Faith

Hi folks -

Next is my latest letter from April 20th.  It was inspired by a conversation at my church, and it makes me wonder:  what do you think about Obama's faith?  Do you think it shapes his views and actions?  I'd love to hear from you.

I encourage everyone to write to President Obama, or any of our elected representatives.  It really makes a difference.

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington D.C.  20016

April 20, 2011

Dear Mr. President:

I hope you enjoyed your travels in my home state, California, and that this finds you safely at home.  My letter this week was inspired by a conversation with friends this past Sunday at our church.

It just so happens that you and I belong to the same Christian denomination: The United Church of Christ.  Our church here in Santa Rosa is filled with wonderful progressive Christians who truly try to walk the walk that Jesus did.  This past Sunday after services and fellowship, a few of us were discussing you and current events.  One of my friends said earnestly that she felt you had a very strong faith, to which I raised my eyebrow. (I was a bit skeptical, being familiar with the expediency of religion for some politicians.) Her husband chimed in and they both reiterated how important they felt your Christian faith was to you.  When I asked them why they thought this, they both said, “I can just feel it!”   I walked away from that conversation hoping they were right.   If it were true that your Christian faith was deep, that could make a profound effect on your actions as President. 

This past week you have vowed to roll back the Bush era tax cuts on the wealthy.  During your town hall meeting at Face Book you talked about the Republican budget proposal, and how, in contrast, you felt it was important for wealthy people to help other Americans to succeed.  You told the audience that you want health care and education to improve and be more accessible to all.  This heartened me. Your words reflected the teachings of Jesus.  Perhaps my friends were right.

Please act on these words.  Please make them real.  I know you need us to help you, but we need to see you stand firm on some of your stated principles.  We need to know we can trust you to walk the walk. 

We are counting on you.

Sincerely,

Holly Selden