The Christian Imagination

I’ve written about my disdain for chain emails before, mostly because they are spreading misinformation, and it’s all the more disturbing when Christians spread information. The words of politicians are hard to discern, partly because they are in the business of telling people what they want to hear. And it’s always easier to talk about what someone else did wrong and then throw up potentially empty promises.

Obama is an excellent speaker, which is a good quality for the leader of the largest superpower. Bush, whether you love him or hate him, is not a great speaker and has not exactly helped the United States’ image in the eyes of the world. I can say that from experience, as I lived in New Zealand for 8 months. I have not researched Obama yet, but I have had plenty of misinformation thrown at me about him. As some have expressed, he’s almost a messianic figure, with words of hopes given to a disillusioned populace. Yet, there are questions of how much substance lies beneath those words. For me, if he gets the nomination, I think it may come down to how many genuine convictions he has, whether those are worthwhile convictions, and the staff he surrounds himself with. I mean, I’m not sure George W. Bush really had that much substance either. His foreign policy is largely based on Rumsfeld and Cheney, after all, who are NEO-conservatives, not conservatives.

It’s interesting though, how we as a people, often reject Jesus the Messiah and yet follow presidential candidates with almost a messianic fervor. That, in itself, says a lot, doesn’t it?

Here’s the email I received today, and my response follows

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Subject: Fwd: Fw: Obama Explains National Anthem Stance
As Received today
First paragraph was written by the orginal sender who is a patriot and much dismayed at the people in this nation.

WOW, ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS WOW!!!!!! HOW THE HELL HAS HE MADE IT THIS FAR IN THE RACE?????? WHEN WILL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WAKE UP????

Obama Explains National Anthem Stance
>
> 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.’
>
> WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!
>
> Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this could possibly be our next president. I, for once, am speechless . . .

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Obama never said that: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp

Also, there is visual evidence that Obama does sometimes put his hand over his heart during the national anthem: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp

Other chain emails about Obama are debunked here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp

Whether Obama is a good candidate could be debated, but there is a lot of misinformation circulating that doesn’t have credible sources.

Now George W. Bush, on the other hand, is quoted from credible sources as saying that Muslims and Christians pray to the same God and go to the same heaven: http://www.getreligion.org/?p=2748

And that’s our current President…

Update October 16, 2008:
It seems this post gets quite a bit of traffic. I have done research on Obama since writing this, and realize there are lots of reasons to question his character. Unfortunately, chain emails don’t talk about those things. If anything, chain emails like those quoted above make me want to vote for Obama. After watching the debate last night and ready some analysis afterwards, my conclusion is that Obama is much more likeable, more polished, a better communicator, very smart, and simply not real. It’s tempting to look at Obama as the anti-Bush who will save us, but in my opinion, Obama is just playing the part. More government isn’t the answer to any question, and it’s part of Obama’s equation. The Bush Administration based a lot of thinking on Neo-Conservative ideals, which are also all about big government. Neo-conservatism actually began with disenchanted liberals who switched sides. So, pick your brand of big government. Though McCain fancies himself a non-comformist, some of his advisors are neocon, and Palin embraces neocon ideals.

At this point, I’d be shocked if Obama didn’t win…