How Not to Curry Favor

President Barack Obama is trying to improve the image of the United States among the world's Muslims. He apparently thinks that the way to do this is to assert that the Muslim population of the U.S. makes it one of the world's largest Muslim countries and to emphasize that his own father was a Muslim. He also is re-introducing his middle name, Hussein, after suppressing it during the election campaign.

I can't help but compare his efforts to those of Paul and Timothy in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him on one of his missionary journeys. There was this one little problem, though. Timothy's father was a Gentile and his mother was a Jew. In keeping with the father's tradition, Timothy had never been circumcised. To avoid upsetting the Jews that they would encounter on their journey, Timothy consented to adult circumcision (ouch!). If Timothy's mother had not been Jewish, I doubt this would have been necessary.

I'm not sure that I really have any point that I'm trying to make, other than that I don't think Barry should expect to receive any slack for his Dad's professed faith. If anything, it seems that he might be viewed as an apostate Muslim.

Oh, and the world's Muslims probably won't appreciate his proclamation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.