Obama's Not-So-Secret Faith

It should be clearer to those who have questioned Barack Obama's devotion to the Judeo-Christian faith, that he is not reticent about petitioning God.

That the Israeli newspaper Maariv published his "Note to God", procured through the blasphemous act of thievery by a seminary student, nonetheless portends to aggravate the wedge between Obama's opponents and proponents about his faith.

But first, a little history about the Wall.

According to Mosaic,

"The First Temple of Jerusalem was conceived by King David and constructed by King Solomon around 950 BCE as a center of a Jewish religious life on a national scale, replacing local cult centers. Solomon hoped that the Temple would unite the people of Israel conducted by the priestly professionals. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar around 587/6 BCE.

The Second Temple was the Temple rebuilt by Jews returning from the Babylon Exile in 517 BCE. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The site of the ancient Jewish Temple is now occupied, in part, by the golden-domed 'Dome of the Rock' Mosque."

After the Roman destruction, what remained was a remnant of the outer wall, the Western (Wailing) Wall --- Judaism's holiest site. There is a long-standing tradition of visitors to this site leaving prayer messages in its cracks.

I agree with Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rabbi in charge of the wall, that Obama had a right, like millions of others, to rely on the assumption that his note is a private communication between him and God. It was indeed an act of blasphemy to lift his note. Maariv's decision to publish the note completed the sacrilege of violating Obama's sacred privacy.

Now that Obama's five-fold prayer is in public view, it should confirm that there is no difference between his private relationship with God and his public demonstration of faith.

Given that he portends to be America's first African-American president-in-waiting, Obama's note was not only a prayer to God, but seems also to be an appeal to those worldly powers to protect him and his family. It's a good thing he's covering all of his bases --- just in case.

I wonder what John McCain prays about.

Faith Under Fire: Foiling Another Attempt at Psychological Genocide

Supposedly a tasteful magazine of sophisticated humor, the New Yorker has taken the creative art form of cartooning to a new level. At first glance, the July 21 issue cover featuring the Obamas in a fist bump was so hilarious that I almost missed the point. When I came to my senses a few moments later, I nearly wept.

The New Yorker’s quite defensively stated purpose for the cover is to expose the absurdity of wrong-headed attitudes towards the Obamas. Regrettably, Barry Blitt’s artistry itself reinforces the very attitudes of those who fear, distrust, or have enmity for the Obamas (and those like him) . . . all in the name of satire. The New Yorker may think its caricature of the Obamas amusing and clever, but there's another perspective about its possible effects.

Irrespective of race, color, creed, or other demographic affiliation, most Americans aren't aware of the extent to which they are perpetual victims of subliminal programming (mostly by corporate advertising and the mainstream media). Ironically, most Americans have been habitualized to a daily regimen of work (33%), sleep (33%), and cryptic efforts to cram the most important aspects of their lives into the remaining 33% of the time we have left. If you're a minority group member, you've got to bear the additional burden of an inter-generational tradition of white stereotyping of minority groups like American Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, and Arabs. This added burden of de facto second-class citizenship breeds mutual distrust, and chronic enmity among the groups makes for a malignant co-existence wired for conflict instead of reconciliation. That enmity comes primarily from fearful minds set against any specter of minority dominance or privilege reigning supreme over White America. All to permit the convenient (and presumably acceptable) expression of true feelings held by many like the New Yorker editorial staff, under the guise of satire. Not to worry --- the changing political order bodes a literal status quo shakedown.

In my tearing, I was reminded of Viktor Frankl’s seminal work Man’s Search for Meaning in which he describes his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps of Thereseinstadt, Auschwitz, Turkheim, and Dachau. How he and so many others faced the prospect of a gruesome death by various methods. And how death in those gas ovens might have been a more tolerable alternative to the psychological horrors of having one’s identity, self-esteem, and dignity utterly destroyed. Blitt's rendering risks taking our corporeal mindset back to that hellious ordeal.

Now, let’s just think a bit about the likely effects of Blitt's little graphic gem. First. America’s allies will probably be a little more nervous about our country’s ability to control the behavior of it’s corporate members, leaving doubts about the authority and legitimacy of the Presidency. America’s enemies will probably feel vindicated in their beliefs that America is a decadent and declining power with a weakening leadership. Undecided voters leaning towards Obama may criticize the caricature; those who oppose him will probably harden their resistance to his transcendental message. Republicans, especially those who cannot accept a black man as president whom they see as unpatriotic, unable to relate, and whom they perceive as antagonistic to white interests, are likely to take joyful glee in Blitt's characterizations. Hillary Democrats probably will remain divided in their allegiances, resulting in a wash. The Obama Kids will be shielded from the “satire” episode, and will probably not suffer much harm. After all, they’re Obamas. Michelle will throw down her AK-47 and fight like a real women with fingernails at the ready for anyone foolish enough to come near her man.

The basis for Obama's assuredness is his faith. Obama believes and understands the power of the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Follow his life, and you’ll see how he subscribes to the sacred hope that “. . . we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 NIV)". And Obama has been called to a purpose, which is to lead the process of rebuilding America. He loves God, country, family, and the faith tradition of Christianity, which is the leading explanation for his ascendancy to the head of the America's Democratic Party for such a time as this. Despite the complexities and threats in our world today, Obama stands uniquely qualified and suited with the right temperament to exercise "faith under fire" as he leads America forward.

Therefore, we can predict Obama’s response to Blitt's IED-laden art. Barack's a cool customer, and he's learning not to be offended by hubris. Yet, he is not delusional, not in denial. He understands better than most that America today is only the promise of what it really can be tomorrow. Barack knows that we have a long way to go but we can get there.

So he'll probably give the cover one last chuckle, find a quiet spot to meditate lotus-style, take a few deep tantric breaths (softly chanting: Yes we can . . . si se puede), and divine the entire situation to his advantage, as he always does. After all, he feeds on the bunglings of others.

Maybe the New Yorker could have found a better way to get a chuckle from its detractors. (this Bud’s for you)