Obama's Monkey God Charm
The
photo by Brooks Kraft that appeared in Time
on June 2, 2008 shows candidate Obama displaying a palm-full of “lucky” charms. The full photo is available at:
As
a result of that photo showing a monkey god, a group of Indian Hindus made
arrangements to present Mr. Obama with a 2-foot tall, gold-plated idol of the
revered monkey god, Hanuman.
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7468662.stm
The
photo shows the idol beside Brij Mohan
Bhama, a member of India’s ruling party who runs a textile mill in Mumbai. Mr. Bhama said, "Obama stands for
change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so that oil and food
prices come down."
Curiously, oil prices have rocketed
in price because of Obama’s reluctance to grant exploration and drilling
licenses, and corn prices have risen enormously due to the drought and failed
policy of using corn to make ethanol to power vehicles.
Barack
Obama was born in 1961. In 1967, after
his parent’s divorce and her marriage to Lolo Soetoro, his mother took him to
Indonesia. Barack moved to Hawaii and
stayed with his grandparents in 1971.
In
his book, Dreams from My Father, Obama
told of his encounter with the monkey god, Hanuman : "There, standing astride the
road, was a towering giant at least ten stories tall, with the body of a man
and the face of an ape, 'That's Hanuman' Lolo said as we circled the statue,
'The Monkey God." I turned around in my seat, mesmerized by the solitary figure,
so dark against the sun, poised to leap into the sky as puny traffic
swirled around its feet. 'He's a great warrior,' Lolo said firmly. Strong
as a hundred men. When he fights the demons, he's never defeated. "
Idols and God's Admonitions
The
idol appears to have made a strong impression on the little boy. Looking at the photo of the collection of “lucky”
charms that are held by Obama, it suggests that there is some confusion about who
God is and what “a” god is.
Idols
are inconsistent with a relationship with God.
Christian writers have amplified God’s rejection of idols in the Old
Testament.
Saint
John said, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has
given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him
who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Amen.” (1 John 5:20-21 New King James Version)
Saint
Paul, writing to the Church in Corinth warned them to refrain from having
anything to do with idols when he said, “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice
they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship
with demons. You
cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of
the Lord's table and of the table of demons.”
(1
Corinthians 10:20-21 New King James Version)
Government's Suppression of the Church
Barack
Obama is a complex person and a mystery to many. He talks about compromise but remains rigid
in his ideology. The health care program
presents a good example.
When
Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued the mandate that the
Catholic Church (and other faith-based organizations) will be required to
provide insurance for contraception and abortion, the Church resisted. It resisted based on core Biblical principles
related to the dignity of human life.
Obama’s response was that the Church had a year in which to comply –
which meant abandoning the Church’s principles. The Catholic Church and others are fighting back.
Obama's Confusion about the Bible
In
his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2012, President
Obama said, “But
for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that ‘for unto
whom much is given, much shall be required.’ It mirrors the Islamic belief that
those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help
others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.”
SOURCE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/02/remarks-president-national-prayer-breakfast
He
then went on to comment about providing material things to others who are less
fortunate. But, Jesus wasn’t teaching
about “things,” He was focusing on obedience to God and expectations of
believers. Here are Jesus’ words:
“But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master
is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and
to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that
servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when
he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the
unbelievers. And
that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes,
shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much
will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask
the more.” (Luke 12:45-48 New King
JamesVersion)
The Lasting Impression of the Monkey god
When
we read that “Hanuman
is worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion,”
we can understand how a little boy could form a positive connection with that
idol. Amusingly, it suggests an
appreciation for the Obama-Superman photo.
Conclusion:
Barack
Obama reputedly became a Christian sometime in the 1980’s in Rev. Jeremiah
Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ and remained until May 31, 2008.
Trinity
United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System in 1981. That set of principles is worth investigation
at: http://www.trinitychicago.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114
Barack
Obama and his new wife, Michelle, attended a church where expected behavior appeared
to be based on the superiority of the black race and culture. This statement, if “Black” was replaced by “White”
would be condemned as racist:
2. Commitment to the
Black Community. The highest
level of achievement for any Black person must be a contribution of strength
and continuity of the Black Community.
Another
puzzling element is”
8. Disavowal of the
Pursuit of "Middleclassness." Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must
be able to identify the "talented tenth" of those subjugated,
especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that
might threaten the captor's control.
When
I voted for Barack Obama, it wasn’t because he was black – it was because he
seemed like a better candidate than John McCain! America didn’t really know Barack Obama. Some
of us saw this photo and felt a kinship with Obama:
It
was familiar to those of us who believe in the will of God and our right to
call upon Him for guidance and help.
But
the candidate who became president turned out to be a chameleon – he changed
his appearance to blend into American culture as an acceptable alternative to a
known rival. And after almost four years
in office, we’ve experienced a most confusing political and economic shock to
our nation. We found out that we don’t
really know who or what Barack Obama is.
All we see is what appears to be a poor soul who’s in over his head and
unable to figure out where he is and where he wants to go.
That
bright flame of leadership has become another flickering firefly in the
field. And America is sadder and poorer
for the man’s inability to carry the torch and light the way out of the
darkness.
R. Rein – 9/7/12
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