Está no The New York Times
As the Obamas Celebrate Christmas, Rituals of Faith Become Less Visible
By ASHLEY PARKER
HONOLULU — President Obama
celebrated a low-key Christmas in Hawaii this year. He sang carols,
opened presents with his family, and visited a nearby military base to
wish the troops “Mele Kalikimaka” — the Hawaiian phrase meaning “Merry
Christmas.”
Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press
But the one thing the president and his family did not do — something
they have rarely done since he entered the White House — was attend
Christmas church services.
“He has not gone to church, hardly at all, as president,” said Gary
Scott Smith, the author of “Faith and the Presidency: From George
Washington to George W. Bush,” adding that it is “very unusual for a
president not to attend” Christmas services.
Historically, watching the nation’s first family head to church dressed
in their Sunday best, especially around the holiday season, was
something of a ritual. Yet Mr. Obama’s faith is a more complicated, more
private, and perhaps — religious and presidential historians say — a
more inclusive affair.
And his religious habits appear to be in step with a changing America,
with fewer people these days reporting that they attend church on
Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. According to a Pew Research Center study released this month,
54 percent of adults said they planned to attend Christmas religious
services, while 69 percent said they traditionally did so as children.
Mr. Obama has gone to church 18 times during his six years in the White
House, according to Mark Knoller of CBS News, an unofficial White House
historian, while his predecessor, Mr. Bush, attended 120 times during
his eight years in office.
But those numbers do not reflect the depth of Mr. Obama’s faith, said
Joshua DuBois, the former head of the White House Office of Faith-Based
and Neighborhood Partnerships. “President Obama is a committed
Christian,” said Mr. DuBois, who sends the president a daily devotional
by email, and is the author of “The President’s Devotional.”
“He has a serious practice of faith even though he doesn’t necessarily wear it on his sleeve,” he said.
Mr. Obama’s religion first garnered national headlines during the 2008
campaign; after sermons by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. — Mr. Obama’s
spiritual mentor — included inflammatory remarks, Mr. Obama was
ultimately forced to renounce the minister and sever ties with the
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, which he and his family had
attended for 20 years.
But rumors that he was a “pretend Christian” or a Muslim Manchurian
candidate — fueled by his Kenyan background and the boyhood years he
spent in Indonesia — dogged him. A 2010 study
by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that nearly one in
five Americans thought the president was a Muslim, and 43 percent did
not know what his religion was.
“I would argue that Obama’s faith has been one of the most misunderstood of any president out there,” Mr. Smith said.
People close to the president say that Mr. Obama’s spiritual beliefs are
profoundly held. In addition to the daily devotional he receives —
which contains lines of Scripture and quotations from people as
wide-ranging as Nina Simone and Johnny Cash — Mr. Obama regularly speaks
to spiritual leaders on a variety of topics. Every year on his
birthday, Mr. DuBois said, the president convenes a phone call with
ministers “to thank God for the year that was and pray for the year
ahead.”
He has turned to his faith during difficult times, and is comfortable
invoking Scripture; his speeches and remarks are peppered with the
phrase “I am my brother’s keeper,” echoing the Old Testament phrase.
His vision of faith is also an inclusive one, perhaps an outgrowth of
his own eclectic upbringing. He spent several childhood years in
Indonesia, with its predominantly Muslim population, but attended a
private Catholic grade school for much of that time; he later lived in
Hawaii, a melting pot of cultures.
Mr. Obama set his own inclusive tone early, declaring during his first
Inaugural Address, “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and
Hindus, and nonbelievers.” He was the first president to hold an Easter
prayer breakfast, and he also held the first Passover Seder at the White House, traditions he has repeated.
“He’s very conscious of the fact that this is a pluralistic nation,”
said Randall Balmer, the chairman of Dartmouth College’s religion
department and the author of “God in the White House: A History.”
Yet the public rituals of religion have proved tricky for Mr. Obama.
When he arrived in Washington after his election in 2008, many of the
city’s churches began furiously vying to have him and his family join
their congregation. As president, he has attended services at several of
the city’s African-American churches, as well as St. John’s Episcopal
Church, which is across the street from the White House. But he
ultimately opted against choosing a spiritual home in the nation’s
capital.
“I think part of the reason he’s been wary of affiliating with a church
in Washington is that he got so burned by the Jeremiah Wright situation,
and he’s kind of backed away from that,” Mr. Balmer said.
The public has long cared about the religion of its president. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower, for example, was not a regular churchgoer before
he entered office. After he was elected, at the urging of the Rev. Billy
Graham, he joined the Presbyterian Church, and was baptized, becoming a
diligent member of the faith.
Part of Mr. Obama’s decision to largely opt out of religious services
reflects a desire to avoid disruptions by his Secret Service detail and
security requirements, echoing concerns of Ronald Reagan, who
presidential historians say rarely went to church.
“The important thing to President Obama isn’t where you worship God, but
how you serve God by serving other people,” Mr. DuBois said.
Mr. Balmer put it more bluntly: “If the calculus is, ‘Do I spend two
hours going to church Sunday morning or do I get to watch college
basketball Sunday afternoon?’ If he had to choose between the two, and
knowing Obama, he’d probably choose college basketball.”
He added, with a laugh, “And that’s a calculation many Americans make on a weekly basis.”
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:Correction: December 29, 2013
An earlier version of this article contained an incorrect statement about the Obamas’ church attendance. They attended a Christmas church service in 2011; it is not the case that they never attended Christmas church services while at the White House.
Deu na Folha
Imposto maior no cartão deve fazer turista mudar gastos
DIOGO BERCITO
DE JERUSALÉM
ISABEL FLECK
DE NOVA YORK
LEANDRO COLON
DE LONDRES
DE JERUSALÉM
ISABEL FLECK
DE NOVA YORK
LEANDRO COLON
DE LONDRES
Uma grande parte dos turistas, que aproveitava a taxa de 0,38% dos cartões pré-pagos (ela é de 6,38% nos cartões de crédito), agora já repensa a forma de pagamento das próximas compras.
Tire suas dúvidas sobre a mudança na alíquota de IOF para gastos no exterior
Governo eleva para 6,38% IOF nos pagamentos com cartão de débito no exterior
Ao sair do Brasil para sua quarta visita a Nova York, a médica Mônica Rente, 51, decidiu que só usaria o cartão de crédito em situações "emergenciais". A ideia era dividir as despesas entre o cartão pré-pago, cheques de viagem e dinheiro.
"Mas eu não trouxe o dinheiro todo, estava pensando em sacar mais. Vou ter que fazer isso agora", disse Rente, que foi alertada pela reportagem na noite de sexta sobre a decisão que entraria em vigor no dia seguinte.
Isabel Fleck/Folhapress | ||
A médica Mônica Rente, 51, e a filha Júlia, 22, que estão em Nova York fazendo compras |
O também médico Adriano Marçal, 51, acessou o site do banco para recarregar seu cartão pré-pago assim que soube do aumento, na noite de sexta-feira. "Mas agora não vai compensar mais usar. Pelo menos no cartão de crédito você acumula milhas."
LONDRES
O aumento do imposto deve fazer a família do comerciante de Brasília Eduardo Amaral, 49, a dar preferência pelo cartão de crédito.
Ele chegou no dia 24 em Londres com a mulher e três filhos. Vão nos próximos dias para Paris, onde ficam até o dia 14 de janeiro.
Abordado pela reportagem na frente da Harrods, maior e mais luxuosa loja de departamento de Londres, ele não sabia da decisão do governo.
Amaral contou que costuma usar o cartão pré-pago para os filhos, enquanto ele e sua mulher preferem o de crédito no exterior. Para essa viagem de fim de ano, priorizaram o dinheiro vivo e, agora, descartam qualquer tipo de movimentação que envolva as novas regras.
E nos próximos passeios, com o IOF mais caro nos cartões pré-pagos, por exemplo? "Talvez até use o cartão pré-pago para as crianças, porque é seguro, mas vou preferir o de crédito e o dinheiro vivo para minhas despesas, porque, se o imposto agora é o mesmo, pelo menos poderei acumular milhagem."
JERUSALÉM
A brasileira Mila Chaseliov, que trabalha em Tel Aviv, foi avisada por um familiar de que haveria o aumento no IOF de seu cartão pré-pago.
Preocupada com a notícia, ela foi a um caixa eletrônico às 2h de sábado (hora local) para sacar o equivalente a R$ 1.000.
Pego no meio de sua viagem ao Egito, Thiago Baudel não teve tempo de se preparar para a mudança. Em geral, ele prefere viajar com um cartão pré-pago, para não carregar dinheiro em espécie.
"Não vou deixar de viajar, mas posso pensar melhor sobre como vou pagar os gastos", afirmou.
Penso eu - Sacanagem com sacanagem se paga. Aguarde!!! Brasileiro tem jeito pra tudo.
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