Barack Obama-the Muslim Christian?

CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW NETWORK - By Jill Martin Rische - July 8, 2008 In the crazy world of American politics, it should come as no surprise when a fast-talking presidential candidate attempts, yet again, to redefine Christianity. This time around, we have Barack Obama and his cohort of political reformationists nailing their 95 Theses smack dab in the middle of our foreheads. “I am a Christian!” Obama proclaims from rooftops all over America as swooning women breathe his name like a prayer. The junior Senator from Illinois has become the messiah of millions: Obama will cure what ails American society and-yes-the world. Change We Can Believe In is his mantra, ringing like a funeral dirge to the few who remember that change is not always good. Barack Obama aka Barry Soetoro (his name throughout his Muslim youth) claims to be a “committed Christian” and yet the emerging truth about him is a study in contradiction and frankly, alarming: I am a Christian (but I was a devout Muslim); I am a Christian (but I never renounced Islam); I am a Christian (but there is more than one way to God). [1] Add to this the fact that Barack Obama flatly denies his Muslim roots, even labeling the word Muslim a “smear,” and suddenly the question of integrity pops into the picture. Who is telling the truth: Barack Obama aka Barry Soetoro or his relatives, teachers, and childhood friends? Eyewitness testimony, reported on credible websites, reveals that Barack Obama was raised Muslim and was, in fact, quite devout throughout his youth. [2] Today, Senator Obama states that his “Christian” faith is not the only way to God, and he rejects Christian positions on key moral issues. Finally, he never formally renounced the Islamic faith he followed until he met his wife, Michelle. [3] So who, exactly, is Barack Obama? It’s only fair to let the man speak for himself: The Gospel According to Barack Obama 1. God/Jesus: “I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.” “Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.” [4] 2. Heaven: “What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die.” [5] 3. Hell: “I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup.” [6] 4. Sin: What is sin? “Being out of alignment with my values.” [7] 5. Salvation - The Born Again Experience: “I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others. I’m a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at its best comes with a big dose of doubt.” [8] “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.” [9] 6. Doctrine: “Obviously as an African American politician rooted in the African American community, I spend a lot of time in the black church. . . . Rarely in those settings do people come up to me and say, what are your beliefs. They are going to presume, and rightly so. Although they may presume a set of doctrines that I subscribe to that I don’t necessarily subscribe to.” [10] 7. Abstinence and Abortion: “Look, I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16.” [11] “I think women, in consultation with their pastors and their doctors and their families are in a better position to make these decisions than some bureaucrat in Washington. That's my view. Again, I respect people who may disagree, but I certainly don't think it makes me less Christian.” [12] 8. Same-sex marriage “As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples-whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.” [13] 9. Fundamentalism: “I am a great admirer of our founding charter, and its resolve to prevent theocracies from forming, and its resolve to prevent disruptive strains of fundamentalism from taking root in this country. . . . As I said before, in my own public policy, I’m very suspicious of religious certainty expressing itself in politics.” [14] 10. Faith and Life Role Model: “I think Gandhi is a great example of a profoundly spiritual man who acted and risked everything on behalf of those values but never slipped into intolerance or dogma. He seemed to always maintain an air of doubt about him. I think Dr. King, and Lincoln. Those three are good examples for me of people who applied their faith to a larger canvas without allowing that faith to metastasize into something that is hurtful.” [15] And so, my friends and associates, that is the gospel according to Barack Obama. Senator Obama believes you can be a Christian and not believe in the biblical Jesus Christ. He believes you can support homosexuality-including civil marriages and adoptions-and still be a follower of Jesus Christ. Barack Obama believes the taking of innocent life in the form of an unborn child is acceptable under most circumstances. He believes there is more than one way to God. He has never publicly renounced the Prophet Mohammed. This is the “Christianity” of Barack Obama, who seems to think he can take historic theology and spin it like cotton candy. But the bottom line in life is that words have specific meanings. A heart is a heart-it can never be a lung. Definition is the foundation of logic, and logic fuels a rational society. Barack Obama may use and abuse the name “Christian,” but as long as he rejects the biblical definition of Christianity, he can never be one. For information on the cults and the occult, and a free listening library, visit WalterMartin.com. [1] Reuven Koret, “Is Barack Obama a Muslim wolf in Christian wool?” Israel Insider, http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12745.htm (accessed June 23, 2008). For further analyses see “Obama: Sermon on Mount Justifies Same-Sex Unions,” CNS News, http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.aspPage=/Politics/archive/200803/POL20080303b.html, and “Obama was ‘quite religious in Islam,’ WorldNet Daily, http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559. [2] Koret, Is Barack Obama a Muslim wolf in Christian wool? Koret documents the fact that Barack Obama took “mengaji” classes (Koran recitation)-at his Muslim school. “To put it quite simply, ‘mengaji classes’ are not something that a non practicing or so-called moderate Muslim family would ever send their child to. To put this in a Christian context, this is something above and beyond simply enrolling your child in Sunday school classes.” “The fact that Obama had attended mengaji classes is well known in Indonesia and has left many there wondering just when Obama is going to come out of the closet.” [3] Koret, Is Barack Obama a Muslim wolf in Christian wool? Senator Obama’s church did not require him to renounce his Muslim beliefs in order to embrace Christianity. Koret writes, “On Feb 15/08, Usama K. Dakdok, President of The Straight Way of Grace Ministry called Obama’s Church and reported the following conversation: “I then asked the person who answered what I needed to do to join. She told me that I needed to attend two Sunday School classes in a row and then I would walk the aisle. I replied, “That sounds easy. One last question please. If I am Muslim and I believe in the Prophet Mohammed, peace be unto him and I also believe in Jesus, peace be unto him, do I have to give up my Islamic faith to be a member in your church? She answered: “No, we have many Muslim members in our church.” [4] Cathleen Falsani, “Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript,” http://falsani.blogspot.com/2008/04/barack-obama-2004-god-factor-interview.html (accessed June 24, 2008). Falsani says of Obama: “It's perhaps an unlikely theological position for someone who places his faith squarely at the feet of Jesus to take, saying essentially that all people of faith-Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone-a know the same God.” [5] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. [6] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. Falsani says of Obama: “Obama doesn’t believe he or anyone else, will go to hell. But he’s not sure if he’ll be going to heaven, either.” [7] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. [8] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. [9] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. [10] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. [11] CNN, “Ballot Bowl 2008,” http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/29/bb.01.html, (accessed July 6, 2008). [12] Barack Obama Rally at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, Sunday, March 2, 2008. Transcript available at http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/16161977.html. (Hear audio from WTAP-TV) See also, “Reaction to Obama -- babies are God’s gift, not a ‘punishment’,” One News Now, http://www.onenewsnow.com/Election2008/Default.aspx?id=74609 (accessed June 24, 2008). [13] Barack Obama.com, Open Letter “Equality is a Moral Imperative.” http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome, Obama states, “We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma-too often tied to homophobia-that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president.” [14] Barack Obama, Open Letter, “Equality is a Moral Imperative,” http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/alexokrent/gGggJS (accessed July 6, 2008). [15] Falsani, Barack Obama: The 2004 ‘God Factor’ Interview Transcript. Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/3729/By_Jill_Martin_Rische FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.