What if a Republican Called, Like Obama, for God's 'Kingdom on Earth'?

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

"This is Anne Jones, reporting live from the headquarters of the ACLU, where the organization has issued a 'DefCon IV Threat to the Constitution Alert' in the wake of a Republican presidential candidate's call for the creation of God's 'kingdom on earth.' We're speaking with ACLU representative Amanda Rogers. Ms. Rogers, now that a Republican candidate has brought the wall that separates church and state crashing to the ground, can our constitutional system be saved?"

"Anne, I'm afraid the answer is a resounding 'no,' at least, not if someone who thinks like this, and who sadly reflects the thinking of his entire party, is elected president. Fortunately, there are candidates from another party who respect the constitutionally decreed separaration of church and state."

"Thank you, Amanda; very frightening stuff. Now back to our studio, where we'll be breaking into our regularly-scheduled programming throughout the day to bring you updates on this unfolding crisis. I'll be back a little later with an interview with the pro-Constitution group 'People for the American Way,' which has called the Republican candidate's statement 'the gravest threat to America since the presidency of Ronald Reagan.'"

OK, perhaps I exaggerate just a tad, but you get the point. The MSM would surely be in full threat-to-the-Constitution cry if ever a Republican presidential candidate had said exactly what Barack Obama did yesterday [note that the CNN link where the story was originally reported is not working as of the posting of this item]:

"Sometimes this is a difficult road being in politics. Sometimes you can become fearful, sometimes you can become vain, sometimes you can seek power just for power’s sake instead of because you want to do service to God. I just want all of you to pray that I can be an instrument of God in the same way that Pastor Ron and all of you are instruments of God . . . We’re going to keep on praising together. I am confident that we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth."

I can report that there was no mention of Obama's comments during the crucial first half-hour of "Today." Over at MSNBC, Joe Scarborough praised Obama's words in the first half-hour of "Morning Joe," and Mika Brzezinski later chimed in, suggesting that Obama's statement was a good political move.

Check back later for updates to this item with quotes and video.

We'll make it a point to monitor the MSM over the coming days to see what the reaction might be. In the meantime, the very absence of an overwhelming -- and overwhelmingly negative -- response to Obama's statement speaks volumes about the MSM double-standard when it comes to Republicans and Democrats discussing their faith.

[TommyDale]

He would be called a cultist.

[NonValueAdded]

Osama Obama pinin’ for the 12th Imam?

[ecomcon]

They don’t worry because they know in their hearts he is not really a Christian, and therefore not a threat.

[Archon of the East]

Yes he is

[governsleastgovernsbest]

MSM double-standard ping to Today show list.

[randita]

He doesn’t specify that the “Kingdom of God” would be ruled by Christ. Is “Kingdom of God” a commonly used phrase in the Koran?

[AU72]

Communism promised the same thing, without God.

[DustyMoment]

This is actually pretty disturbing. Given what we have learned of Islam in the past 7 years and Obama’s uncertain lineage, his use of “God” and calling for the creation of a “Kingdom on earth” is chilling.

For starters, it is an affront to God to assume that such a kingdom actually could be created on earth and demonstrates Obama’s arrogance.

Secondly, as NewsBusters notes, had a Republican made these comments, The MSM would be all over it screaming nonsense about the “religious right” and a return to the “dark days” of Republican values.

I don’t have a good feeling about this at all.

[Brilliant]

Obama can get away with it because he’s a Muslim.

[muawiyah]

The MSM folks are so un-churched they have no idea what and "who" is called for in this "Paradise on Earth" business.

Just checking some things out, this guy (Obamasama) has the hair like sheep's wool, but it's the wrong color, and his feet may have that "burnished bronze" cast, but his own children suggest the old man smells like fire and brimstone in the morning (before he gets that absolutely necessary shower).

[ClearCase_guy]

I believe George W. Bush once said that his favorite philosopher was Jesus Christ. The media went ballistic. Obviously, we were inches away from establishing a theocratic state! We'd be just like Iran!!

Of course, when Obama talks openly of establishing a Kingdom right here on earth, it's a non-issue because everyone knows it's rhetoric to rope in the gullible.

The Left believes that Bush is a committed Christian. They think that's dangerous.
The Left beleives that Obama is a liar. They think that's comforting.

[glide625]

No he’s not and he’s got no credibility on the issue; he periodically attends some freak black seperatist “Christian Lite” church; he’s got as much credibility calling himself a “Christian” as does Hilary. What’s so amazing here is that there’s no hue and cry amongst the Marxist insiders because even they know he’s lying. They would know he’s lying if he stood up and went on about how much he loves white people.
Smoke and mirrrors.

[period end of story]

[Snickersnee]

What made the 20th Century the bloodiest in world history were the attempts by secular totalitarians to “immanentize the eschaton,” that is, to recreate the Garden of Eden on Earth without recourse to God’s grace. This was done in the name of the “proletariat,” the “Herrenvolk,” and others I probably haven’t heard of. Obama, empty suit that he is, is apparently unaware of all that. Frightening how ignorant you can be and still be taken seriously by the MSM and the Democratic party.

[DBrow]

theocratic bump for later

[TLI]

I just want all of you to pray that I can be an instrument of God... I am confident that we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth."

Oh yea, right. Let's get THAT guy on "the button."

Creeeeeepeeee!

[Sig Sauer P220]

First of all, Republicans can’t campaign from church’s. Only Democrats are allowed to do that. Now what was the question?

[2banana]

Dear Editor:

Can government do the work of God (Charity)?

What I have read and understood from the Bible is that God and Jesus wants us to help each other by using our own time, treasure and talent and to give from our hearts ("Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7). Nowhere have I found anything along the lines of "Go out and institute huge bureaucracies that will take money from some people at the point of a sword and give that money to other people as a politician sees fit."

Our Founding Fathers were Christian and very pious men. They founded this country under strong Judeo-Christian tenets and reflected on their religious beliefs on all their decisions. They wrote nothing into the Constitution of any type of government "aid" to help the poor, children or anyone else on purpose. They wanted a very limited government for good reason. Limited government is the best way to ensure that freedom will be preserved. The Scottish philosopher Alexander Tytler, who lived during the time of the American Revolution and writing of the US Constitution, summed these views:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure.

From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years.

These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."

There are many interesting questions if citizens rely on government to do "God's Work."

If a government takes a portion of a man's wages and does good with it, has the man also done good? If a government takes away a portion of a woman's property and does evil with it, has the woman also done evil? When a rich man pays more in taxes than a poor person, is he more Godly? If the government then does evil, is he more to blame? A woman works for the government and uses other people's tax money and does "God Work" with it, is this government woman now a good/Godly woman? If I legally try to avoid paying taxes, does that not make me an "Ungodly" man?

Today, the US government (federal, state and local) takes nearly 50% of a middle-class person's paycheck after all taxes are factored in (income taxes, Social Security, sales tax, real estate taxes, gas tax, death taxes, phone taxes, highway tolls, sad etc.). Uncle Sam will spend more money in just this year (2004) than it spent combined between 1787 and 1900 - even after adjusting for inflation. I cringe at those numbers. The Founding Fathers wanted nothing like the tax-consuming monster that we have as a government today. I also think of all the good work that could have be done if people were allowed to keep more of their own money and give it to organizations/people that they believe in their heart are doing God's work. Maybe it comes down to trust. Will people do the right thing with their own money or must a government take a huge chunk of it to do the "right things?"

Except government rarely does anything right except for those tasks that were explicitly outlined in the Constitution as the Founding Father intended. I could cite many examples (such as where would you rather put $10,000 in retirement money - in Social Security or in your own 401k plan?) but the plight of black America illustrates this failure beyond comparison.

In 1965, the US government was going to wipe out poverty by the "Great Society" programs, in which to date over 3.5 trillion dollars has been spent. These federal programs were designed to "help families and children" or "buy votes" depending on your political viewpoint.

At the beginning of the 1960's, the black out of wedlock birth rate was 22%. In the late 1975 it reached 49% and shot up to 65% in 1989. In some of the largest urban centers of the nation the rate of illegitimacy among blacks today exceeds 80% and averages 69% nationwide. As late as the 1970's there was still a social stigma attached to a woman who was pregnant outside marriage. Now, government programs have substituted for the father and for black moral leadership. The black family and culture has collapsed (and white families are not that far behind).

Illegitimacy leads directly to poverty, crime and social problems. Out of wedlock children are four times more likely to be poor. They are much more likely to live in high crime areas with no hope of escape. In turn, they are forced to attend dangerous and poor-performing government schools, which directly leads to another generation of poverty.

Traditional black areas of Harlem, Englewood and West Philadelphia in the 1950s were safe working class neighborhoods (even though "poor" by material measures). Women were unafraid to walk at night and children played unmolested in the streets and parks. Today, these are some of the worst crime plagued areas of our nation. Work that was once dignified is now shunned. Welfare does not require recipients to do anything in exchange for their benefits. Many rules actually discourage work or provide benefits that reduce the incentive to find work.

The black abortion rate today is nearly 40%. Pregnancies among black women are twice as likely to end in abortion as pregnancies among white and Hispanic women.

The "Great Society" programs all had good intentions. Unfortunately, their real world results are that they have replaced the traditional/Christian models of family/work with that of what a government bureaucrat thinks it should be.

I could make an excellent argument that if the US government had hired former grand wizards of the KKK to run the "Great Society" programs, and if they had worked every day from 1965 to today without rest, they could have hardly have done better in destroying black America than the "Works of God" that the government has done or is trying to do.

I have visited many countries in which the government "guarantees" that everyone has a job, a place to live, education, health care and cradle to grave "government help" for all children and families. It all sounds great except that the people in these countries are/were miserable. They wanted to escape but were forced by their governments, at the end of a gun, to stay. The "worker's paradises" of socialist and communist counties are chilling reminders of letting governments do "God's Work."

The Bible clearly states that we are to help those in need. The question is "Who should help those in need?" I firmly believe that scripture and the historical evidence strongly support that individuals, private organizations and churches should be the ones doing the heavy lifting. Government help should be the last resort. "Charity," enforced by the government, is not charity, it is extortion. "Charity," delivered by the government, is not charity, it is a bribe which corrupts both the giver and the receiver.

Very Sincerely,

2banana

[TLI]

Love the sword! It’s perfect!