The role of religious influence in the ongoing Democratic nomination race changed shape today. For the very first time, I heard Senator Barack Obama say something negative and it was not about his opponent Sentor Hillary Clinton.

Cathy Renna over at Bilerico Project has a post about the work GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and others did to keep the Catholic Church from blaming the child abuse scandal on gay priests. That work paid off, among other places, in the Pope's talking points yesterday.

"Barack Hussein Obama," they say, "he's a Muslim -- don't trust him!" By "they" I mean the right-wing nutcases who view being a Muslim as a pretty serious character flaw.

Still, though, while I'm obviously put off by the "Obama is Muslim" line, I'm also put off by the media identifying it as a "smear." It is a problematic assertion either way you look at it. Obama is a Christian and he identifies himself as such, yet to openly contest an assertion that he's a Muslim might be grounds for saying, "oh, what, are you anti-Muslim now? Some progressive you are!" Furthermore, it's implicitly anti-Muslim for the media to suggest that obviously being publicly discussed a Muslim is "damaging" to one's reputation. They ought to be addressing that point too when reporting on this topic.

In my travels across the internet, the vast expanse of
nothingness that it is, I stumbled upon something very interesting. The
following names:

Burt Reynolds, Cher, Kim Bassigner, Jessica Biel, Benjamin Bratt, Rita
Coolidge, Cameron Diaz, Shannon Elizabeth, Ava Gardner, Val Kilmer, Della
Reese, Maria Tallchief, Tina Turner, Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, Tommy Lee
Jones, Heather Locklear, Chuck Norris, Demi Moore, Elvis Presley, Della Reese,
Quinten Tarrantino, Billy Bob Thornton, Carmen Electra, Buffy Sainte-Marie,
James Earl Jones, Wayne Newton, Mykelti Williamson…

Politics, meet religion. Religion, this is politics… To some that meeting is a good thing, while others are probably screaming in horror at the very thought of those two things in close proximity (picture: Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone”).  

I don't often blog on electoral politics, here or in other venues. Or on theology. So it's odd that I should find myself discussing a topic that some might consider at the intersection of each.

But this tidbit uncovered by Think Progress is just too incredible not to pass on:

Shortly before a triple execution in Arkansas in Jan. 1997, a caller called into Huckabee's show on Arkansas Educational Television Network and asking how he squared his Christian teachings with his support for the death penalty. As the Arkansas Times reported on Jan. 22, 1997:

"Interestingly enough," Huckabee allowed, "if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, `This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."

Jesus, though, did not ask for clemency. Therefore, according to Huckabee's logic, Jesus must have been in favor of capital punishment.

Does this not strike anyone else as intrinsically disturbing?

The first ever Hindu prayer in the U.S. senate was interrupted by 3 "protesters" shouting prayers and making a ruckus. They were removed by an officer and charged. I think the term protester is too nice for morons like this.

Full video here.

Also don't forget to go to savetheinternet.com to voice your support for Net Neutrality. Only 3 days are left till the FCC decides the fate of the internet!

In an ironic twist of fate, Al Sharpton is taking a ride on his own apology tour for his comments regarding Mormonism and Mitt Romney during a debate on "Is God Great?"

I guess his critics ignored Chrisopher Hitchens, whose new book asserts "God Is Not Great" and "Religion Poisons Everything."

So if you criticize part of a religious practice... conservatives can call it bigotry... but if you criticize all religions... they give you a free pass?

Religion, invoking the powers of god, speaking from the lord's book - all these things have a great power and importance to a large number of people, but why? As I traveled this past week (spring break) through the states from Michigan to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida and back I really noticed the prevalence of religion along the highway and in the South.