Morality, Religion & Philosophy: May 2012 Archives

Obama on Sin

President Obama labels himself as a Christian but his perspective on sin doesn't line up with what many other Christians believe. From a wide-ranging 2004 interview with the future President:

FALSANI: Do you believe in sin?
OBAMA:
Yes.

FALSANI:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

FALSANI:
What happens if you have sin in your life?

OBAMA:
I think it's the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I'm true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I'm not true to it, it's its own punishment.

Presumably Obama doesn't mean that it's a sin for any of us to be out of alignment with his values, but even still, it's telling that he thinks that the only standard of morality that applies to him is one that he creates.

(HT: James Taranto/)