What is Barack Obama's religious background?

Answer 1

First, it is difficult to answer this question: are you asking about his religious beliefs (moderate Christian) or his political beliefs (centrist Democrat)? It should also be noted that we can never really know the true beliefs of someone else. All we can do is make some assumptions based on that person's actions. Also, many people will see another person through the lens of politics: those who disagree with Mr. Obama's politics may also dislike what they think he believes. With those caveats, let me try to address some of Barack Obama's beliefs, as he has expressed them in interviews and articles.

Based on what he has said over the years, the president believes government can and should help the less fortunate; and Mr. Obama has championed policies that expand access to health care. He also believes that women should receive equal pay for equal work (he grew up watching his maternal grandmother work her way up at a bank, but men were paid more, even when she did the same work they did); so he championed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which passed congress and was signed into law. And he believes that it is wrong to have economic policies that mainly benefit the wealthiest Americans, so he has tried to enact policies that give tax breaks to middle and working class people.

On a personal level, we know from his writings that he believes parents (fathers especially) should make time to mentor and guide their children-- his own father was not there for him, from the time he was about two years old, and it affected him greatly; he promised himself that if he ever became a dad, he would never abandon his kids and would always find time to be with them. And on a religious level, he believes that being a Christian is not just about what church you attend or what words you say, but rather, about how you live and how you try to apply Christian teachings. Having grown up in a lower-middle class family, and having worked years later as an advocate for the poor, Mr. Obama believes that following the teachings of Jesus is about reaching out to those in need and giving them the opportunity to have a better life. Also, since he grew up in a multiracial and multicultural family, with people from many religions and cultures, he believes that tolerance and respect are essential if we are to understand each other and learn to work together.

Answer 2

For some reason, certain people continue to wonder if the president is a Christian, despite the Constitution saying there should not be any "religious test". President Obama has been accused of being a secret Muslim, even though there is no credible evidence he ever practiced any religion other than Christianity. He comes from a multicultural family, with some relatives in Africa who are Muslim and others in America who are Christian; his American up-bringing was by his mother, who was non-religious; and his grandparents, who belonged to a mainstream Christian church. His wife was raised Methodist, and has a number of family members from various denominations of Christianity, as well as a cousin who is Jewish, and a rabbi.

The president has said in his writings that he went through a period of religious doubt and was brought back to Christianity by Pastor Jeremiah Wright, a Chicago minister. He and his wife Michelle became members of the pastor's church, and while later Rev. Wright would come to be known as a controversial figure, at the time the Obamas belonged to his church, he preached a doctrine that stressed helping the poor and bettering society; his predominantly black church also stressed pride in being African-American.

Some sources on the conservative side of the political aisle have tried to assert that President Obama is not really a Christian, because he does not follow Evangelical beliefs; but not all Christians are evangelical: moderate and liberal Christians are certainly considered Christian by most Americans.

Despite unsourced accusations and internet myths, the president seems comfortable in the mainstream Christian tradition, no matter what his political opponents say about his beliefs. He has told interviewers that he believes in prayer and tries to live an ethical life; he also says he tries to follow the teachings of Jesus. The president also has friends from all religions. There is no reason to doubt his sincerity when he says he is a Christian.

Answer 3

Barack Obama is a Christian. Rumors that he is or was a Muslim are false, and have been debunked by many fact-checking websites. President Obama was born to a mother who was not religious at all (although he writes that she was very spiritual) and to a father who was originally a Muslim but had not practiced that faith in decades. He was mainly raised by his grandparents, who were both mainstream Protestant Christians. The President went through a period of being uninterested in religion earlier in his life, but when he started dating Michelle and they discussed marriage and children, he decided it would be important to have a religion, and he decided upon Protestant Christianity. In Chicago, he and his wife attended the Trinity United Church of Christ where they were married. Since he has been president, he and his family have attended churches of several denominations; their preference has been an Episcopalian church which is located near the White House.
He was raised Muslim and now professes to be a Christian.

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It's a myth he was raised a Muslim. He himself says he was raised in a non-religious household. He IS a Christian. He was baptised in 1988.

Answer 4

He was raised without much religion in his early years. His mother was a non-practicing Christian. His biological father, who left when Barack was only two, was an atheist who had been born a Muslim but had long since left that religion. Later in Barack's youth, he went to live with his maternal grandparents, who were Protestant Christians. He later decided to commit himself to Christianity and that is what he did. He was married in a Protestant church and has raised his daughters in the Protestant religion.

Answer 5

He is a Protestant Christian. There are many internet myths that say he is a Muslim, but there is NO credible evidence that he ever was raised to practice Islam. His father was born a Muslim but had long since left the faith by the time Barack Obama was born, and his mom was a non-practicing Christian. The young Obama was raised to respect all faiths, and even attended a Catholic school in Indonesia for a time, but was not raised in any one religion until he began living with his grandparents, who were Protestant Christians. He became more formally involved in Christianity around the time he began dating Michelle, and he decided he wanted his children to be raised Christians.

Answer 6

Barack Obama is a devoted christian and always has been.

Answer 7

He professes a belief in Christianity. He is not a member of any church at this time.

Answer 8

His dad was Muslim but mum was christian so he became christian.