"Because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me. I think also understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed and we make mistakes, and that we achieve salvation through the grace of God. But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people and do our best to help them find their own grace. That's what I strive to do. That's what I pray to do every day. I think my public service is part of that effort to express my Christian faith.
One thing I want to emphasize, having spoken about something that
obviously relates to me very personally, as president of the United
States I'm also somebody who deeply believes that part of the bedrock
strength of this country is that it embraces people of many faiths and
no faith," he said. "That this is a country that is still predominantly
Christian, but we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics,
Buddhists, and that their own path to grace is one that we have to
revere and respect as much as our own.
"That's part of what makes this country what it is."
— President Barack Obama, September 27, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/obama-christian-by-choice_n_742124.html