Post by Teddy Bear on Jan 21, 2013 20:22:20 GMT
Damian Thompson makes this comment at The Telegraph
Following his inauguration another journalist at The Telegraph made a similar observation. (Links available on their website)
BBC praises the Lord for Obama
Employees of the BBC tend to be atheists or agnostics, but the re-election of Barack Obama has persuaded them that there is a God after all. At 10 past eight tomorrow morning you can hear a Radio 4 Sunday Worship service “anticipating the second inauguration of President Obama”.
We’re used to Auntie’s schoolgirl crush on Obama, but this is bizarre. If Romney had won, would there have been a service for his swearing-in? Of course not. The venue, incidentally, is St Martin-in-the-Fields. Quite what form the Obama-worship will take I can’t say, but may I suggest that, for added authenticity, the sermon should be given by the Prez’s former pastor, the delightful Rev Jeremiah Wright?
Employees of the BBC tend to be atheists or agnostics, but the re-election of Barack Obama has persuaded them that there is a God after all. At 10 past eight tomorrow morning you can hear a Radio 4 Sunday Worship service “anticipating the second inauguration of President Obama”.
We’re used to Auntie’s schoolgirl crush on Obama, but this is bizarre. If Romney had won, would there have been a service for his swearing-in? Of course not. The venue, incidentally, is St Martin-in-the-Fields. Quite what form the Obama-worship will take I can’t say, but may I suggest that, for added authenticity, the sermon should be given by the Prez’s former pastor, the delightful Rev Jeremiah Wright?
Following his inauguration another journalist at The Telegraph made a similar observation. (Links available on their website)
Liberals are comparing Obama to Jesus. So when is he going to start working some miracles?
By Tim Stanley
Glory be, it’s Obama’s inauguration day! And for some of his followers, it's nothing less than a religious event. Fox News (who else?) reports that mega Obamaphiles are handing out posters in the streets of DC that claim Obama’s coming was predicted by the Bible. The proclamation says that “Barack” is a Hebrew word that means “flash of lightning” and Hussein means “good and handsome.” Put ‘em together and what have you got?
“Barack was destined to be a good and handsome man that would rise like a flash of lightning to win victory in a battle against overwhelming odds.” Spooky. Consulting my dictionary of conversational Aramaic, I also note that “Mitt” means “man who rides with dog on car roof” and “Romney” means “born to lose.” So maybe the posters are on to something…
There’s always a loon to be found who will say that “President X” was foretold by the Bible – recall that during the Iraq War evangelical kids were found praying to cardboard cut outs of George W Bush. But the Obama-as-Jesus motif has some currency in secular circles, too (as this 100 per cent genuine painting shows). Newsweek is running a front cover that describes the inauguration as "The Second Coming". Of course, it’s Obama’s Second Coming rather than Christ’s – but the naughty editors know what they’re doing by using such a controversial metaphor.
It’s trolling on a grand scale and it’s something they’ve done many times before (remember gay Jesus?). The object is to grab attention for a decaying publication by featuring an outlandish front cover and then, buried in the middle of a very dull article, you’ll find a small get out clause that says they didn’t really mean to cause offence. [“No, we weren’t really comparing Obama to Jesus. But, hey, we gotcha to read this crumby magazine!”] This particular article is a flick through the history of inaugural speeches. And, to warrant that scandal making headline, it includes the line, “Obama may not be the second coming of Lincoln…” No, sir, he ain’t. At best, he’s the second coming of Jimmy Carter.
But make no mistake, Obama has been elevated to the level of a secular messiah among many liberals – although the kind of miracles that he trades in are electoral rather than material. Yes, he's failed to resurrect the economy or turn food stamps in to jobs. But he has delivered the Democrats from the awful damnation of four years of Mitt Romney. Hallelujah! And, along the way, Obama has carved out his own liberal Christian niche, appropriating religion for the sake of demonizing his opponents.
In the last four years we’ve heard that good Christians – real Christians – support socialized medicine, gun control and carbon trading (irate conservatives beg to differ). We were even told that if Jesus had come back on November 6, 2012, he would’ve voted for Obama.
I’ve always thought that he would enter Jerusalem in glory, cast Satan in to a big pit and herald 1000 years of peace. But maybe he would take an hour out of his busy schedule to attend a fundraising dinner at Spike Lee’s New York apartment. Who can blame him? For it is written, “It is easier for a celebrity to walk through the eye of a needle than it is to avoid a photo shoot with Michelle Obama.”
Finally, in case anyone thinks I’m over stating the religious hysteria, Damian Thompson reports that on Sunday there was actually a special church service broadcasted by the BBC to celebrate the “second inauguration of Barack Obama.” Alas, the heavy snow means that attendance was presumably low. The Lord moves in mysterious ways.
By Tim Stanley
Glory be, it’s Obama’s inauguration day! And for some of his followers, it's nothing less than a religious event. Fox News (who else?) reports that mega Obamaphiles are handing out posters in the streets of DC that claim Obama’s coming was predicted by the Bible. The proclamation says that “Barack” is a Hebrew word that means “flash of lightning” and Hussein means “good and handsome.” Put ‘em together and what have you got?
“Barack was destined to be a good and handsome man that would rise like a flash of lightning to win victory in a battle against overwhelming odds.” Spooky. Consulting my dictionary of conversational Aramaic, I also note that “Mitt” means “man who rides with dog on car roof” and “Romney” means “born to lose.” So maybe the posters are on to something…
There’s always a loon to be found who will say that “President X” was foretold by the Bible – recall that during the Iraq War evangelical kids were found praying to cardboard cut outs of George W Bush. But the Obama-as-Jesus motif has some currency in secular circles, too (as this 100 per cent genuine painting shows). Newsweek is running a front cover that describes the inauguration as "The Second Coming". Of course, it’s Obama’s Second Coming rather than Christ’s – but the naughty editors know what they’re doing by using such a controversial metaphor.
It’s trolling on a grand scale and it’s something they’ve done many times before (remember gay Jesus?). The object is to grab attention for a decaying publication by featuring an outlandish front cover and then, buried in the middle of a very dull article, you’ll find a small get out clause that says they didn’t really mean to cause offence. [“No, we weren’t really comparing Obama to Jesus. But, hey, we gotcha to read this crumby magazine!”] This particular article is a flick through the history of inaugural speeches. And, to warrant that scandal making headline, it includes the line, “Obama may not be the second coming of Lincoln…” No, sir, he ain’t. At best, he’s the second coming of Jimmy Carter.
But make no mistake, Obama has been elevated to the level of a secular messiah among many liberals – although the kind of miracles that he trades in are electoral rather than material. Yes, he's failed to resurrect the economy or turn food stamps in to jobs. But he has delivered the Democrats from the awful damnation of four years of Mitt Romney. Hallelujah! And, along the way, Obama has carved out his own liberal Christian niche, appropriating religion for the sake of demonizing his opponents.
In the last four years we’ve heard that good Christians – real Christians – support socialized medicine, gun control and carbon trading (irate conservatives beg to differ). We were even told that if Jesus had come back on November 6, 2012, he would’ve voted for Obama.
I’ve always thought that he would enter Jerusalem in glory, cast Satan in to a big pit and herald 1000 years of peace. But maybe he would take an hour out of his busy schedule to attend a fundraising dinner at Spike Lee’s New York apartment. Who can blame him? For it is written, “It is easier for a celebrity to walk through the eye of a needle than it is to avoid a photo shoot with Michelle Obama.”
Finally, in case anyone thinks I’m over stating the religious hysteria, Damian Thompson reports that on Sunday there was actually a special church service broadcasted by the BBC to celebrate the “second inauguration of Barack Obama.” Alas, the heavy snow means that attendance was presumably low. The Lord moves in mysterious ways.