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ATLANTA Comments made by President Obama about Christianitys role in terrible deeds throughout history cut deep throughout Americas church community, where many believe the US is involved in a broader religious war that pits the Wests Christian underpinnings against the Easts Islamic tenets.

The comments, made at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington Thursday,came after weeks of reporting about violent deeds committed by the self-styled Islamic State (ISIS), sparking a fierce debate about Obamas motives and beliefs, and the extent to which Islam as a religion should be tied to violent extremism when it comes to US policy.

After calling ISIS a "vicious death cult," Obama switched gears, saying, "And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ, Mr. Obama said. "In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ."

Obama's point seems to have been that Islam, like Christianity, isn't inherently violent and extremist. But the backlash highlights a commonly-held notion, held by many, that America is involved in a religious war where the enemy is fueled by the religion's founding documents.

Others thought the comments were insensitive in the light of a stream of news involving acts of terrible violence against innocent people by terrorists working toward a new Islamic caliphate.

As sustained news about the terrorist organization continues to sweep through the news cycles, there has been an increased pressure from leaders stateside on the Obama administration to frame the conflict as a religious war against radical Islam, which the president thus far has resisted, writes Tom Sherman, on Slate.

An academic intellectual, Obama has long been known for rejecting simplistic arguments engaging more complex realities. Whether hes gotten that mix right will be reckoned by his legacy.

The most likely explanation for the comments, however, doesnt suggest a deviation for a President popularly elected even after dismissing some Americans as clinging to their Bibles and guns. In essence, Obama, who some have called a trailblazing president when it comes to challenging religious orthodoxy, warned Americans to untangle todays Islamic terrorists from Islam, the same way Christians today untangle the horrors of the Crusades, slavery, and lynchings from their faith.

In Dissent magazine, Michael Walzer seems to identify Obamas intellectual point, and concludes that its a modern philosophical assessment, not a jab at Christianity.

If I say that Christianity in the 11th century was a crusading religion and that it was dangerous to Jews and Muslims, who were rightly fearful would that make me an anti-Christian? Mr. Walzer writes. Instead, I know that crusading fervor isnt essential to the Christian religion.

Link:
Obama criticized for 'Crusades' remark: What did he really mean? (+video)