Obama is not the "Right" type of Christian?

I was recently reading an article on CNN about President Barack Obama's religion, and how some claim he is a different kind of Christian. Furthermore, I was blown away when a reverend said the following about Obama, that "he's never heard Obama say he's 'born-again'. There's no emotional conversion story to hold onto." Firstly, this pisses me off because I think the fact that a president pretty much has to be a Christian in order to be president is wrong and against what America stands for. I think anyone who lives in America and has the right ideas for the country as a collective should have a fair and equal chance of being president. Seeing something like this makes me think we are still stuck in the era the Puritans were in at the same time the book "The Crucible" was set in.

Relating to "The Crucible", I think Obama is similar to the accused witches and 'Devil's Helpers' such as John Proctor. Many are viewing Obama as a "wrong" breed of Christianity, in which his faith is a combination of over three different sects of the religion. In The Crucible, John Proctor was questioned about his faith just because he did not attend church recently and that he had worked on Sunday's. Obama is getting similar knocks, which I believe to be total stretches. People like Rev. Cass, who criticized Obama earlier in the post about never telling the public about being "born-again", believe Obama to not be truly engaged with Christianity regardless of the fact he goes to church every weekend.

This is total B.S.; just because someone goes to church or does not go to church doesn't mean you can label them as a certain kind of person or certain type of Christian. Everybody has their own rhyme or reason for doing what they do with their life, and I believe God does not discriminate against one who can't or doesn't choose to go to church or whatever place of worship on a regular basis. So, would one who argues with me say that someone who goes to church MORE than once a week gets a spot in heaven before someone who just goes every Sunday? The idea that your attendance at church influences your religious views can be true in some cases, but I do not want to see America or anyone in the world labeling people based on this assumption.

What are your takes on Obama and never being "born-again" in his conversion to Christianity? Do you think one's attendance to their house of worship influences their "place" with God or their worshiper?

Doping and Loyalty- Doing What is Right

"By not saying anything, you're part of the problem". This was said by former masseuse of Lance Armstrong and the entire United States Post Office cycling team, Emma O'Reilly, in 2000. Ms. O'Reilly has since admitted to being apart of the underground doping system Armstrong and his teammates ran. This primarily took place outside of the states, but purely to avoid domestic security and issues.

Ms. O'Reilly for some time remained loyal and trustworthy to Armstrong, but has since turned against him, and for the right reasons. She understood that she would be "part of the problem" if she did not speak out against the team, and she believes this purity in her life will give her better things to come.

I believe Ms. O'Reilly shows a couple of american values in her story. First, that Americans cannot get away with everything just because of the ego our country holds. Armstrong admitted that O'Reilly had enough information from her time on the team that she could "bring [him] down". So Armstrong knew that O'Reilly could be the mole in their doping scandal, but possibly could have had this strong individualistic ego and a nationalistic idea that he would remain clean. This clearly has backfired. Also, O'Reilly's story can show one how Americans ultimately have enough pride in their country to do what's ethically right and right under the Constitution. It took courage for Emma O'Reilly to come forth and say what she has seen in the Post Office cycling team camp, and she did what was right. She just wants to spring forward a new cycling generation, and it is taking the necessary steps to get there. What do you think Armstrong and O'Reilly tell you about America and cycling?

To see the full article, click the follow link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-aide-talks-of-doping-and-price-paid.html?pagewanted=2

Replacements Gone: NFL is restored

Most football and sports fans saw this iconic play last Monday night involving a hail mary pass from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Golden Tate. Here's the clip:

We can dive into the logistics of the NFL rules about a joint catch between an offensive and defensive player, but long story short is that Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings clearly had control of the interception and then Golden Tate stuck one hand on the football on the ground and the replacement refs gave him the touchdown. The play even went to review where the refs still saw no need to reverse the call, giving the Seahawks one of the luckiest and bogus victories in NFL history.

But it is the refs that we are here to talk about. The replacement referees were officiating NFL games for the preseason and the first 3 weeks of the 2012 season. No one was thrilled to have them up to this Monday Night Football game, but once this one was over, there was no doubt that they had to go. The replacements were in commission because the "real" refs were on strike in their union against the NFL. They wanted the pay they thought they deserved, and the league wasn't caving in; well, not until this Monday night outrage.

I think this dilemma and resolution shows how the American public can create a revolution against something, in this case the NFL, and influence it with our numbers to change things to the way we think they should be. The days after the Packers-Seahawks game, social media was blowing up with hate towards the replacement refs and the NFL for not paying up for the officials we trust and now love.

 There is a reason why the original referees are qualified and experienced enough to take on the hardship of officiating in the NFL, and the support of the public and their strength as a union proved as a powerful example of how strength in numbers can be effective. What is your take on the recent agreement between the NFL and the referees?