Religious Resignation

[Kevin]

I know we're talking about politics, but I'm trying to reign in the cynicism. I think it is a bit harsh to characterize this as "Obama quits church in a desperate bid to disassociate himself from controversy". He did meet with the church leaders, and I'm sure they wanted this also.

If you were a church leader, do you really want the whole church to know that every word said is going to be examined by the media and used however possible to damage the Obama campaign? Preachers having to watch every word they say with the same kind of care as politicians (leading to empty speeches such as we hear from politicians)?

I agree with this as well.

But I also think he pretty much had to do it anyway. I'm expecting him to be running against McCain (I do realize Hillary could still get the nod but I don't expect that to happen) and that just means that mudslinging and attacks are going to get worse. I don't have a lot of faith in a good portion American, they are swayed by stuff like that, I'm not going to try and claim how many but enough folks to have an impact. He needs to not have that obvious attack angle sitting there for the McCain to leverage against him. It's how the game works. Part of Obama's decision is the same reasoning McCain used when he distanced himself from a religious figure.

Now what does this mean to the folks who think more about all this? Kandrathe I think is a bit too cynical but I don't think he is that far off. Of course his accusation could probably be leveled at a lot of church goers that I've encountered. They don't believe in a lot of the religiosity of the church they attend but they go to church because "it's what you do". I like to believe this is a small percentage of church goers but I do believe it is a noticeable percentage. And I know that on smaller stages of the political theater that mayors and councilmen and aldermen and even judges, whoever are attending churches not for religion but for the social connections and other purely political reasons. You get stories on local levels about stuff like that too.

Even if the person is deep religious and resonates with all the church has to say, the chances are anyone motivated enough to run for a higher public office is going to use every tool available to help leverage themselves into the office they are after and everything they do ends up with some level. Every vote counts, a mayor in a small town change churches 3 years before he ran for mayor because the congregation was 4 times bigger and yes it looks like most of the folks in the new church did vote for him But it came out that votes was the whole reason he changed churches. It happens.

Do I care that much, not really. I don't think an truly honest man can survive the system and I don't think a truly honest man is who I actually want in charge anyway.