Who is Barack Obama and what does he believe?

The controversy over the proposed Mosque in New York City and President Obama's ambiguous, vaguely supportive comments on it have only reinforced people's confusion about the President religious beliefs.

One story says:

A new poll showed that nearly one in five people, or 18 percent, believe Obama
is Muslim. That was up from 11 percent who said so in March 2009. The survey
also showed that just 34 percent said Obama is Christian, down from 48 percent
who said so last year. The largest share of people, 43 percent, said they don't
know his religion. A new poll showed that nearly one in five people, or 18
percent, believe Obama is Muslim. That was up from 11 percent who said so in
March 2009. The survey also showed that just 34 percent said Obama is Christian,
down from 48 percent who said so last year. The largest share of people, 43
percent, said they don't know his religion.

While there's a bump in the number of people who believe he's a Muslim, there's also a significant drop in the number of people who believe he's a Christian. In other words, his actions and words don't communicate the idea that he's a Christian man. This is not surprising given the secular sensitivities that emanate from those on the left. Faith is at best a purely private matter that has no impact on one's public life. That seems to be the impression President Obama is leaving with people.