Obamas Go to Church Over Christmas Holiday
While vacationing in Hawaii for Christmas, President Barack Obama and his family attended a church service on Sunday.
The first family visited St. Michael church on a U.S. Marines Corps base where they joined about 100 worshippers for a Christmas-themed service.
Last year, the president had reportedly skipped church on Christmas while in Hawaii, which is where he grew up.
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Though a professed Christian, Obama has made few appearances at church services. He stated earlier that he has chosen not to join a parish in Washington because he does not want to be disruptive to the city or to churchgoers.
His last appearance at a church was in September, when he and his family attended St. John's Church, located near the White House.
Only around a third of Americans believe the president is a Christian, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Last year, nearly half believed he was a Christian.
Among Protestant pastors, 41 percent say they believe Obama is a Christian, according to a survey by LifeWay Research, released earlier this month.
Nevertheless, in his Christmas greeting this year, Obama reminded the public of the reason for the Christmas celebration.
"Because this is the season when we celebrate the simplest yet most profound gift of all – the birth of a child who devoted his life to a message of peace, love and redemption, a message that says no matter who we are we are called to love one another, we are our brother's keeper, we are our sister's keeper – our separate stories in this big and busy world are really one," he said.
