Have you seen this bumper sticker yet?
It looks pretty harmless doesn't it? Pray for Obama, with a reference to the Psalms. What could be more harmless than the Psalms?
Unless you've read the Psalms, that is.
Here is the verse that is referred to on the bumper sticker.
Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalm 109:8
Like almost everything else in the Bible, it's not too clear, is it?
When applied to Barack Obama, it could just be asking God to help Sarah Palin defeat him in 2012.
Or it could be praying for his death now, natural or otherwise.
But let's look at the context.
Here is the verse immediately after the verse on the bumper sticker.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Psalm 109:9
Well, that clears it up, doesn't it? The prayer is either asking God to kill Obama, or asking God to inspire someone else to do it for him.
21 November 2009 Note: Cafe Press has banned all Psalm 109 merchandise.
(Don't you love it when the Bible is recognized as hate speech?)
10 comments:
For some reason the fundies seem to think this is an appropriate time to take quotes out of context.
Odd how the times to do so and the times not to always afford them the greatest leeway huh?
They are ridiculous. They claim that the world is against them and then take direct shots at our president. Regardless of who he is, these (supposedly) adults should know better.
It's like my family and the "atheists are fools who say in their hearts there is no God", they take it out of context and use it as a rant.
If only they weren't so cowardly as to hide behind their religious text so they can be struck down for what they say.
I haven't seen that bumper sticker yet, but if I do someday soon, I'll rip it off the first car I see it on; it's fuckin' stealth-evil crap (like a snake in the grass, to use an appropriate-enough analogy), and I bet ol' Yahweh (were he real, that is) would be loving every word of it.
Ah yes more love from Christianity
This is awful, and despite what Jerad says, I'm not sure it's being taken out of context. (Many may really wish Obama dead!) My fellow Christians (who as everyone knows are largely Republicans) really seem to have this genuine fear of Obama that as far as I can tell is based on nothing whatsoever except maybe the insane rantings of various talking heads on Fox News.
I've got to remind my fellow Christians of a few important scriptures, especially this one:
Romans 13:1-7
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
To paraphrase and put it in modern context, according to Paul:
* Barack Obama is God's minister
* Those who resist Obama are in danger of damnation
* Only evil people should fear Obama
* Stop complaining and pay your #$&*ing taxes!
Oh, I don't think it's out of context, I've just seen that argument by fundies used in other stories.
And yet those same fundies have said that Dubya was appointed by Jesus because only Jesus can choose our Earthly rulers.
Hypocrites, each & every one of 'em.
Good points, busterggi and Brucker. Of course, I doubt they see the contradiction of thinking everyone had to support the president because he was God's hand-picked gift to Man, but that Obama should die because apparently God is not longer hand-picking presidents? Does God only pick every other president and let Satan pick the others??
Even if it were pointed out to them how illogical their thinking is, I think they're too far gone for them for it to make any difference.
So Brucker,
Wes Hitler god's minister?
Are those that resisted Hitler and died now roasting in Hell?
Were the resisters evil for opposing Hitler?
Paul is no better than Psalm 109 when it comes providing guidance for political life.
[/godwin]
I'm not overly concerned about Godwin's Law, sometimes the Third Reich is an excellent case in point to bring up, and indeed, I think this is one of them. After all, you're quite right that the passage I quoted brings up some difficult questions.
The thing of it is, Paul (and Peter elsewhere) told their fellow Christians that they had to submit themselves to authority even during times when the Roman Emperor was in the habit of putting Christians to death for entertainment purposes. I don't think I have an easy answer for what you're asking, but a Christian (or any other theist who believes in an omniscient and omnipotent deity) has to have serious questions about why God would have allowed the Holocaust.
Of course the nice thing about the case of Obama is that living in a country with the first amendment and a democratic process for our politics, there are ways to oppose Obama and be entirely within the law and morality.
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