Obama as Forerunner to the Anti-Christ

[tannybogus]

Soonerg already has a good diary that points out aptly and astutely that John McCain's latest web attack ad is really a not too subtle code to the Christian Right Wing that Barack Obama is the literal Anti-Christ as foretold in the Book of Revelations and popularized in "non-fiction" books like "The Late Great Planet Earth" and Tim LaHaye's "Left Behind" novels.

Well, as if we needed confirmation that this is the violent, dangerous meme the McCain is attempting to spread, WorldNetDaily has published a screed by Hal Lindsey, entitled "How Obama Prepped World for Anti-Christ".

Who is Hal Lindsey? In right-wing Christian Evangelical and Dominionist Circles Hal Lindsey is a Big Deal. In the late Seventies Lindsey helped popularize the modern, Fundamentalist Christian interpretation of the Book of Revelations and the Apocalypse with his book "The Late Great Planet Earth". This is the grand-daddy of the violent, homophobic, racist apocalyptic fiction of Lim LaHaye's "Left Behind" books and scores of other works attempting to interpret The Book of Revelations for our times.

Hal Lindsey is largely responsible for the modern Fundamentalist Christian view of the Anti-Christ as a world leader who can unite the world and bring a temporary peace before the End of the World. The very same imagery and sophistry that McCain's The One ad plays up.

<snip>
The lifetime Agnostics and Atheists, even the sane Christians, among us may find it easy to write this off as pure silliness, but no one should be quick to dismiss this new line of smear attack. Why? Because what seems silly nonsense to the rational is deadly serious to the true believers and the un-balanced. Having grown up in the Evangelical Church I can tell you that the Dominionist view of the Book of Revelation is real. Real to them as surely as the laptop you are reading this diary on and means nothing short of the End of the World.

So put yourself in their heads, and ask what would you do to stop The End of the World?

The chill that just went up your spin is what makes the McCain Campaign's hamfisted attempt at smear something more than smear, something more than a attempt to rally his base. This is something incredibly dangerous. To compare Obama to the Anti-Christ, whether by implication as in McCain's Ad, or by direct accusation as with Lindsey's screed, is to invite violence against Barack Obama and incite every nutcase with a God Complex to take matters into his own hands.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/1/204858/0241

They do believe fervently!

:evilgrin: (Yoohoo, I'm here on DU)

[Orrex]

1. Hal Lindsey's been a madman for decades

And his for-kids apocalypse comics should be outlawed as child abuse.

If Lindsey is against it, then you know that it must be the right choice.

[lutherj]

2. I can see how it's entertaining to believe in UFOs and aliens, or

bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster - by why anyone would want to believe in this end times shit is beyond me.

[tannybogus]

5. If you really want to know...

people who believe this are called Endtimers. This video on YouTube, "THe Doomsday Code - Biblical Based Documentary About the End-

explains their beliefs. I don't believe it, but this will give you an idea of their fervor. The man who narrates it is not an

Endtimer. He's just a guide into this little corner of Wingnutville. The scary part to me is who the possible people in power

are that may believe it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWKiP6Qfflo

[knitter4democracy]

11. I had to stop watching that.

The preachers were giving me the heebie-jeebies. I heard that crap too often in my church growing up and at college chapel.

[lutherj]

22. Thanks for the link - I'll take a look. n/t

[TexasLady]

3. Well, wouldn't voting for Obama bring on Armaggedon sooner

like a self fulfilling prophecy? Wouldn't a fundamentalist be going against God if they didn't help it happen?
:sarcasm:

I just watched the stupid ad, and was disgusted...
:puke:

[PatSeg]

8. I'm thinking the same thing

These end-timers are supportive of war in the Mideast because they think it fulfills biblical prophecy. It they thought Obama was the Antichrist, it seems they would want him to be elected.

[knitter4democracy]

12. No, they have to stay faithful.

God will make it happen, regardless of how they work, and if they work for the Prince of Darkness, the Antichrist, then it means that their faith wasn't strong enough and that they were on the wrong side when Judgement comes.

They live in a lot of fear, really.

[donco6]

4. YouTube has a hundred videos on this, but . . .

. . . they also had a hundred about Kerry, and 2 hundred about Gore, a few about Dukakis, etc. etc.

Basically, any Dem can be the Antichrist. Republicans seem to be out of the running. Go figger.

[Cleita]

6. Well, the last Pope thought George W. Bush was the anti-Christ. So there!

If that is so, then Obama might be the Second Coming of Christ, who is supposed to come after the anti-Christ. Put that out there and let them mull about it for awhile.

[PatSeg]

10. Yeah right

Like these people would ever accept a Christ that wasn't white. Can you imagine if someone implied that the Second Coming might be a woman???

[Cleita]

16. I don't think the first coming of Christ was a white guy either, well a

European type caucasian. Since Jesus was ethnically a Semite and a Jew from Palestine, he would be closer genetically to those Ayrabs the Fundies are so fond of killing. How about a Hispanic, Asian or Black woman?

[PatSeg]

19. Oh dear

We're both going to HELL!

[Bobbie Jo]

7. Correction..."Book of Revelation" No "S"

Not trying to be a spelling nazi. Just an accuracy thing. :) It's a common error, but seems to be most common among those who have never actually read it. Just sayin....:shrug:

Welcome to DU!:hi:

[knitter4democracy]

9. I knew it as soon as I saw that ad.

They're in a bind: they want the end of the world to happen, but they don't want to vote for evil, so what to do, what to do . . . :evilgrin:

Seriously, though, there's no reason for the McCain campaign to encourage those crazies. They're just as likely to turn on him, really, so he'd be smart to stop it all.

[Patchuli]

13. I just sent that to my pastor

and told him how offensive I found this as a Christian. John McCain deserves an outcry from decent people of faith and their leaders! Hopefully, Rick Warren will say something to him when he hosts McCain and Obama on August 16 at Saddleback Church in So Cal. This is just wrong and McCain should be censured.

[Kip Humphrey]

14. Labeling Obama "ARROGANT" is another identifier intended for the EoW true believer crowd

"ARROGANCE" is how true believers will recognize satan's messenger.

[Nunyadb]

18. again,,,,,puh leezzee

Obama may just be a bit arrogant.
In a way, i'd say he's earned the right.
He's young, extremely popular, and in a dead heat
to be the leader of the Western World.
I'd call that a reason to be rather impressed with yourself.
Wouldn't you ?

[FirstLight]

15. You know, I always thought that BUSH

fits that bill best.
He is arrogant to a fault, seems stupid and has handlers that shield him from all blame...
HE has started the ethnic cleansing and "rebuilding" of Babylon (Iraq) etc...
HE is the ONE and the end has already begun!


let's just hope my ride gets here before it gets too squirrely...

(insert spaceship photo here!)

bwahahaha!

as a christian, I find the attack on Obama HIGHLY offending. He never said he was the chosen ONE, this is the RW stupidity trying to trick the undereducated about an articulate black man. The racism and fear are palpable

[Nunyadb]

17. Obama.......the AntiChrist ??? uhhh..huuuh

yeh sure y'betcha.........
this sort of stuff kills me.
It really does.

Look, the guy's a politician. Just like a lot of other politicians
throughout history.
Anti-Christ ?? hardly.
Young, relatively inexperienced, yeah.
If you honestly think that people actually believe that tripe,
then you're VERY out of touch with the people that live out in
sticks and boonies of middle America.
It's just some people tossing junk to see if it'll stick.
Politics as usual.

[Firespirit]

20. I've personally talked with two people who believe it.

In the sticks and boonies, no less.

It's out there and there are people who are so fixated on this kind of "religion" that they do believe it.

[annabanana]

21. Doesn't that mean that the Fundies HAVE to vote for him?. . You know

Fulfilling prophesy and all that? The same reason they want the Jews to be in charge of the whole area over there? So most of them can be killed during the Second Coming?

(More votes! Yay)