Like many people, I was skeptical, and a little offended, when Barack Obama insisted upon anointing himself the Obamessiah by repeatedly invoking phrases like “a light will shine down,” and “the oceans will rise,” etc., but it seems that many in the black community, even some in the clergy, bought that crap believe that he is indeed divinely inspired, ordained by God, or even possibly fully divine himself. According to the Dallas Morning News, Larry Younginer, while not a clergyman, still went to his suburban Atlanta church the day after His Preciousness’ ascension to the presidency, and offered this prayer to the congregation:
“Lord, we have again come to you in prayer, and you have heard our cries from heaven, and you have sent us again from the state called Illinois, a man called Barack to heal our land,” said Younginer, a 62-year-old retired information systems worker at Coca-Cola in Atlanta. “We pray that you will build a hedge around him that will protect him from those who would do him harm.”
Despite the fact that the Obamessiah has not attended church on a regular basis, if at all, since he threw the pastor who “brought him to Jesus,” and who may or may not have baptized him, under the bus along with all the other inconvenient members of his flock, including the minister who some call the first viable black candidate for president, and his grandmother, the Morning News article is full of quotes from the faithful, many of whom see a direct line from Jesus through Martin Luther King to The One:
King’s sister, Christine Farris, would not say that Obama was sent by God. But she said she believes that, like her brother, Obama has a divine order from God and he has prepared himself to follow in the direction he believes God would ordain.
Yet, it is Younginer who seems most eager to play the role of proselytizer to the Star, comparing him to the Biblical John and Abraham as well as MLK and Jesus. And, he wasn’t finished:
Obama’s positive message during the campaign was a signal that he had been anointed by God, Younginer said. And, he added, God put events such as Sen. Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the primaries, the economic crisis and Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his Republican running mate in place so that Obama could win the presidency.
Rev. Joseph Lowery, who founded SCLC with Rev. King, seems to agree:
“I felt it in my bones that this was what God wanted,” Lowery, 87, said of his civil rights work. “We were called by God to preach the word and to minister. Obama was not called to preach, but he was called to lead.”
Well, I guess it’s a good thing that God’s on Obie’s side since he is the “change” we’ve been told that “now is the time” we’ve been waiting for. If that’s the case, though, doesn’t that mean his work is done?
Hi Cinie,
Great post. As someone with a master’s degree in divinity from an accredited seminary (UCC affiliated, by the way), I’ve deplored the pseudo-religiosity of the Obama campaign, e.g., Obama’s habit of transforming a political rally into a foot-stomping, chanting revival meeting.
I’m going to link to your blog from mine.
On Dec 5 the Supreme Court will either allow or disallow the usurpation of both the Constitution and the Government of the United States — easily the most pivotal decision since our nation’s founding — and the silence of the news media is deafening (if not downright scary).