This week I had a long conversation with a tea party supporter. This person happens to be someone I am close to, and someone I care for very much. The conversation is worrisome to me, because at some point it turned to this.
"You know Obama is the anti-christ."
Really? I hate to break out my critical thinking skills, but I don't see that I have a lot of choice here.
Who/what is the anti-christ?
To start with let's just analyze the prefix "anti". Anti simply means opposed to, opposite of, or against.If you prefer, contrary to works as well.
So the anti-christ is opposing, against, or contrary to the Christ.
Sounds simple enough.
In order to identify what is "anti-christ" you have to be able to identify what is Christ.
This is where I see the whole thing going crooked, cock-eyed, helter-skelter, whatever you want to call it.
Who/ what is Christ?
It makes sense if you don't know Christ, you aren't going to know "anti-christ" either.
If you don't know that Christ represents love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, giving, kindness, gentleness, selflessness, humility, acceptance, peace, etc... You won't know that the anti-christ represents the opposite of those things.
The tea party and the anti-christ myth
First off, Ron Paul and his very confused group of info-wars followers and fans have been the source of an enormous amount of misinformation, which is of the kind that I can only describe as vile. Then there's youtube, right wing talk radio and any number of other horrible sources for information on Christianity, government, politics or anything else.
Visit the website or facebook page of any of tea party supporter. What you will find is everything from crude racism and graphic images, to hateful and slanderous comments and postings, that anyone with even the slightest sense of right and wrong, good and evil, Christ and anti-christ, should be able to identify as repulsive, right off. But some people don't seem able to pick up on that.
During my conversation, as we discussed concepts like lowering minimum wage, eliminating social security, cutting social spending, overturning healthcare and other such "me first" and "me only" concepts, I kept hearing comments like "I have a job, so it doesn't matter to me." I tried to reply with questions like " Well what about the person who doesn't have a job?" and "What about your grandma? How is she going to survive without social security?" And got no response...
So we'll start with that. Me first and me only are actually anti-christ positions. 'Love your neighbor as yourself' is a Christ position.
When discussing healthcare and talking about people who don't have it "It's not my problem" and "I have healthcare, so it doesn't really matter to me" were the responses I got. Those are anti-christ positions. "Why should I have to pay for someone else's healthcare?" is also an anti-christ position.
It's funny to realize that the people who claim 'Obama is the anti-christ' hold an entire spectrum of anti-christ positions.
Here are some examples:
Christ position: Put away your weapons.
Anti-christ position: arm every man woman and child
Christ position: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth.
Anti-christ position: War and violence are the answer
Christ position: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.
Anti-christ position: The rich are blessed.
Anti-christ position: The rich are blessed.
Christ position: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
Anti-christ position: Reject foreigners, immigrants, people with different religious beliefs, gays, people who don't look, talk, think or act like yourself.
Christ position: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
Anti-christ position: The death penalty
Christ position: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
Anti-christ position: Usury, profit motive, the entire Capitalist society we live in
Christ position: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Anti-christ position: Public prayer, religion in government, schools, Christianity waved around like a banner for everyone around to see, because you think it reflects that you're holy and righteous. It does not, it reflects the opposite.
Just for you information, it's very hard to tell a tea partier that they are the anti-christ. If you attempt this at home, be prepared to witness something similar to a scene from the Exorcist, complete with head spinning and spittle flying.
Sheep and Goats
Jesus actually sums up the difference between what is Christ and what is anti-christ in Mathew Chapter 25, or who are the sheep and who are the goats...
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
The Truth
One more thing to consider.
Jesus (Christ) said " I am the truth"
So you can expect that if Christ is truth then whatever/whoever is anti-christ would distort the truth, breed confusion, distortion, dishonesty etc...
Fox News sued for the right to lie and won in court. Two right wing groups have taken a case all the way to the Supreme Court, in hopes of overturning Ohio's ban on lying in political advertisement. A study conducted by politifact found that republican and tea party politicians lie three times more than democrats. We can go on and on with this, but anyone who is pro-lying and anti-truth is anti-christ. Period.
Fear mongering
The tea party and the GOP are great at stirring up fear.
The Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear.
The fear mongering alone is against the spirit of love, which is against Christ.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of the power of love and a sound mind"
Anything opposite of that, is also anti-christ.
The point
The New Testament makes it clear that the spirit of anti-christ has been in the world for a very, very long time.
The anti-christ, which is spoken of in Revelation, is going to be a deciever- and the deception will be such that (as it says in the book of Revelation) "if it were possible, even the very elite would be deceived."
The only way to recognize the anti-christ is to be able recognize Christ.
Logic says "If this isn't what Christ would do, then this is anti-christ"
Instead of getting sucked in to all the right wing fear mongering, get a Bible and read it. If you're going to call yourself a Christian, then for heaven's sake at least have some idea of who Christ is and who He is not. Stop getting your chain yanked by people who are not representing Christianity, but are representing a corporate church that is teaching a corporate agenda and disseminating right wing propaganda, all of which, if you bother to compare it to the teachings of Christ, is clearly anti-christ.
Parting thought:
Mathew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Romans 3:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
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| image credit right wing chain yankers at beastobama |
Amen! Preach it Sister!
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