February 6^th

 

Our topic today is Obama’s remarks at the annual prayer breakfast. Commenting on the recent ISIL atrocities he mentioned that all religions, including Christianity, had extremists. He pointed out that Christians had committed atrocities during the crusades and that the inquisition had burned people at the stake; that Christianity was used to justify slavery and the subjection of non-white races. In short he suggested a very Christian notion that “He who is without sin should cast the first stone.”

Immediately came the reaction. As night follows day there followed outrage. One of the early stone throwers was the head of “The Southern Baptist Convention.” If you don’t remember, this outfit in the late 1990s finally apologized for their racism during and following the Civil War. Maybe they now want to take that apology back.

Joe Scarborough, on this morning’s program, was unable to halt his torrent of acrimony against Obama’s remarks.  After an unceasing anti-Obama rant his hired hands tried to suggest to him that that this horse was dead and that he should move on. Fat chance for this Catholic school educated pontificator. No one else can speak if Joe can think of something to say—and he usually does. Joe claimed that Obama had to go back 700 years to find his examples while ISIL had much more recent atrocities. Of course he was wrong; slavery in this country and the Jim Crow that followed was not 700 years ago; it was seventy years ago! Joe’s acolytes rarely if ever suggest that he’s wrong, thus do they remain employed.

Then there is Charles Krauthammer and Laura Ingraham both “outraged” at Obama’s remarks. Both of these people eat, live and breathe right wing extremism. Whatever Obama does or says is anti-Christian and anti-American. Krauthammer claims that Christians haven’t burned anyone alive for years and that this Muslim sect has done so just recently. He’s absolutely right about the burning alive; he’s absolutely wrong about these people being a Muslim sect. He should know that burning bodies, whether alive or dead, as in cremation, is haram (forbidden) in the Muslim religion. My guess is that this man knows little or nothing about Muslims.  ISIL says that they are Muslims so of course that’s good enough for Krauthammer. His comments appeal to Fox News followers who pay him and that’s all that really matters.

Ingraham maintains that Obama’s comments are anti-Christian. She doesn’t contrast what he said with any scriptural evidence for his ant-Christian position, but then she doesn’t need to. Her listeners will be happy to lap up whatever negative remarks she makes about the President. It is quite clear that Christians should never stop to consider that they might be sinners. Where do these people get these ideas? What Bible do they read?