One thing that irks me is when Christians forward me some really inflammatory email about this or that politician being of the devil. And when it’s clearly not true, it makes the rest of us who wear the name look foolish.

Today’s was why Mr Obama doesn’t deserve to be President (issues of fraud, deception, affiliation, etc.)  Some is laughable, some is inconsequential, some is interesting and probably easily explainable.  But what set me off is his association as one of 8500 members of Trinity United Church of Christ, led by Rev Jeremiah Wright.  The person who sent it to me said:

the guy’s about as close to Lucifer as you can get and I certainly would not, personally, call him,”Reverend,”

That on the strength of a 10 second clip from a half-hour sermon.  You know the one.  I went and listened to a 6-minute clip.  What Rev Wright’s said was “since America has mistreated its citizens and not done justice, it will not be blessed, but will be damned” (judged).

He said in context of the sermon was the message of Malachi 3:5-6, which says “I will appear before you in court, prompt to testify against …(those) who thrust the alien aside and have no fear of me, says the LORD of Hosts.  I am the LORD unchanging.”

He recounts that it is useless to trust in governments but to trust in God, because governments fail.  He recounts how the US government, all 3 branches, oppressed the natives that were here first, imprisoned the Japanese, and declared black people non-persons and experimented on them.  He said that “when government does not protect its people, then God will damn America as long as she tries to act like she is god and she is supreme.”

Rev Wright was right in his prophetic words.  I don’t like the political rhetoric that went with it, but I like others trying to misrepresent the intentions of a minister of the Gospel even less.

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I tried to gently correct my sister, reminding her of the difference between politics and faith, and the importance of always representing our faith well.  My ‘pearls’ were not well received.