Much like ancient Israel demanded a king so that it could be like other nations, our nation recently demanded -- and got -- a king to rule over her.
No, I am not talking about Obama's lame attempts to associate himself with Martin Luther King, nor his laughable comparisons of his candidacy to that of America's last "royalty", John F. Kennedy. I want to talk about something far more insidious than his pitiful attempts to be someone he can never be.
I Samuel, Chapter 8, has an important lesson for America today...The elders of Israel demanded that the prophet Samuel "appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." Samuel wasn't crazy about the idea, thinking that the people had rejected his leadership. But the Lord God told him, "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king."
You see, Israel had a unique form of government -- theocracy. Theocracy means government by God. God was their king, and the prophet Samuel was His spokesman. At this stage of its existence Israel must have been the equivalent of a teenager; at least it acted like a teen. Israel wanted to be like everyone else; it was embarrassed by the fact that it was different. Peer pressure to the max.
Just think of the embarrassment when a tourist asked an Israeli citizen, "Where is your king?" Head hanging, the citizen mumbled, "We don't have one." "No king?!? Then who rules your people?" Feet shuffling, the answer was almost whispered: "God." "But how can a God that you can't even see govern a nation?"
God told Samuel to tell Israel they could have a king, but that there was a "No Returns" policy; once they had a king, there would be no going back. And he told Samuel to warn them of just what it meant to have a king. So Samuel told them, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do" He went on to describe how the king would take a tenth of everything they had or produced, and said, "You yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen."
There are many parallels between what Israel brought upon themselves by their choice of a king, and America's choice of King Obama I. But there is one glaring difference. If Obama gets everything he wants, we will be giving the government 50% of more of everything we have or produce. (That projection is based on the effective tax rate paid by the citizens of the socialist nations in Europe which Obama so admires. For example, the average wage earner in Germany pays 50.7%; in France, he or she would pay 48.3%. Here in the US, we pay too much already at 30%. See LINK below.)
We already have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. Obama wants the US to be Number One -- in the wrong contest. His "tax plan" includes raising corporate tax rates so high that we will have the highest rates in the world.
Some have said, "That's OK with me. Raise taxes on the 'fat cat' corporations. Then I won't have to pay so much." My answer to such economic naiveté would be, "Don't you realize that YOU are the corporations? Who do you think you work for? As corporations pay more taxes, they have less to pay you, less to provide benefits with, and less to invest in jobs so your children can find employment. If you don't work for a corporation, you certainly buy from many corporations. Do you imagine that they will not pass the cost of taxes on to you, the consumer, as they legitimately do with all costs? And I guarantee you that your retirement money is invested in -- you guessed it -- corporations. The more they pay in taxes, the less money is paid in dividends to YOUR retirement plan."
Obama loves to stir up class warfare between "the workers" and "the capitalists." (That kind of class warfare worked very well for the Communists in the Russian Revolution.) The problem with such rhetoric is that he is stirring his subjects up to hate -- well, themselves.
He claims that he will "lower taxes for 95% of Americans. Even the most math-challenged, adoring Democrat should be able to see that this is a lie. Consider:
1) If Obama taxed the "5% of richest Americans" at a 100% tax rate, there would not be enough taxes to make up for the other 95%.
2) It has been repeatedly observed that 40% of Americans pay NO income tax, so the "tax break" Obama gives them would be nothing more than a new federal welfare program designed to guarantee his reelection. What had not been discussed is that these new welfare payments will come out of the pockets of - you guessed it again -- the American taxpayer.
3) Even if the insane math he used to come to the conclusions above actually worked, it wouldn't cover the $1 Trillion in new spending he promised during his campaign in a (successful) attempt to bribe the people to vote for him.
4) Nor would it cover the $500 Billion he promised to spend on roads and bridges after he was elected. Supposedly this money will "stimulate" the economy. But in this he shows his own economic naiveté. Economists tell us that money must be SPENT in order to stimulate the economy. These huge public works projects will take two to three years to plan, and then another three to five years to build. That's a long time to wait for "stimulus." The only ones who will benefit from this money for at least the next five years will be the politicians who helped elect him. The will be able to brag to their constituents about the "pork" they brought home, which will help them in the elections two years from now. It sure helped "King Pork" John Murtha get re-elected, even after calling his constituents racist rednecks.
The main similarity between the foolishness of Israel and that of the majority of American voters is that in clamoring for a king, both rejected God's best for their nations. I am not saying that the Republican Party is the party of God. But if you look at the platforms of both parties, it is clear that the Republicans support far more of the principles of the Word of God, and they also stand against the religious discrimination that the Democrat Party often promotes.
The Republicans are not perfect, but the great majority of people who hold to the Bible as their guide vote Republican for the reasons mentioned above. When I meet a religious person who supported Obama, they are either not students of the Bible, or they were fooled by Obama's lies, or they were taught a perverted theology such as Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright espoused.
Wright, in his own books, makes it clear that he doesn't follow what he calls "White Theology." His Marxist "Black Liberation Theology" states that "We will not accept a God who does not recognize that the white man is an oppressor." He states that "Jesus was a black man" because he was "oppressed by rich white people."
The founder of the Black Liberation Theology, which was invented in 1966, was James Cone, one of Wright's mentors. In his book For My People, Cone writes, "The Christian faith does not possess in its nature the means for analyzing the structure of capitalism. Marxism as a tool of social analysis can disclose the gap between appearance and reality, and thereby help Christians to see how things really are."
Wright's hateful, racist preaching includes the outrageous claim that the US Government created AIDS as a way to wipe out black people in America. Wright has also famously beseeched God from his pulpit to "Damn America" for killing people in wars. But he has no condemnation for Obama's support of abortion as a substitute for the use of birth control. It makes one appreciate the strength of the Catholic Bishops who speak out against politicians like Obama who support infanticide. Many have withheld communion and threatened excommunication for Catholic politicians who support abortion.
In the article "The Marxist Roots of Black Liberation Theology" (see LINK below), black theologian Anthony Bradley states, "One of the pillars of Obama's home church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is 'economic parity.' On the website, Trinity claims that God is not pleased with 'America's economic mal-distribution.' Among all of controversial comments by Jeremiah Wright, the idea of massive wealth redistribution is the most alarming. The code language 'economic parity' and references to 'mal-distribution' is nothing more than channeling the twisted economic views of Karl Marx."
Obama expects us to believe that he listened to Wright's violent preaching Sunday after Sunday, but that he never "inhaled." He expects us to believe that he never heard Wright utter the horrible racist words that the thousands of other parishioners heard. And he expects us to believe that his personal beliefs were not altered by this constant barrage of unscriptural teaching.
If that is so, Mr. President-Elect, why do we hear you using the same Marxist phrases coined by the founder of Black Liberation Theology? Why do you constantly refer to "economic Justice," a concept only preached by Communists and Socialists? Why have you repeatedly called for the "redistribution of wealth," the dream that drove the Communist takeover of dozens of nations?
And, if you are not yourself a racist, why did you listen to Wright's racist rants week after week without speaking out or leaving the church? (He only disassociated himself from Wright and Trinity Church a few months ago when the political heat got too strong.) Why did you speak from the church platform yourself, and refer to the many racist speakers who appeared at your church as "friends of Trinity"?
The truly sad fact is that without the support of many Christians and Jews who profess to live their lives according to the Word of God, Obama could not have been elected. These people believed his lies about the economy, and chose money over morality. The irony is that, despite abandoning the principles of the Word, they will be far worse off financially four years from now.
These people forgot that God, not the government, is our provider. They forgot that God's priorities are not our priorities. They cared more about the money they believed they would gain more than they cared about following the word.
So they voted for a man who stands against the most important principles of the Word of God. God says that innocent life is to be protected. Obama has repeatedly voted in favor of laws that make it possible for abortionists (I refuse to call them doctors) to murder a MILLION innocent babies each year. In Illinois, he supported a bill that allowed hospitals to withhold care from babies who were born alive in spite of an attempted abortion. Think of that! A baby who fights for her life so hard that she survives an attempt to murder her, can be refused any type of care and be left to die, because Obama and other sick politicians are afraid giving the baby food or water might erode women's "rights" under Roe v. Wade.
Obama has spoken before, and written letters to, homosexual, lesbian and "trans-gender" groups, promising to support their complete perverted political agenda. He has been described by both conservatives and liberals as the most pro-homosexual presidential candidate in our nation's history. (Of course, the liberals said this adoringly.) If you think Bill Clinton was bad in this regard, watch king Obama. Clinton implemented the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuals in the military as his first act after taking office. Obama has promised to try to repeal the national "Defense of Marriage Act" as soon as he takes office. Among other things, this would require every state to recognize homosexual "marriage" performed in states like Massachusetts.
And, of course, he will continue and strengthen the federal laws that have been most damaging to the American families: These are the abusive, confiscatory tax laws that tax families so much that both parents (in most cases) are forced to work outside the home, leaving the care of their children to daycare centers.
Many of us are old enough to remember a time when it was unusual for both parents to work. One parent, usually the wife, stayed home and gave the children love and care that no hired "child care worker" could ever provide. It was not "the economy" that forced both parents to work. It was the theft of their income through taxation that caused this shift in our society, and the resulting damage to marriages and families. And what did the families get in return? Massive spending on wasteful, unnecessary projects whose only purpose was to buy votes for pork-barrel politicians. Welfare programs for people who refused to work, which bought the politicians even more votes. And government control of almost every area of our lives, areas like education and housing, where the federal government has no Constitutional authority to interfere.
One way in which Obama was able to pull the wool over the eyes of voters was that he never revealed just how his "tax plan" would work. He didn't tell them that most of his "tax cuts" were an illusion. They will be temporary (if they materialize at all -- he will likely use the current economic situation in order to weasel out of his promises). The reason they will be temporary is that he plans to let Bush's tax cuts for the middle class expire. He claims this will not be an "increase" in taxes. Typical lawyer double-talk. If you allow tax cuts to expire without renewing them, you are raising taxes. No matter how much lipstick you put on that hog to try to make it pretty, it is still an ugly tax increase.
In some cases, Christians and Jews didn't make a conscious decision to reject the King of Kings in favor of the false king Obama. They were fooled by his smooth lies and his hundreds of millions spent on ads and PR. (He spent more money per vote than any presidential candidate in history. And because he broke his pledge to use the public finance system which was designed to reduce corruption in campaigns, he was able to out-spend McCain five to one.)
Although they believe the Bible they had no idea who they were voting for. My wife and I were in line to vote next to one such lady. We chatted with her for 45 minutes while we waited. She was clearly a Bible-believing Christian. After we finished, she chatted with my wife while I talked with her husband. She asked my wife, "Well, did you vote for Obama?" My wife, in her sweet, gentle way, replied that she could never vote for someone like him. After she told the lady about Obama's pro-death views and votes (including partial-birth abortion) and his complete support for the agenda of the homosexual agenda, she was chagrined. If she could have done so, she would have gone back inside and torn up her ballot.
Why am I writing this? Isn't it too late? No, it is never too late. Along with many other ministers of the Gospel, for the last year I have warned the American people about Obama, just as Samuel warned Israel about the king they demanded. But America still chose to elect King Obama I.
So what do we do now? Do we (as some have suggested) just hunker down for the next four years and pray that Obama doesn't destroy the country? No. We continue to fight!
Most Americans, even most Democrats, are conservatives, at least in the areas of morality and fiscal policy. Most do not want to see homosexual marriage legalized nationwide, as Obama does. Most (even those who support abortion) would not support Obama's radical views on abortion, if he had been honest about them. And none of them want to pay more in taxes to support useless spending that only benefits politicians.
So, what can we do? We can tell everyone the truth about how a man who represents all that the majority of America finds reprehensible lied and bought his way into the White House. And we can help Obama lower expectations.
He has raised the hopes of America so high with his empty rhetoric that there is going to be a huge backlash when people find how they have been deceived. He has promised things that no president has the power to deliver, and that he has no intention of even trying to deliver. So, a week before Election Day, his staff let the word out that they were going to begin to "lower expectations." Those lofty speeches about hope, and change, and "economic justice" were fine to whip up voters' emotions and get their votes. But now he has to let them down gently or face their wrath.
I quoted Peggy Joseph last week, and provided a link to the video of her speaking about Obama on Election Day evening. I repeat it today, because it epitomizes the cruel, false hopes Obama has raised in the minds of uneducated people. He can't say that he didn't do this deliberately. I watched him in rally after rally say that the "tax rebate" welfare checks he would send out if elected would stimulate the economy.
King-Elect Obama told his adoring crowds that they should go out and spend the money he will give them to "help our economy." He told them, "Go out and buy a new car, or send your kids to college." He neglected to tell them that the check would only be $500 a year. Since most of them only know what he tells them about his policies he got away with this. He never had to explain how they could send a child to college for $500, or what kind of new car $500 would purchase.
So when he was elected, Peggy Joseph made the now-famous remarks (see LINK below) that earned her the nickname "Peggy the Moocher." I am not convinced that she is a moocher. I think that she is simply gullible enough, and ignorant enough of the political process, to believe Obama's slick lies.
With tears in her eyes Peggy said, "This was the most memorable moment of my life." (She had her daughter next to her, so one must assume she is married. Most women would say that their wedding day or the birth of their child was the most memorable moment of their life, not a political rally. But such is the power Obama has over gullible people.) She went on to say, "I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage!" (I know this is hard to believe, but I have quoted her word for word. Look at the video below.) She went on to say, "If I help him, he's gonna help me," referring to the fact that she had campaigned for him.
It's hard to believe that people as gullible and uniformed as this voted Obama into office. But there are millions of Peggy Joseph's out there. I listened with amazement as a radio interviewer talked to voter after voter on the streets of New York. He used John McCain's views and policies (which are diametrically opposed to those of Obama) and characterized them as Obama's
It went like this: "Who did you vote for?" "I voted for Obama." "Did you vote for him because he is black, or because of his policies?" "Definitely because of his policies."
"Which of his policies were most important to you? Was it his Pro-Life stand, or his determination to do whatever it takes in Iraq to win the war?" "Well, I think both of them are mighty important. Both of them made me vote for him."
He then went through several more of McCain's policies, without any of the Obama voters realizing they were not Obama's own. His final question: "What do you think of Obama's choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential running mate?" "I think it's good. Yes, she seems like a good lady."
This is not a joke. And it is not a laughing matter. Millions of Americans have never read the Constitution, don't have any idea of what the president can and cannot do, and never did anything to check on the truth of Obama's outrageous promises. And yet they are allowed to vote.
I don't believe all, or even the majority of the Obama voters are that uninformed. Many are true believers who have joined the Obama cult, and refuse to examine anything he says. Many have always voted Democrat because their family did, even though they don't believe in much of what the party stands for. And unless someone cares enough to explain their party's real agenda to them, they will continue to do so.
But the fact is that uninformed voters decided this election, and conservatives did a poor job of getting the truth out. It is now our job to make sure that the Democrats lose their control of Congress two years from now, and that Obama is consigned to obscurity two years later.
Obama and the Democrats will do a lot to accomplish that themselves. They have controlled Congress for the last two years, and our economy is far worse because of that. But for the next two years they will control both houses of Congress AND the White House. They won't have anyone but themselves to blame when they mess everything up.
But we can't depend on their incompetence to do the job alone. We have to work hard to teach, inform and convince. To borrow a phrase from King Obama, "We need to work as if the survival of our country depended on it. Because it does."
Dr. Tom Barrett has been an ordained minister for 30 years. He has written for local and national publications for most of his life, and has authored several non-fiction books. He has been interviewed on many TV and radio programs, and speaks at seminars nationwide. Tom is the editor and publisher of Conservative Truth, an email newsletter read by over fifty thousand weekly which focuses on moral and political issues from a Biblical viewpoint.