Media Bigot-watch. CNN promo: Rumors that Obama is a Muslim, "though he says he's a Christian"

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

What the FUCK is wrong with these people? It's the Washington Post article all over again...

What is with this racial/ethnic approach to religion?

Obama "saying" he is a Christian is not one side of a controversy, it is his frigging RELIGION. He's in a better position to know his own faith than Kira-fricking-Chechney. If a person *says* his religion is Zoroastrian then that's what it is!

Why don't they just cut to the chase and say "alleged Christan"?

Do they think muslims have secret birth-marks or something? That muslims are a race?

I hate these dumb-asses. There are not two sides to every story!

[gateley]

1. Ludicrous. Where the hell did this come from? TOTALLY a freeper charge! nt

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. If there is an issue you can resolve by asking someone, this is it.

They create the conceptual specter of someone arguing with others about his own faith.

"Oh yeah, well I say you're a druid!"

[Botany]

2. Who cares?

This Country was founded on the separation of Church & State.

[jillan]

4. Fair or not - this is what the gopers are going to throw against them.

I know it's really, really stupid. But the Rush Limpo's of the world have drilled this into their tiny heads.

I hope Obama nips it in the bud asap.

[Lucinda]

17. Yep. ANYTHING they think they can use, they will.

I hope we all learned from Kerry.

[Whisp]

31. I just wonder who the they is...

It wouldn't surprise me at all that the Hillary camp refreshed this nonsense over again. Muslim =untrustworthy. Corporate shill=trustworthy.

but there are many things at work here, and honesty and fair play is not. Let's just wrastle around in whatever mud we can invent until the real mud and blood and guts spilt of the next war gets us lower classes while the Obamas and Clintos and Edwards look beyond in their self made heroic armor from a safe horizon. yep.

[leftynyc]

39. Obama should leave it alone

He's already said he's Christian and if he starts sounding defensive, it will hurt him. He best get used to this kind of stuff. If he's the nominee you can bet that every puke campaign ad will also add his middle name. Just because we on DU don't care about it, you can bet that the general public does.

[seriousstan]

5. Very few prominant people leave Islam without being called apostate and kafir.

I have a problem with a religion you can not leave. Am I alone here?

[ThatPoetGuy]

21. What are you talking about?

What does that have to do with this thread?

[seriousstan]

22. It addresses the idea that he changed his religion for some nefarious reason.

It would have been to his disadvantage, considering that Sharia law finds apostrophe a capital offense.

[ThatPoetGuy]

24. He changed his religion "for some nefarious reason"...

when he was two years old?

Do you actually believe this stuff?

[seriousstan]

26. I am not defending Islam's definition of apostate.

You decide whether he was a Muslim and if he can stop being a Muslim.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[seriousstan]

28. Knock yourself out.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blondeatlast]

33. How's this? I DON'T FUCKING CARE. He's not a contender for this Dem,

but damn if I'll allow specious spin to go unchallenged when I see it!

[LanternWaste]

36. Isn't that only relevant with the ultra-orthodox

Isn't that only relevant with the ultra-orthodox practitioners of the religion?

Anyway, regardless of what a religion may or may not wish from adherents-- an individual always has the choice to make for themselves... saying, "I have a problem with a religion you can not leave" seems disingenuous at best.

[MadBadger]

6. What program on CNN and who said it?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. Previewing a story on tomorrow's CNN morning show. I think it was

Kiren Chechney (sp?), former Fox News babe.

[MadBadger]

9. do you remember how they posed the story?

Did they say like, "Is barack Obama really a Muslim and not telling us?" or something else.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

10. No, it was about the constant rumors, but it set me off that they didn't say the rumors were false,

just that Obama "says" he's a Christan, rather than "Obama is a Christian", as if it was a legitimate topic for debate.

[MadBadger]

13. Maybe they will talk about those attempting to smear him.

The only reason I remain hopeful is because it was CNN that disproved that madrassa story. Id find it weird for them to go back and start spreading baseless rumors now when they did their best to disprove them last time around.

[still_one]

16. You might have a point. There competition was the one who started the story about the madrassa

I don't watch MSM since 2004. I do watch Bloomberg which I don't consider typical media since they try to present all views.

I hope you are right, but I am not counting on it

[Lucinda]

20. Maybe...but couldn't there promo have alluded to it that way?

And part of me thinks that this would stop if they stopped repeating it. It makes my head spin.

[sufrommich]

34. I saw it too. It was a female newsperson,not sure who.

As soon as she said it,I thought it was below the belt.All Dems need to start calling the media on shit like this,I don't care who your candidate is.

[JI7]

8. whatever show is coming on now, it was Kiran Chetry who said it

i got the same reaction as the OP when she said it.

[JeffR]

11. Just in: Rumors that CNN is a news network

Easily disproved by watching 5 minutes of any show they air. Warning: watching for more than 5 minutes has been demonstrated to lower IQ by up to 40 points.

[Lucinda]

19. Ya know...every now and then CNN is actually good. But it's getting rare.

[JeffR]

32. Now and then it still is

I used to watch a lot of CNN, but I'm down to occasionally watching their Special Investigation things.

Amanpour's 3-part religion series was good.

[Lucinda]

38. Yep. Amanpour's piece was very good. I have found

real info comes in odd bits and pieces throughout the day. I saw a great quickie interview with Senators Snowe and Salazar after their Iraq trip which was very informative. Then the info dropped like a stone. That seems to be the norm. I think they cover so much that they can't get a handle on whats really valuable. And they lose the real content they do have, chasing after nonsense that they run into the ground.

[TheFarseer]

12. Freepers need to decide

is Obama a Muslim or is he in a radical Christian Cult? He can't be in both but you regularly hear Repug radio people saying he is in one then the other within the same three hour broadcast.

[NMMNG]

14. Such is the problem

When there's so much intermingling of politics and religion. If religion were kept out of the political sphere and not thrown out there for everybody to examine and critique, there wouldn't be so much of an issue over his "rumored" religion vs. his "professed" religion. Neither could be used to harm or help him.

Separation of Church and State is a good thing. And keeping religion out of elections is a good thing too, for many reasons.

[still_one]

15. Only one reason for this one, because he is gaining in Iowa. This is swiftboat 101

Obama should not let this slide. ailes over at faux has already made jokes with his name, osama, obama

This is what they call journalism. PATHETIC

Yes, religion doesn't matter except to the 35% of this country who are admitted bigots

About two months ago Ed Schultz was arguing with one of those bigots who insisted not only was Obama Muslim, but because of not wear the flag on his lapel he was also associated with "those" people against America

Schultz put the caller in his place, not only referring to him as a bigot, but that the caller was unamerican based on his views

[Lucinda]

18. I don't think its because of his Iowa numbers, per se. They keep dragging variations

of this nonsense out, hoping it will stick. When this goes nowhere they will still try it again later, and hope more people bite.

[still_one]

40. you are probably right /nt

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

23. Historical note: The Spanish Inquisition was primarily to hunt Jews who

professed Christianity. All Jews in Spain had to convert to Christianity or leave, circa 1500.

The remaining converted Jews were always being investigated, though, because if the church could prove they were secret Jews the church got all their property, and the inquisitor got a cut.

So if you weren't working on Saturday, or working on Sunday, or failing to mix meat and milk...

A lot of the process was picking out someone who used to be Jewish and had a house you liked, then torturing them until they confessed, then you got to take their house.

So, in light of that, this stuff about people's "real" religion really grinds me.

[AuntPatsy]

25. The mentality is amazing, and another good reason we can not let our guard down...

To us none of that matters but to the conserves of course it will therefore it is just more proof that in no way shape or form should we ever let them allow us to become comfortable that they are doing their job.

[Josiah1982]

30. Who cares about anyone's religion

i think that the people of America are ready to elect a candidate even if he is a Muslim. What difference would that make? If Obama says hes a Crhistian then that is what he is, and if he said he was once a Muslim, that would be fine too.

[Mass]

35. Tom Toles nails it here.

[LeftishBrit]

37. Well, exactly!

Blimey. Unbelievable!

How can someone be secretly Muslim, anyway, given that you have to attend services at a mosque, pray five times a day, avoid certain foods, etc.? - it's not a religion that's confined to inner spirituality, but involves your public actions.

In any case, I don't give a damn what religion a leader has, just so long as (s)he doesn't try to force it onto others - and that goes for any religion!