Great Quotes: Barack Obama, On Dogma And Religious Certainty

Great quotes: Andy Rooney, Prophets are to be trusted as reporters

What's the difference between creationists and the mentally disabled?

Great quotes: Barack Obama, On dogma and religious certainty

Posted On Nov 13, 2008 at 6:20 pm

2 Comments

Barack Obama praying I would love to see an atheist win presidency in the US, but until that happens I think the next best thing is to have someone who does not overindulge in their beliefs - one who makes decisions with logic and understanding over blind guidance from faith. The first time I saw Obama and took a liking to him was during one of his speeches on the separation of church and state. I couldn't help thinking to myself, "A smart Christian politician who believes in keeping faith personal - am I dreaming?!"

This is a quote from Obama during a 2004 interview where he explains his belief and the limits of his faith. Just another thing that furthers my respect for this man:

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.

You can view the whole interview transcript here.