It’s Easter, and perhaps time to consider the difference between the world of men and the eternal. In a February 8, 2012 article, I wrote in part:
Perhaps the most egregious, and to Christians, the most insulting manifestation of this trend was the New York Time’s Easter 2010 image of Mr. Obama depicting him “preaching” before a brace of microphones, his hand raised in a Christ-like pose, his image superimposed over a cross, at the base of which is the White House. When Obama sycophants address Mr. Obama as “The One,” a title coined by Oprah Winfrey, they obviously embrace the messianic implications the name was given in the “Matrix” films, that of a transcendent, supernatural, all-powerful, savior figure.
Whether the NYT was trying to insult Christians or was merely so religiously tone deaf as to believe such an image would be pleasing to them and helpful to Mr. Obama, any Christian so depicted would move Heaven and Earth to disavow it and to ensure that such imagery never happened again. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t recall Mr. Obama doing this–for any of these images–which is not surprising for a man who, upon winning the nomination of his party for President, said:
…this [his nomination] was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal…
Christians that live their faith tend not to think—or speak—this way. Actually, who–not being possessed by debilitating, clinical narcissism and/or messianic delusions–thinks or speaks this way?
One of my daily visits in the blogosphere is my friend Bookworm at Bookworm Room. Not only is she a fine writer, her past provides a unique perspective on cultural issues. She is, you see, a recovering progressive, and more, she lives in one of the most progressive places on the planet: Marin, California. Her thoughts often provoke my own, as did a significant article comparing the words of Barack Obama on Christianity and Islam.
This is a topic–is our President a Muslim or a Christian?–I’ve addressed several times in the past, because it is a matter of some importance. The beliefs of any President of the United States and his means of putting them into practice can change the world. Here’s another excerpt from my February 8, 2012 article. Looking back, in terms of relevance, I could easily have written it today.
Is Barack Hussein Obama a Muslim? Mr. Obama has repeatedly claimed that he is Christian by choice. Americans routinely take people at their word on such matters, but Americans are free to change churches and religions at will. The world’s observant Muslims have quite a different take on this issue.
There is no question that Mr. Obama was born to a Muslim father. It is not only a matter of record, but Mr. Obama has admitted it in writing and in multiple interviews and speeches. In addition, despite progressives–and some Muslims–crying discrimination and racism when Mr. Obama’s middle name is mentioned, he has often traded on that name–and his self-confessed affinity for Islam–when he has considered it advantageous. The fact remains that only Muslim children are named “Hussein.” He was Mohammed’s grandson and is revered in Islam as a holy martyr. On his school enrollment forms in Indonesia, the young Obama was recorded as a Muslim. This is unsurprising as the children of a Muslim father are themselves Muslims; it is not a matter of choice, nor may one choose to leave Islam. Those who do become apostates and Islam dictates but one fate for apostasy: death. That most Muslims would not try to kill an apostate speaks well of their individual character, but millions and more would, which speaks to the dictates of their faith and their willingness to follow it to the letter.
Mr. Obama may claim any faith he chooses and many Americans will accept that—as long as there is not convincing evidence to the contrary—but the world’s Muslims are a different story. This would seem to make Mr. Obama’s belief in his ability to engage and persuade the Muslim world naïve in the extreme. The leader of the “Great Satan,” who also happens to be a self-proclaimed apostate is unlikely to be well received or convincing, and his open, extended hand will most likely be met only with a clenched fist, as has been the case to date. His initiatives to the Iranians, Palestinians, Libyans and Egyptians, for example, have been abject failures and have arguably made things worse.
It’s almost hard to imagine that our relations with the Muslim world, actually, virtually the entire world, are even worse now than when I wrote that article. Mr. Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton and the execrable John Kerry as successive Secretaries of State have had a substantial hand in the diminution of America’s power and prestige. It is surely not out of bounds to suggest that Mr. Obama’s often stated affinity for Islam is playing a hand in our foreign policy, whatever it might be at any given moment.
From Bookworm, a sampling of Mr. Obama’s statements on Christianity:
Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation.’
‘We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation.
‘Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith?’
‘Even those who claim the Bible’s inerrancy make distinctions between Scriptural edicts, sensing that some passages – the Ten Commandments, say, or a belief in Christ’s divinity – are central to Christian faith, while others are more culturally specific and may be modified to accommodate modern life.’
‘Obama’s response when asked what his definition of sin is: Being out of alignment with my values.’
‘If all it took was someone proclaiming I believe Jesus Christ and that he died for my sins, and that was all there was to it, people wouldn’t have to keep coming to church, would they.’
‘In our household, the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology.
For the President of the United States, being out of alignment with his values is sin. I might be wrong, but I believe Christian theology has quite a different definition.
A sampling of Mr. Obama’s statements on Islam:
The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.’
‘The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.’
‘We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.’
‘As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam.’
‘Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.’
‘America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.’
‘I made it clear that America is not – and will never be – at war with Islam.
Christians do not judge the depth and quality of anyone’s relationship with God, however, we must make judgments about the character and integrity of others every day. To do less is to fail ourselves, our families and our nation. It is surely within the purview of any American, Christian or not, to judge the character and integrity of the President of the United States.
Gentle readers: I recommend you take the time to read my original article, and of course, Bookworm’s complete article. Then, if you please, setting aside for just a short while the American tradition of religious tolerance that generally causes us to take any man’s profession of faith at face value, do Mr. Obama’s own words–and his actions–lead you to believe he is a committed Christian, a committed Muslim, or something in between? And perhaps you might comment on the consequences of this?
Joel said:
He is a Muslim. I have no doubt in my mind.
Chip Bennett said:
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The first part of this passage has application to believers. We are instructed to observe the fruit of others, and to discern their true nature accordingly. The second part of the passage is for God alone. He will judge each of us in the end.
We can easily discern Obama’s true intent based on the fruit that he bears – and thus we can act accordingly. Yet, we leave it in God’s purview to judge him.
Is Obama a Muslim? Let each decide for himself.
What are the consequences of Obama’s personal beliefs? Insignificant in comparison to the consequences to our country for its collective turning away from God, and to our turning away from the moral fiber on which the country was built.
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever… – Thomas Jefferson
SlingTrebuchet said:
“And perhaps you might comment on the consequences of this?”
Consequences = 0
….. apart from some people using their various interpretation to wind up a storm of distractions from far more vital things.
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For America to be accurately described as Christian, it would have to be a state that conducts itself in a manner that Christ would approve of. It would have to be that sort of ‘Christian’ in all of its actions as well as in its words.
This has nothing to do with Republican or Democrat, Obama or Bush.
The US is an oligarchy, not a democracy.
e.g. http://www.businessinsider.com/major-study-finds-that-the-us-is-an-oligarchy-2014-4
God is measured in dollars by the real rulers.
Most of the puppets and the real rulers will happily mouth off Christian platitudes if teh occasion arises. SOme of them may actually believe that they lead truely Christian lives.
In the real US, the idea that the personal beliefs of the President can define the state and direction of the nation is ridiculous.
Obama is no better than Bush. Both are puppets of the same masters. Essentially they are the same. They just make different noises.
Would Christ have triggered the invasion of Iraq and the deaths of hundreds of thousands? Even if Christ would countenace such, would he have done it while knowing that there was absolutely no AQ connection there and they did not have WMD?
Would Christ have approved the use of torture?
Is Christianity a la carte?
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So Obama made conciliatory/sensible noises about Islam – the religion of 23% of the world’s population. By comparison, Christianity is the religion of 32% of the world’s population.
Getting on with people seems very sensible. By contrast, anyone whipping up general antagonism/hatred for a sizable chunk of humanity is objectively a problem for everybody.
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If the President were a Christian, a Mulsim, a Hindu, a Jew or whatever other religion – what difference would that actually make in the real-politik?
Isn’t all this noise about ‘Hussein’ just politicking?
Phillytrue said:
‘Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith?’
– That quotation of Scripture is pure mockery that intentionally lacks any context. It’s absolute ridicule. It certainly didn’t bother this president one bit that some members of the Christian faith might be offended by this statement. I know I was. And it’s not the only one. I can only assume he must be ok with ‘whipping up general antagonism/hatred for a sizable chunk of humanity’ (32% by your estimate). I could be wrong, but there seems to me there is a bit of a double standard here.
Phillytrue said:
To answer your question, Mike; IMO the man is neither a committed Muslim or a committed Christian. He more secular humanist than anything else – a statist, as you have already noticed.
He sympathises with Islam because he was raised in and around that religion. Islam (in its truest form) is incompatible with constitutional americanism, regardless of the president’s spin. It would be the enemy of it. Progressives (which Obama proudly is) know this and provide political cover for Islamists. It’s a ‘common enemy’ argument. This is why the progressive media is totally in the tank for the “gay agenda”, but at the same time never highlights what true Islam does to individual gays. To do so would put these progressives ‘out of alignment with their values’.
Mike McDaniel said:
Dear Philly True:
I’m sure Mr. Obama professes whatever serves him at the moment. He is dedicated only to himself. However, his affinity for Islam and his unwillingness to recognize the jihadist threat for what it is, has disastrous consequences for America and the world. “Common enemy?” Indeed. It’s most unfortunate that the common enemy is America and her allies.
Phillytrue said:
Totally agree.
SlingTrebuchet said:
Islam has been around since the 7th century.
When did Islam – for example goatherders in remote Pakistan valleys – begin to be such a threat to America that they had to be bombed?
What happened?
Did the goatherders suddenly discover that there was a part of the world (America) where bathrooms and restrooms do not have lotas? ZOMG! How’s anyone gonna do wudu there?
Plus these strange Americans have Freedoms?? Hey! That’s gotta stop! We hate Freedoms.
How come they only discovered this only very recently?
If Islam had heard about Amercan Freedoms and the absence of lotas in say, 1920 or earlier, surely they would have been attacking America since then?
Here’s another thing…
If Islam hates Christians/Westerners/Democracy in general, how come they are not flying planes into European buildings? That would be a hell of a lot easier to do geographically than doing it on the American continent way across those oceans.
Here’s a thought..
Maybe 9/11 was not part of a plot to force Americans to have lotas in their bathrooms and perform wudu.
Maybe it was a really loud “Get the f**k off our lawn”.
Maybe they were slightly irritated by America interfering in their affairs, toppling governments, installing puppet dictators – that sort of thing.
If the dominant religion of the Middle East were Hinduism, then we’d be seeing Hindus attacking America, while the Islamic people further East just got on with their lives undisturbed by the American empire.
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The general drift in this thread and others is that there is someting about Islam that leads Islamists to attack America.
The reality is that there is something about America that leads people to attack America. ( Hint: It’s not “Our Freedoms” or “Our Absence Of Wudu”. )
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I’m no fan of Obama.
I think he’s evil. This is not because he’s a “Democrat” or a “Progressive”.
He’s as evil as Bush was.
He does however appear to be demonstrating some signs of a clue about how the way America has gone about it’s international business is actually a threat to everybody and “has disastrous consequences for America and the world”.
The only reason that American Presidents, leaders and individuals are not on trial in the Hague for war crimes is that America is too powerful.