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This is ridiculous.

Two days ago I received yet another forward from a frazzled evangelical christian claiming that Barack Obama is the Antichrist. This particular email even went as far as saying that the Book of Revelation says the Antichrist will be in his 40s and a Muslim. Of course, the email didn't give the chapter and verses for the references.

I rarely comment on politics, though I do always vote. I feel like the average citizen is given so much conflicting information, both from the candidates themselves and from the media, that it is nearly impossible to get an accurate idea of what the candidates believe. Even when we are told that Candidate A voted against pro-life legislation 100 times, for example, we can't be sure if they voted against the bill because they are pro-choice or because they are pro-life except in the cases when the mother's life is in danger and the legislation being voted on didn't protect that situation. All we are told by Candidate B is that Candidate A is pro-abortion. "Facts" are hardly ever what they seem, leading me to be pretty cynical about politics... with one exception.

When people start trying to use the Bible to push their agendas, I sit up straight and listen closely. The email "quoting" Revelation made me do just that. I became angry because someone who loves Christ sent me (and MANY others) this email. They didn't open their Bibles to see if Revelation actually said something about the Antichrist being in his 40s and a Muslim; they allowed their emotions toward Obama's liberal morality to take over, clicked "Forward", and sent this garbage to everyone they know.

To make sure I wasn't missing some Biblical description of the Antichrist that did point to Obama, I emailed a pastor friend of mine. He had this to say:

"I know of no passage in Scripture that says anything that would give us any way of identifying the Antichrist except what is in Revelation 13 and 17-18. We’re not told his nationality, his age, what he will say in terms of [claiming to be a Christian or not]...but that he will set himself up as God in the temple in Jerusalem, will defeat “Babylon” in battle before the end comes, will himself be defeated in a climactic battle with Jesus (Rev. 19). It is possible that he would pretend to be a Christian because he is self-deceived or to deceive others. According to Daniel 9 he will be instrumental in brokering a peace between Israel and her neighbors that allows Israel to rebuild the temple."

Not only is it completely wrong biblical interpretation to start calling Obama the Antichrist, it is the most anti-Christ behavior we Christians can display. I am ashamed of the way some of my brothers and sisters in Christ are promoting hate and dissension toward this man that desperately needs to encounter the love of Christ.

Don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of biblical reasons to not vote for Obama. His morality just simply does not line up with God's, and, in several cases, is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. But to place Obama on par with Satan himself does nothing but teach unbelievers that Jesus and his followers hate. They hate what they are afraid of, they hate those who don't think just like them on every issue, they hate without bothering to understand the situation first. And that is the last thing Jesus wants to be known for.

"Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love." 1 John 4:8

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:12-13