Rick Santorum Questioned Obama's Faith In 2008, Said There's No Such Thing As A Liberal Christian

In stark contrast to comments made earlier this week, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum addressed the issue of now-President Barack Obama's Christian faith in a 2008 interview with the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life, Buzzfeed reported Tuesday.

When asked if he believed Obama is a "sincere liberal Christian," the former Pennsylvania senator said he didn't believe that sort of ideology exists, and that Obama's church, United Church of Christ in Chicago, had "abandoned Christendom" and used a non-literal interpretation of the Bible.

"I don't think there is such a thing," he said of Obama as a liberal Christian. "To take what is plainly written and say that 'I don't agree with that, therefore I don't have to pay attention to it,' means you're not what you say you are. You're a liberal something, but you're not a Christian."

Santorum made headlines last week after telling an Ohio crowd that Obama subscribes to "some phony theology, not a theology based on the Bible."

He defended his comments on Sunday during an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation."

"I've repeatedly said I don't question the president's faith," he said. "I've repeatedly said that I believe the president's Christian."

He further clarified, "I am talking about his worldview or the way he approaches problems in this country and I think they're different than how most people do in America."

However, Santorum has continued to criticize Obama on matters of faith. On Monday, he told a Michigan audience that Obama was "particularly weak" in protecting religious liberty.

"When you have the president of the United States referring to the freedom of religion and you have the Secretary of State referring to the freedom of religion, not as the freedom of religion but the freedom of worship, you should get very nervous, very nervous," he said.

Comments

[Ramon Noches]

01:00 AM on 03/05/2012

So Jesus was a conservative eh? I cannot picture him denying care of the needy or tossing the sick into the streets. Santorum needs to finish the Old Testament so he can read the New Testament. How ridiculous for him to say such nonsense.

[Petrullo]

03:09 AM on 03/04/2012

Rick Santorum has a new announcement which he believes will attract more lunatics to vote for him.
He now claims that President Obama is not a real Christian because Christians are not Liberals and he is a Liberal. There's no such thing as a Liberal Christian.

My entire family of 14 Americans are practicing Roman Catholics. We're all Liberal Democrats. Always have been.

How about this? John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Ted Kennedy and their huge families - that's right, all Liberal Catholics. Bill & Hillary Clinton? That's right, Liberal Christians.

I think Santorum needs to go to confession because he's either an idiot or he's lying to the American people and, hey Rick, those are sins.

[sigmetsue]

10:49 PM on 03/03/2012

Jesus didn't interpret the Bible literally, either. With folks like Santorum and certain Catholic Cardinals, I suspect that the Scribes and Pharisees won.

[lewmanbubba]

01:34 AM on 03/01/2012

Rick you don't know Jesus Christ who was a liberal socialist lol

[FedupMark]

12:37 AM on 03/01/2012

Well Rick, the Bible sanctioned slavery, so obviously you think slavery should be the way of the world. Nice world view you get from literal interpretations of the Bible. Then the Bible inferred that people of color were damaged goods and apartheid was justified. You are a certified lunatic if you think that the literal interpretations of the Bible are the only correct Christian theological points of view. No wonder you think women are second class citizens. As President you would impose and coerce in every possible way to force conformity to your extreme dogma.

[Joriet]

11:03 PM on 02/29/2012

Of course there isn't. Not in a lock-step theocracy, anyway. Christianity is political. Only conservatives can be Christians. Everyone knows that liberals will face hellfire.

[Ron Hinchley]

09:42 PM on 02/29/2012

It sounds like Santorum is part of the Christian Identity movement. He, like many conservatives feel more comfortable outside of Christianity so they are putting up a fence and trying to usurp Christianity by turning it on its head. But they are the simpleminded who are prideful, people with harm in their hearts, and others who suffer from strong punitive natures. What is so surprising is how at cross purposes these positions are with the teachings of Jesus.

[soma77]

09:20 PM on 02/29/2012

I firmly believe that religion or rigorous practice can't be applied with pressure and intimidation because that only brings force and violence, not wisdom so it must be fulfilled with reason, debate and intuition. When religion is left to the conviction and conscience of every person, then one can achieve a balance in this world between positive and negative, good and evil, and also between pleasure and pain. If religion brings fear, hatred, separation or anything that will frighten a child, it is probably not a true practice. Religion should bring reverence and respect for everyone and everything, and it should also not be bent for the rich and powerful because one will see wealth and worldly pleasure as worthless in the higher layers of the mind. The cloak of hypocrisy and self-interest has to be removed so praise and blame can be taken with a calm assurance unaffected by both honor and disgrace. There is no need to limit our possibilities as we open our consciousness to greater receptivity, to an enlarged concept of life as it takes on a fresh and extraordinary interpretation.

[Wildkitty]

08:55 PM on 02/29/2012

I don't think that there is anyone who would ever question the faith of the 'Lion of the Senate' - the late Senator Ted Kennedy - who was born and lived as a devout Catholic. Yet I also don't think that there was anyone with a more liberal point of view as that same (late) Senator.

Sorry to bust your bubble, Rick, but if you need more examples - just ask!!

=^.,.^=

[adams011]

07:52 PM on 02/29/2012

There's no such thing as a liberal Christian, with the exception perhaps of Jesus Christ.

[Wildkitty]

08:59 PM on 02/29/2012

I would tend to agree with you adams, except that Christianity was only formed AFTER the man was dead (and risen again?). I'm an Atheist, but I don't think there was anyone with a more liberal, caring and understanding nature than Jesus.

Like Mahatma Ghandi said ------------ I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ!

=^.,.^=

[gungavin]

10:03 PM on 02/29/2012

more liberal, caring and understanding nature than Jesus

Well-stated. Thank you. That's what's so ironic about all the religious posturing by poseurs who have no idea what Christ was about.

[ajwriter]

07:32 PM on 02/29/2012

The confusion comes from fundamentally different religious texts. Apparently, Rick adheres to the "Gospel of Supply Side Jesus" (not the one from Obama's Jesus of Nazareth):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7gI5lMB7M

[MDean]

07:23 PM on 02/29/2012

I was taught that God gave people the freedom to make their own choices. If supporting that God given freedom results in being labeled a liberal, then sign me up.

Santorum and the other social conservatives seek to enact legislation that provide for civil and criminal penalties for choosing to act contrary to the social conservative's beliefs... to act in a manner to prohibit the exercise free choice...

I may not agree with the choices that people make, but I will defend their right to make their own choices...

[persimmon8]

06:30 PM on 02/29/2012

The Holy Brightness cannot be owned by any religion. Santorum and his ilk have an extremely childish and cultish view of scripture and of God. Real God only Unifies. We should not pay attention to this immaturity that is actually quite dangerous when he professes intolerance to certain groups and war mongering. I am sure that Jesus would not go along with any of this blasphemy in his name.

[skeptic406]

05:39 PM on 02/29/2012

Rick, Rick, Rick. Everybody who reads the Bible interprets the Bible. Jesus said in the Bible, "If your eye or hand causes you to sin, pluck it out or cut it off." The fact that you have both eyes and both hands is proof that you too interpret what is plainly written in the Bible.

As a theologian, let me tell you Rick, and I hope this doesn't hurt you too much: Jesus is a liberal. Jesus interprets the laws of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, liberally. Jesus teaches about the dominion of God (the kingdom of God) liberally. Jesus describes God's economy as a liberal economy. Jesus is a liberal and Jesus' followers are all liberals. Jesus has fans too, and some of them may be conservative, but they really don't follow Jesus and fans don't love their neighbors as themselves. Followers do.

[iknowscottyknows]

05:10 PM on 02/29/2012

Jesus was so liberal he defined marriage as being between one man and one woman. He spoke against divorce, lust, and sex outside of marriage. He fed the poor using gifts given freely and not taken from others. He "judged" the behavior of some as sinful. He spoke of Heaven and Hell as real places. And he made it clear evolution was not true.

That's my kind of liberal.

[ajwriter]

07:01 PM on 02/29/2012

Are you being facetious, or do you really think Jesus spoke about evolution?

He also said "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's," in a time when the taxes were a shakedown of 2nd class (or worse) people rather than a free society supporting the infrastructure and other essential aspects of a first-world democratic nation.

He also said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

He said lots more, directly, about the sin of worshiping money than any of the topics from which you have inferred those statements.

"For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome; when I was ill-clad, you clothed me; when I was sick, you visited me; when I was in prison, you came to see me."

Honestly, can't find any mention of only feeding people if it's from resources Republicans wouldn't deem "taken" from others.

[CandyRaptor]

11:49 PM on 02/29/2012

What bible have you been reading......can you please point me to the verses you speak about?