Islam, Christianity and first grade kids

Submitted by Pat (United States), Jan 9, 2008 at 11:20

As Christians, we are divided regarding the efficacy of infant baptism. But we are all agreed that an adult who identifies him or herself as a Christian should be treated as a Christian. After all, it is God who looks on the heart, not us. A first-grade kid who follows the father-figure in his home to a mosque should not be presumed to be a Muslim. And if that kid later runs for President of the US, the rules shouldn't change. We should judge Obama by American standards, not Sharia law.

We don't expect any other American kid to have made a permanent religious decision at age 6, and we shouldn't hold Obama to a different standard. I realize that Muslim countries have a different standard. But we should stick to our American standard.

Therefore, I think Mr. Pipes' evidence is pretty thin, and we should all drop it, unless Barak Obama brings it up.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".