By Guest Column Thomas Horn——Bio and Archives--June 12, 2009
Cover Story | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
"Barack's appeal is actually messianic... he... communicates God-like energy... What if God decided to incarnate as men preaching "hope and change.' And what if we... let them slip away, not availing ourselves... to be led by God!" Steve Davis, Journal Gazette [8] "This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament! I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event." Chris Matthews, MSNBC [9] "Does it not feel as if some special hand is guiding Obama on his journey, I mean, as he has said, the utter improbability of it all?" Daily Kos [10] "Obama, to me, must be not just an ordinary human being but indeed an Advanced Soul, come to lead America out of this mess" Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun Times [11] "He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians...the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century." Former US Senator Gary Hart, Huffington Post [12] "He is not the Word made flesh [Jesus], but the triumph of word over flesh [better than Jesus?]...Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves." Ezra Klein, Prospect [13] "Obama has the capacity to summon heroic forces from the spiritual depths of ordinary citizens and to unleash therefrom a symphonic chorus of unique creative acts whose common purpose is to tame the soul and alleviate the great challenges facing mankind." Gerald Campbell, First Things First [14] "Obama was... blessed and highly favored...I think that... his election... was divinely ordered... I'm a preacher and a pastor; I know that that was God's plan... I think he is being used for some purpose." Janny Scott, New York Times [15] "He won't just heal our city-states and souls. He won't just bring the Heavenly Kingdom -- dreamt of in both Platonism and Christianity -- to earth. He will heal the earth itself." Micah Tillman, The Free Liberal [16] "The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance." Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Politico [17]Though he tried to keep it subtle himself, Obama encouraged such public perception of him as an "anointed' one whose time had come. Officially produced Obama campaign advertising consistently used such words as "faith,' "hope,' and "change.' Republican nominee John McCain picked up on this during his run for office and put out a cynical video called "The One." Using some of Obama's own words against him, the video mocked Obama's play as a Christ-like figure, showing him in New Hampshire saying, "a light beam will shine through, will light you up, and you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Barack!" The video failed to mention that having an "epiphany" actually means the sudden realization or comprehension of an appearance of deity to man. Another part of the video included Obama during his nomination victory speech in St. Paul, Minnesota, saying, "this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." Anybody that followed the presidential campaign would have picked up the same nuances--angelic children organized to sing about Obama, logos depicting rays of sunlight beaming out from his "O' shaped hand sign (a gesticulation Hitler used as well), books such as Nikki Grimes "Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope" (Simon & Schuster), comparisons to Plato's "Philosopher King' without whom our souls will remain broken, comparisons to the "spiritually enlightened' Mahatma Gandhi, comparisons to the Solar Hero Perseus, comparisons to Jesus Christ and even comparisons to God Himself. The world is "looking for a superstar," wrote Prophecy in the News founder J. R. Church. They want a man "who can solve the problems of our planet. That elusive dream of a world without war, poverty, and disease has always been just beyond our reach. Most politicians are perplexed--overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem. They are convinced that the dilemma cannot be solved by commerce or systems, be it democracy or socialism. Most believe they can only be solved by a man--a superhuman superstar!" [18] Will Obama become the superhuman superstar the world has been waiting for? If symbolic gestures are any indication, there certainly were plenty of religious folks during his march into the White House that thought he was or that at least he was a forerunner of "The One.' Dozens of churches and faith groups including mainline Protestants organized activities to mark Obama's inauguration as a "spiritual' event. Randall Balmer, professor of religion in American history at Columbia University admitted he had never seen anything like it before. [19] CNN went so far as to compare Obama's inauguration to the Hajj--the journey by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca, an obligatory pilgrimage that demonstrates their dedication to Allah. [20] In Des Moines, Iowa, an inaugural parade for Obama included a simulation of the triumphant entry of Christ in which a facsimile of Obama rode upon a donkey. As the reproduction made it's way down the streets, palm branches were handed out to onlookers so that they could wave them like Christ's adorers did in the 21st chapter of Matthew. [21] Several ministries including the Christian Defense Coalition and Faith and Action came together to perform what was heralded as a first for US presidential inaugurations--applying anointing oil to the doorposts of the arched doorway that Obama passed through as he moved to the platform on the West Front of the Capital to be sworn in. Congressman Paul Broun (Georgia) was part of the ritual and joined Reverend Rob Schenck, who said, "Anointing with oil is a rich tradition in the Bible and... symbolizes consecration, or setting something apart for God's use." [22] Not content with just using sacred anointing oil to consecrate Obama for God's use, approximately two-thousand New Agers, Wiccans and Shaman's gathered at Dupont Circle--chosen because it is considered the "gay center of Washington DC'as well as being the point of the left ear of the Masonic street Pentagram north of the White House--to participate in a cleansing ceremony to purge the White House of evil spirits (which they said were brought there by Bush) for Obama. A Shaman officiated the event, lighting bundles of sage, which smoldered and gave off thick blue aromatic smoke. Saging, as it is called, is believed by Wiccan tradition to drive away evil spirits. [23] Even the conventional inaugural prayers, which have been historically offered during US presidential installation ceremonies, carried an unparalleled New Age flavor this time around. Rick Warren, considered America's Christian pastor, rendered a blessing in the name of the Muslim version of Jesus (Isa), while the Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson invoked the "God of our many understandings." While all this was highly unusual, even unprecedented, it was not surprising. Obama had spent significant time during the campaign distancing himself from conservative Christians, evangelicals and especially the Religious Right (which had held prominent sway over Republicans since Ronald Reagan held office) countering that his faith was more universalist and unconvinced of Bible inerrancy. In a 5-minute video available on YouTube, a pre-election speech by Obama was highly cynical of Bible authority and even derided specific Old and New Testament scriptures. "Whatever we once were," Obama says on the video, "we're no longer a Christian nation," adding, "Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific values... this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible as many evangelicals do." [24] Consequently, the conscious effort by Obama to reorient America away from conventional Christianity was widely embraced by people who identified with the man who carried a tiny idol of the Hindu god Hanuman in his pocket--whose blessings he sought in the race to the White House--together with a Madonna and child. For Obama, who grew up in a household where the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagvat Gita sat on a shelf side by side, organized religion was best defined as "closed-mindedness dressed in the garb of piety," but a useful political tool nonetheless. And so he used it masterfully, and earned a cult following while doing so. By February 2009, Obama had replaced Jesus Christ as America's No. 1 hero according to a Harris poll, and dedication to his come-one come-all mysticism has continued to spread, with evangelists of the new religion calling for the "tired' faith of our fathers to be replaced with a global new one. Terry Neal, writing for the Hamilton Spectator is such a disciple, and proclaims boldly: "The faiths of our fathers are tired now... only a global world view will suffice. The marriage of a believable faith with the husbandry of government is the union that must be contracted." This has to occur under Obama, Neal concludes, for only then will there be "peace on earth and goodwill toward all." [25] Although it is more difficult to understand the broad appeal of Obama's New Age philosophy to the many evangelical and Catholic voters who supported him, the phenomenon can be explained to some degree as the result of a changing culture. Over the past 50 years and especially as baby-boomers listened attentively to pastors telling them to focus on human potential and the "god within us all," eastern philosophies of Monism, Pantheism, Hinduism, and Self Realization grew, providing Americans with an alluring opportunity to throw off the "outdated ideas" of fundamental Christianity and to espouse a more "enlightened" monistic worldview (all is one). Aimed at accomplishing what the builders of the Tower of Babel failed to do (unify the masses of the world under a single religious umbrella), God was viewed as pantheistic and humans were finally understood to be divine members of the whole "that God is." Pagans argue this principle of inner divinity is older than Christianity, which is true. The gospel according to such New Age concepts--a gospel of "becoming god"-- is as old as the fall of man. It began when the serpent said to the woman "ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5), and it will zenith during the reign of the anti-Christian god-king. Footnotes: 1. [url=http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11081878]http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11081878[/url] 2. [url=http://www.radioliberty.com/nlmay05.html]http://www.radioliberty.com/nlmay05.html[/url] 3. Samuel P. Huntington, Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity, pg. 268, Edition: illustrated, Simon and Schuster, 2004 4. [url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12861]http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12861[/url] 5. Is Obama an enlightened being? By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist Friday, June 6, 2008, 6. Some see God's will in Obama win. By Dahleen Glanton | Tribune correspondent, November 29, 2008, 7. Obama's Satyagraha: Or, Did Obama Swallow the Mahatma? by Dinesh Sharma, 6-27-08, OpEdNews, 8. Barack's appeal is actually messianic, Steve Davis, March 31, 2008, Journal Gazette, 9. Chris Matthews, MSNBC, February 12, 2008, 10. Daily Kos, Sat Apr 26, 2008, 11. Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun Times, March 21, 2008, 12. Gary Hart, Huffington Post February 13, 2008, 13. "Obama's Gift", by Ezra Klein. January 3, 2008, 14. "Obama: On Toughness and Success in Politics by Gerald Campbell. First Things First, December 22, 2007, 15. In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama, By Janny Scott. New York Times September 9, 2007, 16. Plato, Obama, and Peters on the Question of Mighty Pens, by Micah Tillman, July 10, 2008, The Free Liberal, 17. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. on Obama's winning the Democratic presidential nomination, Politico June 5, 2008, 18. J. R. Church, Guardians of the Grail, pg 307, Prophecy Publications, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1989 19. A Rush of Spiritual Outreach, Spirited Partying, Michelle Boorstein and Jacqueline Salmon, Washington Post, January 11, 2009; C04 20. CNN likens inauguration to "hajj', Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily, January 24, 2009 21. Obama triumphal entry: Gentle, riding on a donkey, Drew Zahn, WorldNetDaily, January 24, 2009 22. Doorway anointed with oil for Obama, EURweb, Jan 12, 2009, 23. Ceremony purges White House of evil spirits, Jim L. Cunningham, Jan 21, 2009, DC Progressive Examiner 24. [url=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LXcvbnzNIjg&feature=related]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LXcvbnzNIjg&feature=related[/url] 25. A new faith needed to unify humankind as we march into future, Terry Neal, February 14, 2009
View Comments
Items of notes and interest from the web.