Book Review - God in the Obama Era

About the Book
Turn to this book for a careful contemporary exposition of Barack Obama’s religious beliefs -- and a long term historical appraisal of their relation to the faith of predecessor presidents.

The forty-fourth President’s term of office will not expire until two more years. So who are we living with? Is Barack Hussein Obama a man of Christian faith? His middle name (which he included when he took the oath of office) means blessing in Muslim tradition. Who have turned out to be his cohorts, his opponents, his enemies? Is he tolerant, intolerant, puffed up, confused?

The world must judge! Or is he perhaps (as charged) a paranoid, a racist, a devotee of Liberation Theology, a socialist, communist, Muslim or skeptic?

Historically, it seemed to be an open question of WHAT NEXT -- how long and who wins for his administration? In the 2010 mid-term national election Democrats suffered major losses as the House of Representatives passed into Republican control. Critics said that Barack Obama is already a one term president! What had become of his biblically referenced audacity of hope, they asked? The opposition leadership vowed to seek repeal of Obama Care, the President’s health care program. Who had the forty-fourth President of the United States turned out to be, friends and enemies speculated? Statesman, Hypocrite, Liar, Paranoid, Wise Leader, Prophet, Zealot?

To begin to answer our question one must consider how the first African-American President’s plans and policies related to those of his predecessors in office--Clinton, Kennedy, the Roosevelts, Lincoln, Jackson, Washington among others; how will future historians evaluate his personality and character? How is one to appraise his foreign policy, his priorities: war and peace, nuclear disarmament, medicare, recession, religious freedom? The fact is that some of his accomplishments have turned out to be substantial even though the high rate of unemployment throughout the land has hobbled his administration and destroyed much of his earlier popularity.

Barack Obama had campaigned for the presidency with great optimism and promise. He promised to end the log jam in Washington D.C., work for disarmament and peace abroad as well as to build racial cooperation and interparty cooperation at home. From the outset of his term in office the Republicans united against him, seeking to to bring him down and to block his program. Obama himself had come to the capitol pledged to foster cooperation across party divides. It did not work! Such was the continuing confrontation between a progressive idealistic Democratic President and his Republican traditionalist opponents. The country had its most intellectual president since Woodrow Wilson, but his careful judgments did not necessarily bring votes in the face of major unemployment. Of course, internationally the nation faced continuing warfare in the Middle East, now centered now in Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

About the Author
Niels C. Nielsen, Jr. is the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Philosophy and Religious Thought emeritus at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Rice is an independent university, neither a state supported school or a church sponsored institution. He was founding chairman of its department of religious studies from 1968 to 1990.

His B.A. degree is from George Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, and his B.D. and Ph.D from Yale. He taught in the Yale University Department of Religion before coming to Texas. His professional affiliations include the American Academy of Religion, American Philosophical Society, American Society for the Study of Religion, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies and the Society for European Culture. His doctoral research at Yale was in contemporary theology. Subsequently he has written in the fields of world religions and religion in Eastern Europe; he traveled extensively researching in these fields.

Niels C. Nielsen, Jr.'s field of study and research is philosophy and religious studies. His text, Religions of the World is a widely used class book. His study of The Religion of Jimmy Carter had international sales, with Dutch and German translations. He has also written on Religion After Communism in Russia. 


My Take on the Book
I have not thought much about the religious affiliations of the Presidents in the past and how this affected their stances on many issues of the day. This book though gave the reader amazing insight into the lives and spiritual calling of our past Presidents and what that meant for them and for their overall US Policy decisions that they made while in office. While the book does not over all Presidents, it does take an intimate look at some of the best known of our US Presidents.

I have been reading the Biographies of our US Presidents and this book was an amazing addition that provided even more information than even some of the biographies that I have read this far.

We hear so much these days while listening to the news about the fundamentalist leaning of the US and their political power, so it was interested to see how in the past the Presidents balanced all of this.

This book was a great read and one that I could not put down. I am planning to share this book with another colleague who like me is reading the biographies of our Presidents as I know that he will love this as much as I. If you are interested in Presidential history, this book will open your eyes to things you would have never even considered in the past! read it today!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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15 Surprising Previous Careers of Our Presidents

I found this article at the following site - some interesting stuff! - http://www.careeroverview.com/blog/2011/15-surprising-previous-careers-of-our-presidents/

With so many presidents having had a previous career as lawyers and legal professionals (a whopping 24 out of 44) or military leaders before they entered the political realm, it can be easy to forget that others have held a wide range of careers before entering the White House. From working in fields to entertaining audiences at the movies, the variety of careers held by these leaders just goes to show that anyone with the ambition, intelligence and charisma can be President if they set their mind to it– no matter where they started out in life.

1. Jimmy Carter, Peanut Farmer. Before his years in the White House, this down-to-earth leader worked as a peanut farmer after returning home from a tour of duty in the Navy. It is perhaps this humble profession (though Carter was quite a successful farmer) in connection with his commitment to faith that led him to take such an interest in human rights, peace and diplomacy throughout his presidency.
2. Ronald Reagan, Actor. With many actors and entertainers stepping into the political arena these days, it is perhaps less shocking that this actor turned a career on the silver screen into eight years in the White House. During his theatrical run, Reagan appeared in over fifty films, was president of the SAG and become a spokesman for GE — a move that helped to jumpstart his interest in politics.
3. Lyndon Johnson, Teacher. Fresh out of college, a young LBJ found work in education, briefly as a principal and then as a public speaking teacher. His work as a teacher actually formed the basis for his entry into politics, as he moved from teaching to Director of National Youth Administration in Texas, and finally into the House of Representatives. Educational initiatives were always a focus during his presidency.
4. Herbert Hoover, Engineer. You might already have a connection in your head between President Hoover and engineering because of the famous dam named after him. In his career before the presidency, Hoover worked in mining engineering, and by all accounts was quite successful at it, traveling the world to consult and speak. It was this love of the practice that motivated lawmakers to name the dam after him.
5. Warren Harding, Newspaper Publisher and Editor. After graduating from college, Harding worked as a teacher and an insurance man before finding a job he truly loved – working as a newspaperman. He purchased a failing periodical, worked hard to turn it around and eventually built it into a fairly successful paper, though perhaps with detriment to his health. The stress of the job caused him exhaustion and nervous fatigue. It was not until after his presidency that he sold the paper, at a profit of over half a million dollars.
6. Andrew Johnson, Tailor. Apprenticed to a tailor at age 10, Johnson spent most of his early years working in a tailor's shop, learning how to sew and mend clothes. He, in fact, had no formal education and taught himself to read and write and was later tutored by his wife. Later in his career, Johnson's tailor shop became a meeting place for politically-minded men where they would debate the issues of the day.
7. Abraham Lincoln, Postmaster. Abraham Lincoln held many jobs in his years before the presidency, and while he was ultimately to become a lawyer like many other presidential candidates, he worked as a postmaster for a time under President Andrew Jackson in New Salem, Illinois. It was this job that allowed him to develop the connections with people in the community and surrounding areas. It also improved his education, which was a big help when he finally decided to be an elected official.
8. John F. Kennedy, Journalist. Much of what most people known about JFK centers around his assassination and short but popular presidency. While some may know of his career in the armed forces, fewer still know of his work as a writer before he entered the political arena. After he returned from service in WWII, Kennedy worked as a journalist, a career he loved and might have stuck with if it had his father not placed so much pressure on him to enter politics.
9. Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of Columbia University. When people think of former careers for Eisenhower, most remember his work in the armed forces as the U.S. Army Chief of staff and the brains behind D-Day. Yet the military wasn't Eisenhower's only pre-presidential career. After WWII, Eisenhower returned home and became president of Columbia University, a match that wasn't perfect, but motivated Eisenhower to take the job on two separate occasions.
10. Harry Truman, Men's Clothing Retailer. Harry Truman held many jobs before he became president, working as a clerk, railroad timekeeper and farmer before opening up a haberdashery after returning home from the army. Truman was the only president of the 20th century not to attend college, though his lack of higher education did not hold him back from being president. He may have benefited from some lessons in business, as his clothing store went bankrupt only during the lean years of the 20's.
11. James Garfield, School Teacher and Minister. Garfield is best remembered, tragically so, for his assassination a mere 200 days after being sworn into office, so many may not know much about his life before the presidency. While Garfield was eventually to find his calling in law and politics, after college be preached at the Franklin Circle Christian Church but disliked it greatly and decided to be a teacher instead. He taught classical languages for a couple of years before taking and passing the Bar Exam.
12. Chester Arthur, Tax Collector. Arthur, like so many presidents before him, graduated from college with a degree in law. While he was a lawyer by education, that was not always his vocation. During the Civil War, he was the Quartermaster General, and in the post-war period he was appointed tax collector of the Port of New York. During his seven years in this position, he was responsible for collecting a whopping 75% of the US's income from tariffs on imports and exports.
13. Grover Cleveland, Sheriff. After having a career in law for some time, Cleveland decided to run for the office of Sheriff in Erie County and was elected by a popular vote, his first real foray into politics. While Cleveland felt a need to address rampant corruption during his time in office, he took the job largely for the increase and pay and the free time it would allow him.
14. Theodore Roosevelt, Rancher. A Rough Rider, war hero and the nation's youngest president, Roosevelt is known as a larger-than-life political figure today. He perhaps honed some of his bravado and Wild West antics in his former career as a rancher. His love of the west and the outdoors no doubt played a role in later legislation he pushed for more National Parks.
15. Woodrow Wilson, Professor and President of Princeton. Before becoming a politician, Woodrow Wilson was an academic through and through. He graduated from Princeton, University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins, eventually earning himself a PhD and teaching political science at Princeton. A popular professor, he was rapidly promoted to President, a position that gave him the exposure and connections he needed to mount his later political career.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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