Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Terry Mattingly

Home
Religion News
Maher says Obama’s faith is fake

Maher says Obama’s faith is fake

Last updated on: February 21, 2011 at 8:18 am by tmatt

Maher says Obama’s faith is fake 2011-02-21T08:18:46-05:00 tmatt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The last thing the White House needed was another TV preacher questioning the sincerity of President Barack Obama’s Christian faith.

But there was a twist. This time it was HBO’s Bill Maher — sermonizing against religion has become his life’s work — who claimed that Obama is hiding a deep, dark secret. During the Feb. 11 episode of his “Real Time” talk show, Maher said he knows an unbeliever when he sees one and that Obama is probably an agnostic.

This came a week after the president made another attempt, as church people say, to give “his testimony.” Yes, his mother was a skeptic, Obama said, during the National Prayer Breakfast, but she was also “one of the most spiritual people that I ever knew.” Her values led him to the Civil Rights Movement and to the Baptist, Catholic and Jewish clergy who led it.

“Their call to fix what was broken in our world, a call rooted in faith, is what led me … to sign up as a community organizer for a group of churches on the Southside of Chicago,” he said. “And it was through that experience working with pastors and laypeople trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods that I came to know Jesus Christ for myself and embrace Him as my lord and savior.”

The presidency has, on occasion, driven him to his knees, he said. But faith has strengthened his family, especially “when Michelle and I hear our faith questioned from time to time.”

Those old questions remain a concern months after a Pew Research Center poll found that 18 percent of Americans think Obama is a Muslim. At that time, only 34 percent of those polled said the president is a Christian and 43 percent said they didn’t know his current religion. Among strong supporters, 43 percent of blacks and 46 percent of Democrats agreed that he is a Christian.

The bottom line: Millions of voters remain unsure whether Obama is their kind of believer.

Maher’s attack was unique, since it came from an outspoken liberal, the acidic wit behind the movie “Religulous,” an fierce secularist who is so turned off by faith that he calls himself an “apatheist” instead of an atheist. If Maher has a sanctuary, it’s the Playboy mansion.

“With friends like Mr. Maher, Mr. Obama doesn’t need enemies,” noted Brent Decker, who leads The Washington Times editorial page.

Maher stated his doubts during a roundtable about whether the president is sincere in his attempts to march under a “centrist” banner. The iconoclastic comedian agreed with many religious conservatives on one crucial fact — that Obama often appears to hide his true beliefs.

“If you woke him up in the middle of the night, or if you gave him sodium pentothal, I think he’s a centrist the way he is a Christian — not really,” said Maher. In other words, Obama is pretending to be a centrist and a Christian.

The African-American philosopher and critic Cornel West disagreed: “He is a Christian, he’s just a centrist Christian. He’s not a prophetic Christian.”

Maher stood firm: “His mother was a secular humanist and I think he is too.”

This unleashed a lightning-fast series of exchanges, with guests discussing the fact that Obama entered the black church before he entered national politics. As an adult, he had already begun a spiritual journey that took him away from his mother’s blend of skepticism and spirituality.

“He changed his mind on the God question, brother Bill,” West reminded the host. “He changed his mind on the God question.”

Again, Maher insisted that Obama is hiding his true beliefs in the same way that he keeps insisting that he continues to “struggle with gay marriage.” It’s smart politics for Obama to say one thing while believing the other, said Maher.

Nevertheless, insisted West, “Being a Christian is not a political orientation for the president. He is a Christian.”

“I just don’t believe him,” Maher said.

“Bill, what do you think he is?”, asked West. “You think he’s agnostic, actually?”

“Yeah, kind of,” said Maher.

West grew even more animated, asking, “On what grounds do you say that? … What kind of evidence you got?”

Maher declined to answer and steered the discussion into safer territory.

Getting in the last word, West noted: “But somebody is wrong about this thing.”

Previous Post

February 14, 2011

College campus holy wars

Next Post

February 28, 2011 Getting iConfession wrong

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Anglicanism Announcements books Catholics doctrine evangelicals family life First person Godbeat Islam Judaism Mainline churches Marriage mass media movies Orthodox Politics popular culture religion sex Social issues Uncategorized Web/tech World World religions worship young people

Select a Month July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 January 2002 December 2001 November 2001 October 2001 September 2001 August 2001 July 2001 June 2001 May 2001 April 2001 March 2001 February 2001 January 2001 December 2000 November 2000 October 2000 September 2000 August 2000 July 2000 June 2000 May 2000 April 2000 March 2000 February 2000 January 2000 December 1999 November 1999 October 1999 September 1999 August 1999 July 1999 June 1999 May 1999 April 1999 March 1999 February 1999 January 1999 December 1998 November 1998 October 1998 September 1998 August 1998 July 1998 June 1998 May 1998 April 1998 March 1998 February 1998 January 1998 December 1997 November 1997 October 1997 September 1997 August 1997 July 1997 June 1997 May 1997 April 1997 March 1997 February 1997 January 1997 December 1996 November 1996 October 1996 September 1996 August 1996 July 1996 June 1996 May 1996 April 1996 March 1996 February 1996 January 1996 December 1995 November 1995 October 1995 September 1995

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the main Christian symbol in Ethiopian churches?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Ethiopian cross The fish The anchor The star