WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A GREAT RELIGION?

DATELINE: Pietyville, October 18 – President Obama is a tireless public supporter of Islam, a theme that began early in his Presidency. In April 2009 in an address before the Turkish Parliament, he conveyed, “our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world – including my own country.”

A couple of months later during a speech in Cairo, the President stated, “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.” He went on to say, “[W]e will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities.” Given recent world events, the encouragement has probably been back-burnered.

In the same remarks, he stated that “I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story.” He must have had a very different history book in his classes than the rest of us. In a September 10 speech, he separated the Prophet Muhammad’s religion from the ISIS terrorists who practice it in their own perverted way.

The President takes a hit on two counts for supporting Islam in his fashion. He does not extol any other religion in the same way, or even close to it. And many in the western world view Islam with suspicion, which then enshrouds the President like a burka.

We’ll let those critics take care of their own issues. The one dealt with here concerns a pronouncementObama made in his September 24 address to the United Nations. There he declared that Islam is “one of the world’s great religions”.

What does “one of the world’s great religions” mean other than there are at least two of them? What is a great religion? Does a religion that’s been around from antiquity qualify? No. Ancient means old not great.

How about a religion with millions of believers? No, again. People are too easily deceived especially in large groups. You know the old saying, none of us is as dumb as all of us.

Is a religion made great by its major tenets and practices? Maybe, if most of us agree with them, but Islamdoesn’t make that grade. It goes without saying that religions aren’t big on social equality. But, when it comes to the treatment of women, Islam has to use a telescope to see the bottom of the rest of the list.

There are other Islamic practices that most of us tend to shy away from. Death by stoning is the prescribed punishment for adultery while fornicators receive one hundred lashes, both administered in public.

Maybe a great religion is one that controls the most wealth. After all, the expression “great wealth” has to mean something.

In 1965, the Vatican’s wealth was estimated at between $10 -15 billion. Fifty years later, it is impossible to ballpark. Still, compared to the oil reserves in Islamic countries, the Vatican’s riches look like my old allowance – 25 cents every Thursday.

In terms of money controlled, Islam is THE world’s great religion. But, for most people, the only great religion is their own. Everybody else’s is mediocre at best.

So, why is Obama a constant apologist for a religion that, despite his claims, is not intertwined with this Country? Perhaps, by pumping it up and revising American history, he can generate a feeling of kinship toward what is really a very foreign belief system.

For thinking people, dummying up the details is an obstacle to the development of inclusionary attitudes. For people who don’t think, the President’s words are meaningless anyway.