Joe the Plumber says of Obama’s Christianity: ‘almost miraculous’

In a letter, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher says he and President Barack Obama have the Christian faith in common. BLADE FILE PHOTO Enlarge

In a letter printed by the Web site of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher suggested that Barack Obama’s conversion to Christianity may have been the work of a miracle.

Mr. Wurzelbacher, of Springfield Township, who is known as “Joe the Plumber,” discusses his own conversion to Christianity in the letter, which was posted on Tuesday.

Mr. Wurzelbacher is the Republican nominee for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District versus incumbent U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) in the Nov. 6 election.

According to a blog post by David Brody, chief political correspondent for CBN News, Mr. Wurzelbacher said he doesn’t question Mr. Obama’s profession to be a Christian.

“Now you may remember that Barack Obama and I have an unusual history together. We don’t share too many of the same political views, but we do have something in common: We’re both Christians. The President says he’s a follower of Christianity and I take him at his word. I don’t question his faith, and when I read or hear people claiming he’s not a Christian because of this or that, I don’t like it,” Mr. Wurzelbacher wrote in a letter reported on the Web site, “The Brody File.”

The letter is titled, “I’m Blessed To Be A Christian.”

He said that when he accepted Jesus, “It was a magnificent event in my life that transformed me. It was, like many people have experienced, a moment of clarity. The weight came off my shoulders.”

He said the moment came “not that long ago,” and that it made him a better person.

Mr. Wurzelbacher called for people to remember that “we’re all God’s children,” and that the President is entitled to love and respect, according to the Golden Rule.

“It’s the core of being a good Christian and if you can get that down, you’re close, my friend,” said Mr. Wurzelbacher, a plumber who has supplemented his income with speaking fees since his rise to prominence following a sidewalk debate with Mr. Obama during the 2008 campaign. In that incident, he questioned Mr. Obama’s plans to raise taxes on incomes over $250,000, prompting Mr. Obama to say that his plan would help everyone because it would “spread the wealth around.”

The story of Mr. Obama’s conversion to Christianity is a good example of why the religion is “so incredibly powerful and amazing,” Mr. Wurzelbacher’s letter says.

“Imagine being the child of a mixed-race marriage — especially in the turbulent 60’s and free-wheeling 70’s. And when you throw in that dad was a Muslim and mom an atheist — you know it could not have been easy — and they were Communists for crying out loud! At age 6, young Barry was shipped off to Indonesia and exposed to Islam for several years. His parents divorced, he returned to the U.S. and Barack was placed with his grandparents. By the time he got to college, he was experimenting with cocaine, marijuana and even thought about using heroin,” Mr. Wurzelbacher wrote, according to The Brody File.

“Hardly sounds like one who would become President of the United States, the most powerful man in the greatest, most powerful country in the history of the world, does it? It seems against all odds… … almost miraculous?” he wrote.

“After Barack Hussein Obama suddenly cast off his Muslim roots, rejected his mother’s disbelief in God, turned tail on the Islam of his early life and converted to Christianity — BLAM — he’s elected President. Anyone who believes the two things are not connected is being disingenuous at best. I don’t know how or when it happened, whether when he was partying at college or five minutes before he first decided to run for office, but it doesn’t matter — he came to Christ and he is my brother.”

Mr. Brody wrote that Mr. Wurzelbacher plans to distribute the letter at churches that he visits during his campaigning.

In a previous interview with Mr. Brody, Mr. Wurzelbacher said Mr. Obama’s views are socialist and that he will support Mitt Romney if he ends up getting the Republican nomination.

“If he ends up being our GOP candidate, then I will get behind him, I do believe. And want somebody in office other than Barack Obama. President Obama’s ideology is un-American, I say that every day, and I won’t shut up about it,” Mr. Wurzelbacher said, according to Mr. Brody’s on-line column, The Brody File.

“His views are socialist. He’s been hanging around with them for a very long time. It’s connecting the dots, it’s very simple. It’s not conspiracy theory, it’s not a bunch of hoopla, it’s real. And people have to call it out, and not be afraid of the media slapping them down. I won’t be,” he said.

The text of the letter can be found on Mr. Brody’s site.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.