear that Bush believes his actions are inspired by God?

And, Obama thinks his politics are God's will, "a larger truth". If Obama's "actions are aligned with a certain truth" how can we mere mortals question him? Is this some sort of divine guidance like kings claimed? What makes him different than Bush on this, nothing. This is a very dangerous man.

"It's interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I'm talking to a group and I'm saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I'm just being glib or clever." "Well, I think it's the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience."

[naeldwyck]

Where does he say that he "thinks his politics are God's will, "a larger truth""? Read the whole interview before you rush to conclusions, he is adamant about the importance of uncertainty.

[demjustice]

My question to you rollingdivision is what, in the paragraph you quoted above, do you believe President Elect Obama is talking about when he says "truth" or "something truthful"?

[cgoodie]

I think he is just saying that he has confidence in his judgement, that from whatever power, he has been endowed with the power to make good decisions. The powerful thing about Obama is how much deliberation he gives those decisions.

[rollingdivision]

No, he's saying his thoughts are at times inspired by God.

[merle7]

President elect Obama is lost , until he obeys the Gospel of Christ that is taught in the New Testament word of God only then will he find truth and his soul salvation. It is not in choirs, and controversial sermons, it is in obeying the will of God as revealed thru Jesus Christ. I pray that he will be led to the truth everyday. He would be Christ first in his life and then only can he be able to ask for Christ's wisdom and guidance to lead this country,and make our enemies his foot stool

[murly]

Oh, Sarah, go back to Alaska and leave us alone.

[ckfan]

From your keyboard to God's ears!

[ckfan]

Hmmm. You need to re-read the article. I don't think you get it at all. And if he is lost, then I'd love to hear your thoughts on Palin and her daughter. Talk about lost!

[comacoma]

Scrape out the pudding.. put in some brains.

[demjustice]

merle7, your whole statement is a contradiction. The Gospel of Christ.....make our enemies his foot stool???? You and I are reading different books.

[comacoma]

Merle's "god" is a vengeful "god" and therefore not to be trusted.

[athenasword]

That kind of religious thought is limited, narrow and unthinking. Our president-elect will be guided by an open mind and a spiritual heart. He clearly has wisdom and guidance.

[Deparis]

I thought he was the anti-Christ! Wow, the people's President (finally), Barack Obama sounds more rational, knowledgeable, comprehensible and tolerant in his faith and about faith than even the POPE. I would like to see the shame on the right-wing religious conservative zealots' faces when they read this exchange. Ah, I forgot that they were shameless. After all, W told us that Jesus spoke to him and wanted him to become President so he could kill all those anti-Christ muslim "tur-rorists", and if the likes of Dobson still have pulpits from which they spread their venoms even after their chosen one, W's debacle, you understand why the word "shame" is not in their dictionaries.

Thank you Mr. President Obama.

[renatam]

Excellent interview. Americans are fortunate to have this man as our President-Elect at this moment in time.

The Conservative Wall Street and Halliburton THIEVES could do with aligning their "values" with their actions -- with OUR MONEY.

[BSERIUS]

HMMMM , So why was this not published BEFORE the election? Would a Sarah Palin interview from 2004 have been withheld ? Especially since it mentions his relationships with Wright and Pleger...N THE TANK still

[smark]

And why was Sarah Palin's associations with the Alaska Independence Party and her Witch-hunting pastor not brought to light--like Wright was harped on 24/7 for months? In the tank for the hypocritical Palins!!

[LiberTLover]

Yeah, so in the tank that the media didn't run clips of Sarah's secessionist leader ranting about hating America, the government and the flag, or her getting exorcised by her witch doctor 24/7. Or the anti Semetic rantings of Hagee and the other pastors that McCain ran after for their support. Or even bothering to mention that Wright's"chickens coming home to roost" was a quote from Ambassador Peck, a 30 year diplomat, that he said in an interview on Fox News that Wright was talking about. The media in the tank for Obama? Only in Fantasyland.

[demjustice]

President-Elect Obama's views on his religious experience is fascinating to me. I agree with his belief that we live our faith. Everyday we are challenged and must check our actions and our words to stay true to who we are and what we believe. I also strongly agree that our church experience, no matter what church is what we take away from it. I have never agreed with everything I have heard from any particular messenger or of any particular message. It truly is between me and my God, and you and your God. Only my actions test my faith, not anyone else's.

[HappyIdiot51]

Well said. Thank you.

[arspar183]

if this had come out before the election, the right would have torn him a new one by cherry picking over his answers.

[demjustice]

I agree, unfortunately, they would have taken away only the part about Rev. Wright, and not the fact that he did not agree with everything the Rev. said.

[rollingdivision]

“The socialist who is a Christian is more to be dreaded than a socialist who is an atheist” Dostoyevsky

[naeldwyck]

Yeah, perhaps, but there's no way Dostoyevsky would have recognized Obama as a socialist.

[renatam]

These dated labels don't apply any longer. American capitalists RUSHED to do business with China -- sending OUR JOBS overseas. China holds tons of our paper. Nobody labels them Communist/Socialists when our President visits, etc.

The American capitalistic system needs a complete overhaul - values-wise and otherwise. The American people need to play a role in determining how it is retooled because WE are helping pay for its mistakes w/our hard earned dollars. Barack Obama is enlisting the American people -- not special interest, revolving door Republican operatives -- to begin the work.

Call it what you will.

We just bailed out the entire financial/insurance and now, American Express -- sector. THAT IS SOCIALISM -- for the rich.

[obamanation31]

Jesus was a socialist.

[BSERIUS]

He was a pro life non - union carpenter from Nazareth...Judas was the treasurer ( how ironic that the banker was a traitor) His parables and teachings were for social responsibility , but not Marxist socialism...

[AlwaysFairDem]

keep reading and you shall be set free!

[johnqsittinzen]

"If you were to destroy the belief in immortality in mankind, not only love but every living force on which the continuation of all life in the world depended, would dry up at once. "
- Dostoevsky (one 'Y' thank yyou)

[mirage2008]

I very much appreciate the fact that he's honest about not being certain of the after life. That pretty much tells me he's a very secular leaning individual or perhaps he is secular and just can't be honest about it due to political realities of being an atheist in American politics.

[plwood01]

Since no one has ever returned to tell us about the next phase, I don't see existence as only physical, so I think about how it might be myself, that to me does not make me an atheist?

[MissingAmerica]

This interview explains a lot about the man, and confirms in my mind at least that we have made an ideal choice of someone to get us back on track. If one follows ones own inner moral compass, that's more than half the battle.

[AlwaysFairDem]

I second that! Nicely put!

[HappyIdiot51]

If you read the whole interview, you find out some very interesting things about him.

"I'm a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at it's best comes with a big dose of doubt. I'm suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding.

I think that, particularly as somebody who's now in the public realm and is a student of what brings people together and what drives them apart, there's an enormous amount of damage done around the world in the name of religion and certainty."

http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/11/obamas-interview-with-cathleen.html

[ThanksMatt]

Very interesting! I am glad he is the new President!

[plwood01]

Believing takes faith, and faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. I take that to mean that God knows that we have doubts but because he gave us "free will," we can choose to invoke the faith that we have, even as little as a mustard seed and he will do the rest for us. I do believe that most humans should be able to handle that, but many cannot, so they have to shift to the religion to foster some certainty instead. I think that having that one on one relationship with God as my father is one that I can understand from having a physical father who was a very good man and father to me. That allows me to have the faith it takes to allow God to work for me in my own life.

[cordyc]

Maybe they'll adopt the Clinton approach. That is, attend any number of DC churches to get a variety of religious experiences.

[ZimboChick]

amen

[Fredo777]

I think the bit about his daughters being a piece of heaven was sweet.

[HappyIdiot51]

I know, that was sweet. He loves his family and he lives his faith. The American people have truly been blessed with a wonderful leader.