I thought this was an appropriate post, based on a couple of comments made earlier regarding Obama. I absolutely do NOT want to start another name-calling, hand-wringing, hysteria-laced thread about the candidate everyone was hoping somelike like this would happen to, but instead thought this was a rather amusing and interesting read from an impartial website. -nab

Barack Obama Antichrist

Netlore Archive: Email rumor claims charismatic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is the Antichrist prophesied in the New Testament

Description: Email rumor
Circulating since: March 2008
Status: Downright silly

Email example contributed by C. Green, March 13, 2008:

According to The Book of Revelations the anti-Christ is:

The anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal.... the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, will destroy everything. Is it OBAMA??

I STRONGLY URGE each one of you to repost this as many times as you can! Each opportunity that you have to send it to a friend or media outlet... do it!

If you think I am crazy... I'm sorry but I refuse to take a chance on the "unknown" candidate.

Comments: Barack Obama, the Antichrist? This would have to count as the ultimate political smear. I mean, accusing a politician of accepting bribes or cheating on taxes is one thing; labeling him the "Seven-Headed Beast of Revelation" (a.k.a. the "Wicked One," "False Prophet," "Beast from the Abyss," etc.) is candidate bashing on an apocalyptic scale.

Though it is unclear what, apart from being charismatic and popular, Barack Obama has done to earn the dishonor, outgoing Antichrist designee George W. Bush must be thrilled. Obama joins an extensive roster of modern luminaries branded with a "666," including Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin, Pope Benedict XVI, Bill Gates, and Barney the Dinosaur.

For the record, while Barack Obama is in his forties and by most accounts a persuasive speaker, he is not a Muslim (nor, for that matter, does the Book of Revelation say the Antichrist will be a Muslim), nor has he ever delivered a stump speech promising "world peace."

What is the Antichrist?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "Antichrist" as "the great antagonist who was expected by the early Church to set himself up against Christ in the last days before the Second Coming." While Biblical in origin, the exact details as to the nature, identity, and chronological placement of the Antichrist figure have been the subject of endless speculation throughout history, partially due to the highly symbolic language of the scriptures in which it is mentioned, and partially due to sectarian differences in interpretation. Generally speaking, those who expect the Antichrist to literally appear in human form believe he will come to power as a world leader through deception and trickery, "by peace shall destroy many," and will succumb to the superior might of Jesus Christ and the forces of righteousness at final battle of Armageddon. (One wonders why he will bother.)

Who is the Antichrist?

Take your pick. In addition to the selections above, designees over the past two thousand years have included the Roman emperor Nero, any or all Popes of the Catholic Church, Peter the Great, Napoleon, Friedrich Nietzsche (self-anointed), John F. Kennedy (who allegedly received 666 votes during the 1956 Democratic convention), Mikhail Gorbachev, and William Jefferson Clinton. And on and on it goes.

Some say the Antichrist will be a Jew. Others say he will be a Muslim. Others say a Catholic. Some say he will emerge in Russia, others the Middle East, and still others say he will be a leader of the European Union.
The point to take away is that it's all pure speculation, and fanciful speculation at that. The Biblical passages referring to the Antichrist are so obscure and fraught with mythic imagery that they require interpretation. And much of the interpretation they've been subjected to, unfortunately, is based on extra-Biblical assumptions and pseudoscientific borrowings from astrology and numerology. Let's not mince words: it's bunk. In two millennia of playing "Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Antichrist," as author Jonathan Kirsch characterizes it in A History of the End of the World, no one has ever won the prize. Either the game is rigged, or those playing it don't have a clue.

Politics as unusual

If it wasn't intended as a political smear -- and we have no way of knowing, admittedly, what the true motivation of its author was -- we are entitled at the very least to conclude that this rumor is based in ignorance and fear. Ignorance, because the author knows next to nothing about the Biblical underpinnings of his or her claims (including the proper title of the Book of Revelation). Fear, because the author willingly foregoes reason for superstitious horror.

Obama the man is neither Christlike nor Satanic. He is an ordinary politician who happens to have a sonorous voice and the gift of gab. He also has a platform. What say we judge him based on his merits?

I think Obama is a good man with good intentions, but I do not agree with what little I can learn about his political views. His support of Rev. Wright is also troubling and he tends to embellish the truth.

Here we go again..... If someone is trying to force someone else onto me I consider that pimping someone out. Unless someone has information about God that I may find useful in my life then I say let me use my own mind to make my own decisions. I believe this is where the "Obama cult-like mentality" that some are so concerned about is coming from. I'm going to vote for who "I" consider to be the best and most qualified candidate in any election and not for the person who gets shoved down my throat. Notice how many post there have been about this man in comparison to the other candidates in a basically equal election without Clinton nor McCain supporters finding the need to pimp them out.

Here we go again..... If someone is trying to force someone else onto me I consider that pimping someone out. Unless someone has information about God that I may find useful in my life then I say let me use my own mind to make my own decisions. I believe this is where the "Obama cult-like mentality" that some are so concerned about is coming from. I'm going to vote for who "I" consider to be the best and most qualified candidate in any election and not for the person who gets shoved down my throat. Notice how many post there have been about this man in comparison to the other candidates in a basically equal election without Clinton nor McCain supporters finding the need to pimp them out.

Tips for a happy forum experience:

1. If the title of a thread is about a subject you don't like, don't read it.
2. If you do read a post that you don't like, just remember: responding is NOT mandatory.

and my favorite:

3. If there is a poster who you can always count on to write stuff you know you won't like or agree
with, there's a button called "Ignore Member".

Voila! No more upset!

I hope this information has been helpful.

-nab

This is a community forum where opinions are encouraged. BTW, a persons opinion is never wrong, it's just different. "Tip" #3 confirms my original reply. ........Touche!........

I have not heard anything coming from Obama or Clinton that makes me think either would be good for this country.

If there is a poster who you can always count on to write stuff you know you won't like or agree
with, there's a button called "Ignore Member".

Isn't that the purpose of a forum/debate? Why would you ignore someone's comment just because you don't agree with it? That's like saying you are the only one who is right and has the right to an opinion.

Both sides of an issue can learn things from a good honest debate.

So far I have learned that Obama hangs around with some real creeps and that makes me question his judgement. Plus, his very short voting record is one of the most liberal on Capital Hill!

I have also learned that Hillary must be brain dead, if she repeated that Bosnia story so many times and thought no one else there might mention she was WRONG!lol

Well.....I believe McCain's "fossil" fuel seems to be running a little low and I hope that he personally has good health care. I also believe he will be put in office by the democratic cross-over voters and I admit to being a part of that cause. I just hope he picks a great VP.

I think it is kind of sad that out of almost 300 million people we end up with this choice.

At this time I am leaning toward a McCain/Romney ticket. I think Romney's strong background in business coupled with his non-stop energy might be a good balance for McCain.

In all honesty I think we are in for a very rough ride over the next four years and the presidential choice will probably make little difference. Except that the one that gets the office will go down in history for the wrong reasons, because the stage has already been set for a volatile economy and international relations.

In all honesty I think we are in for a very rough ride over the next four years and the presidential choice will probably make little difference. Except that the one that gets the office will go down in history for the wrong reasons, because the stage has already been set for a volatile economy and international relations.

I have to agree. As much as I would like to believe there can be a fairy tale ending, I think what we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg. While I don't want us to be in Iraq for "100 years," I think McCain is the only one who is being honest and realistic (at least as far as politicians go-lol).

I listened to a bit of Obama's town hall meeting in Pennsylvania today, and he said something to the effect that if what it was costing us per month to be in Iraq, was applied to education, then every student would have a scholarship for college. Is that reality or fantasy? If we don't finish the job against global terrorism, we need not worry about college educations or anything else, as we will be obliterated one day.