Voter Guide for Election 2012: Can a Person of Faith Vote for Barack Obama?

Religious freedom has been eroding in the United States for several years, but nothing compares to the hostility towards biblical values exhibited by our current president, Barack Obama. From his initial act of revoking conscience protection for health workers (that previously shielded those who refused to participate in abortions or other medical activities that go against their beliefs) in February 2009 to the 2012 ruling that will require many nonprofit religious employers to cover contraception, Obama has continued a pattern of attacks on people, and organizations, of faith. 

At first glance, it might appear that Obama has targeted the Catholic religion, but he has been equally intolerant to those of Protestant and Jewish faith, while at the same time exhibiting a preference and protection for Islam. His recent statement before the United Nations General Assembly that “the future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam ...” would apply to orthodox Christians that believe Christ is the only way to salvation – an obvious slander of Mohammed.

Seeing their traditional values undermined, people of faith are drawing a line against the ever-encroaching line of government intervention. Bishop Earl Walker Jackson Sr. has accused Barack Obama of launching an "assault on religious liberty" and has called for a mass exodus of all black Christians from the Democratic Party. Jackson expressed outrage over the inclusion of abortion rights and same-sex marriage in the Democratic platform. His concern “ ... is not about party, but principle; not about race, but righteousness. This is not about winning an election, but saving a generation.”

After being under fire from the Obama administration, the Catholic Church is firing back with a video developed by Catholics Called to Witness, a Florida-based non-profit: “Test of Fire.” The video reminds viewers that their vote will affect the future and be recorded in eternity. Reaffirming that some issues are non-negotiable, it poses the question “Will you vote for values that will stand the test of fire? Marriage, Life, Freedom.”

Jewish voters have much to be concerned with as well. Beginning with Obama’s Cairo speech, where he promised the Muslim world a new, more evenhanded approach in the peace process, the Jewish community has grown more uncertain about Obama’s commitment to Israel. Suggesting a return to the 1967 borders, lack of scheduling a single trip to Israel during his presidency, the refusal to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and most recently, his refusal to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during UN meetings in New York, have all contributed to a growing belief that Obama is not a strong supporter of the Israeli nation. 

As far as Israel and Obama's behavior towards its prime minister are concerned, the Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg did not mince words, writing in an October, 2012, letter, "...Obama's policy toward Israel has been a disgrace from the start. It's as if his goal is to disenfranchise himself -- and America -- from the Jewish state..."

The video “Absolutely Uncertain” narrated by Irina, a 23-year-old Jewish New Yorker and former Obama supporter, analyzes President Obama’s relationship with Israel and his lack of urgency related to the possibility of a nuclear Iran:

Possibly the most revealing detail of the president’s unwillingness to accommodate people of faith is David Barton’s article, "America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U.S. President." Beginning with the campaign in 2008 and continuing through February of 2012, Barton chronicles Barack Obama’s unprecedented acts of hostility toward people of biblical faith and values. Including decisions within the military and acts of preferentialism for Islam, it details a stunning record of attack on religious freedom and is a “must read” for any person of Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish faith.

So the ultimate decision in Election 2012 is this: If you are a person of faith, are you willing to trade your religious principles for politics? The answer may be discovered by answering the following two questions:

1) Is there a moral comfort-zone that a candidate must not cross or it becomes a deal breaker in your being able to vote for them? 

2) If you answered yes to question 1, has Obama crossed that moral line?

Based on the evidence presented, if Obama has not crossed a moral line that would prevent you from voting for him, there is no line. If his actions of the last four years have not clearly identified a hostility and lack of respect for religious freedom, there is no line. And to vote for Barack Obama, you will have to trade religious principles for the sake of politics. What choice will you make?