Reflections

January 18, 2009 - Maulana

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Today was a day of reflection for me. Today gave me a chance to reflect on every sight, sound, and experience I'd been privy to during my time in Washington D.C. In addition to reevaluating past events, it was an opportunity to look forward in anticipation of coming events.

As an aside, I thought it would be of interest to mention that while I sat in Mass this evening, the priest began the homily with the question, "If you voted for Obama, can you call yourself a true Catholic?" The question itself conveyed a particular message to me. There is an undeniable relationship between religion (specifically Christianity), politics, leadership and governance in this country (and I suspect virtually every other country). They interrelate in a way so as to become inseparable at times.

What else would cause a priest to ask such a provocative question at a time when he would traditionally be ministering to the souls of those gathered before him? What was the connection between Barack Obama and my faith? As I weighed the question, I realized that perhaps there was some correlation for me and people of all faiths as well. Why wouldn't I be able to call myself a true Catholic and have voted for Obama?

Well, Obama's stance on abortion is directly at odds with the opinion of many religious institutions. But did that mean he should have been dismissed as a viable candidate for members of organized religions? And, speaking of faith and organized religion, there was a considerable amount of discussion around the false rumors about Obama's religion. What if Obama were Muslim? Why would that have rendered him unfit to lead this country?

In a previous blog post, I wrote about electing a leader who is able to make the difficult decisions. But what of our own ability to make difficult decisions? Do you judge a candidate for a job based solely on one factor?

It is no small feat that this country undertakes every four years. The choosing of our leader is a reaffirmation of the very founding principles of this country. So it should be a choice that is made with serious and thorough deliberation. The candidate for president is a person, nonetheless, and as a person he/she embodies a wide range of characteristics, traits, strengths and weaknesses. The candidate in his/her entirety must be taken into account, not merely a stance, a position, or a religion.

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