OBAMARAMA

In response to a Los Angeles Times article that “makes some provocative points this morning about a five-year old Sen. Barack Obama ‘bow[ing] to Allah,’ about how, though his mother went to Church, “Barry Obama” would often choose to attend mosque, about how he was registered as a Muslim at school,” the Hotline asks a worthy question:” [H]ow many young children have fully formed religious identities — especially young children in mixed religion families?”

Editor Marc Ambinder goes further, too, inserting a candid editorial note that touches precisely on the heart of the matter:

I attended a small high school affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Every Wednesday, all students attended a mandatory prayer service. When the students stood, I stood. When they bowed their heads, mine inched down. You might have even caught me mouthing of a few of the hymns. But I was Jewish, as were about fifteen percent of my classmates. We weren’t Christians. We didn’t become Christians because we sat through the services. Attendence was required; it was a prerequisite — a community standard.