Does Obama Believe in Sin?

In an interview in 2004 with a religion reporter for the Chicago Sun Times, Barack Obama answered in some revealing ways the depth of his religion: The reporter posted it on his blog The Dude Abides. Here’s some snippets:

GG:What do you believe?

OBAMA: I am a Christian. So, I have a deep faith. So I draw from the Christian faith.

On the other hand, I was born in Hawaii where obviously there are a lot of Eastern influences. I lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, between the ages of six and 10.

My father was from Kenya, and although he was probably most accurately labeled an agnostic, his father was Muslim. And I’d say, probably, intellectually I’ve drawn as much from Judaism as any other faith.

Is this the most political answer you’ve ever heard? He mentioned just about every major religion including agnosticism. Give me a break. Someone who believes in all those things, most likely believes in nothing. But he does believe very strong in one thing: Barack Obama. I found this next snippet to be of even more interest:

GG: Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA: Yes.

GG: What is sin?

OBAMA: Being out of alignment with my values.

Is that a complete answer? Whose values? Is there nothing outside of the mind of Barack Obama to which he aspires? Sin, to Obama is not being out of alignment with God but it’s not doing what Barack Obama says.

Since Obama has defined sin as occurring when he is out of alignment with Obama’s values, does it therefore follow that I sin when I am out of alignment with Obama’s values. Is my likely vote for McCain a sin worth mentioning in my Confession?

If you weren’t sure of Obama theology, he confirms it with his next answer:

So you got yourself born again?

OBAMA: Yeah, although I don’t, I retain from my childhood and my experiences growing up a suspicion of dogma. And I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others.

I’m a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at it’s best comes with a big dose of doubt. I’m suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding.

I think that, particularly as somebody who’s now in the public realm and is a student of what brings people together and what drives them apart, there’s an enormous amount of damage done around the world in the name of religion and certainty.

So the only good religion is an uncertain one? So how does Obama know when he sins? Is he uncertain of that? I’d bet no. He knows what he thinks. Here’s the thing and there’s no way getting around it: Religion without rules is license to do what you want to do and feel good about it. If your religion doesn’t ever conflict with what you want to do, it’s not a religion.

Ok. I didn’t think I was capable of it but I’m even a little more frightened of Obama becoming President than I was yesterday.