Wall of Separation

Posted by: James | August 31, 2008 | No Comment |

Source:
http://blogs.fayobserver.com/faytoz/files/2008/03/obama-2008-pa.JPG

I am loathe to write about politics
and religion on my blog (so skip this entry, unless you’re a
relative who received the original email referenced below), it is such a
divisive topic. Yet, this email I received and which is circulating…I
have to respond to it. And, it will come as no surprise to regular
readers what camp I must side with. Perhaps my
arguments are not well-considered, and yet I do no one any good by
keeping them to myself.

This past week, I received this email from a relative and I had such a
visceral reaction I almost reported his post as spam…it might as well
have been for all the truth it had in it. Here was his email, but you
need to read the rest to see what he was reacting to.

RE: Obama Explains Why He Doesn’t Salute The Flag
Nor his wife
has any pride in this country. But millions duped, maybe they are haters
too. I am watching Michael McDonald perform America the beautiful and
when he sang the lines God shed his grace on thee, and watching the
audience sing along, I am convinced they neither know God, nor do
they understand what values this country was founded on.

Listening
to Hillary, Bill, and Joe talk about our God given right, reaching our
God given potential, and saying in the same breath God Bless America,
while all along they are responsible for the slaying of millions of
unborn human beings. What hypocrites…what a joke. These unborn human
beings will never know their God given rights. While these democratic
leaders all live in their palaces and preach to us stupid idiot masses,
we swallow their diatribe hook, line, and sinker. Jesus could come to
earth and say he was a Republican and they would hate him too because he
was a republican.

Where are the independent thinkers? Show me a
democrat that is a Christian, and I ask do they know what their party
stands for? If so they are no Christian. Well God is not blessing
this country and we will answer for the innocent blood of unborn babies.
And our rights and freedoms are slowly being whittled away by liberal
democrats and the unjust media fueling the hell machine. There is a more
serious problem, it is slow destruction and assault on marriage
between man and woman. When we see the destruction of the family
structure we will see a nation falter. Make no mistake about it. America
can no longer be called land of the free and of the brave. We have been hijacked
by the left wing lobbyist groups. They have our government in their
pockets. Does the homosexual group really only comprise 3% of the
population? If so why are they promoting and having their way. If this
really is a Christian nation, take a stand America, I don’t like the
taste in my mouth or the stench in my nostrils any longer.

Here’s the original email he reacted to:

Obama explains why he doesn’t salute the US Flag…………I sure hope
this gets around before Nov.!!!

Hot on the heels of his explanation for why he no longer wears a flag
pin, presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was forced to explain
why he doesn’t follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.
According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171,
During rendition of the national anthem, when the flag is displayed, all
present except those in uniform, are expected to stand at attention
facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.

‘As I’ve said about the flag pin, I don’t want to be perceived as taking
sides,’ Obama said. ‘There are a lot of people in the world to whom
the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself
conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all.
It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I
like the song ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.’ If that were our
anthem, then I might salute it.’

When I read this stuff, I am honestly disappointed. Why? It bears false
witness.
In the first paragraph of the email, Obama is challenged as not having
put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance…yet…

In the photograph, Barack Obama is standing in front of an American flag
with his hands clasped just below his waist. Beside him are Bill
Richardson and Hillary Clinton, with their hands on their hearts…But
the Time magazine photograph wasn’t taken during the Pledge of
Allegiance; it was taken during the singing of the Star-Spangled
Banner…Matt Paul, an organizer of the event, and a video from ABC News
confirm that the photo was taken as someone sang the Star-Spangled
Banner. Oddly, the accurate caption from Time is included in the chain
e-mail. But someone has added that “the article said” Obama refused to
say the pledge and would not put his hand on his heart. There is no such
article on the Time Web site, and searches of the Web and
newspaper/magazine databases could only find blog postings that repeat
the claim from the e-mail. So it’s unclear where the allegation
originated.
Source: Politifact

I don’t believe Obama would have said this, even though it’s
originally fabricated here by a satirist and multiple
sources
attest to its lack of truth:

But Obama never said it. It’s satire written by syndicated columnist
John Semmens, whose columns are posted on the Web site The Arizona
Conservative. The above quote was part of a short item Semmens wrote in
October 2007, imagining a rationale for the oft-emailed photo of Obama
not having his hand over his heart during the national anthem.
Source:
Politifact

What’s frustrating is to see Christians pushing these lies and smears as
gospel. Maybe, we need to spend more time sharing our testimony than
imposing our worldview on others through our government and emails that
lie? Should we bear false witness against our neighbor to win the votes
for one election? Why not the
wall of separation?

I realize that this blog entry will do little to change minds. Each of
us is called to witness and share our testimony, to show how Christ’s
love is made manifest in our lives, to live in redemptive intimacy with
others around us so that they might know God’s love. I suppose that I
find little to love in our close-mindedness, our lies of Obama. I side
with Gamaliel in
this matter:

"But if it be of God, ye will not be able to overthrow it; lest perhaps
ye be found even to fight against God."

Must we really generate worldviews, send countless emails full of hate
and loathing, write books attacking others? Must Christians really
legislate those worldviews, putting
their hope in other than Christ?

In the meantime…

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqUDa9icLMw

<shudder> Yeah, I can see why some are wishing for The
Rapture , seeking
the release
from the present
troubles by
desiring
the End
Times.