Recently, a friend from a small town in southern Iowa informed me that she had heard rumors of Barack Obama possibly being the Antichrist! I was in disbelief; I must have not been paying attention to the recent news, because I had no idea of this buzz going around. I was shocked and appalled that anyone could make such an outrageous assumption.

How had she heard this news? Was it her own assumption? No. It came from one of the prime influences over a particular group of people: a pastor. This pastor is from a small town, so he has influence on a small group of people. However, word spreads, just like it spread from my friend in southern Iowa to me.

Why would this pastor say that Obama might be the Antichrist? Being from a primarily white, small town with few minorities, racism may be the reason. Could it possibly be that he does not want to see an African-American president? Perhaps closed-door racism explains using the Antichrist assumption to deter voters.

On the other hand, it may have nothing to do with race. The pastor may really believe that Obama is the Antichrist.

Will Christians who were once Obama supporters really back away because of when they hear this? Is the possibility of the Antichrist enough to scare away his supporters?

Rumors of Obama as the Antichrist have been circulating the country for a while; recently it has spread quickly. Although one may think that people are not naïve enough to believe whatever they hear, but that is not always the case. Pastors and religious leaders have great influence on individuals’ lives. I’d rather not admit this, but unfortunately, some Christians do go by everything their pastor tells them to be the truth. Instead of having open minds, they bind to the conclusion that their pastor is right because he or she has been right in the past and has not let them down.

In fact, after rumors began to spread, CNN did a report entitled, “Is Obama the Antichrist?” Surprisingly, ever since the gossip hit, Web sites dealing with Obama as the Antichrist had 900,000 hits, reported CNN. In addition, “73 percent of these Web sites say Obama is or may be the Antichrist.”

With all this buzz going about and Christians wondering if Obama could indeed have the characteristics of the Antichrist, McCain jumped right on board. He made a couple of online campaigns that outline Obama, as CNN puts it, in a “messiah complex.”

Watch the videos and see for yourself the resemblance. McCain uses statements in these videos such as “The world will be blessed, they will call him the One.” Then the ad ends with a statement saying that Barack could be “The One.” This phrase has been interpreted by some to mean messiah and Antichrist. Even the CNN show about the McCain ad began the discussion by asking the question of whether Obama is the Antichrist, and then said that the McCain ad does indeed seem to give Obama a “messiah complex.”

“Many of the references to ‘the One’ carry Christological implications,” said Rev. David Beagley, of Memorial Lutheran Church, 2228 Lincoln Way. “ ‘They will call him …’ seems to echo the prophecies in Isaiah that refer to the coming Messiah.”

Rev. Beagley admits the ad is “over the top,” but he says it “doesn’t seem to present Obama as an Antichrist.”

Maybe the ad does not directly say he is the Antichrist, but it does seem to strongly suggest that Obama is some kind of messiah, using phrases such as “the One,” and using language similar to that used in the biblical book of Isaiah.

McCain denies that he is trying to portray Obama in any such light. If he really is not, then what exactly is he referring to when calling Obama “The One” and putting images of Moses from “The Ten Commandments” on his campaign video?

Although, as Beagley said, the ad may not exactly present Obama as the Antichrist, the phrases and scenes used will definitely toy with the minds of some Christians out there.

Is it also a great coincidence that one of the groups McCain has been struggling to win over is Evangelical Christians? It makes one wonder if this video is really trying to make Christians question whether Obama could indeed be the Antichrist.

With the video, McCain may have made a move to try and steal away some Christian supporters of Obama. If so, he is very clever, hitting the weak parts of Obama’s campaign and striking them as hard as he can.

Obama seems to be more concerned with his own campaign and what he wants to do for the United States, rather than attacking McCain. However, McCain seems to be doing the complete opposite, striking Obama hard to get votes rather than working more on his campaign.

Rev. Beagley says, too, that he has “answered questions of concerned congregation members,” regarding the issue.

As far as the Antichrist assumption, the Bible does in fact state that no one will have any idea who the Antichrist is, which right always seems to rule out Obama as the Antichrist.

“For the mystery of lawlessness [Antichrist] is already at work; only He who now restrains [the Holy Spirit] will do so until He is taken out of the way [rapture, where believers in Christ are all taken up to Heaven]. And then the lawless one [Antichrist] will be revealed” — 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

People need to have open minds not based on their party or what anyone is declaring as truth, but think for themselves. They should choose who they think can make a difference in this country, then look at their own views and determine where it fits.

From small town pastors to CNN, word spreads fast. The stem of the accusations could be racism, change or something else. It may not be coming from pastors of large congregations, but members of these churches are still affected. What some preachers are saying really seems a distraction to use against Christians supporting Obama, and McCain made it more visible through his ad. The whole plot, whoever started it, no matter where or how, seems to have one agenda in mind: To dissuade Obama supporters or at least distract them for a short while.

 — Robyn Norris is a junior in pre-journalism and mass communication from Johnston

Responses from Rev. David Beagley, Memorial Lutheran Church and Student Center:

Here is the CNN video and information that I am using to help type my article.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQoV_Ngl-G8

This information in this video basically shows that many people have indeed heard of the assumption due to over 900,000 hits on sites about Obama and Anti-Christ.

    1.    Have you heard of this assumption of Obama being the Anti-Christ before you had seen this clip?

    1.    Yes, I had. I’d received an email forward with this claim in June.

    2.    Do you think Christians that have heard of this assumption are asking themselves if Obama could be the Anti-Christ or do you think they will dismiss it right away and why?

    1.    It depends on how their tradition understands the idea of the Anti-Christ, and if they are already predisposed to thinking one way about Obama.

    3.    What does your church think about this assumption? Do you think there is any possibility that Obama could be the Anti-Christ? Why or why not?

    1.    The Lutheran understanding of the Anti-Christ is not that he is a evil political figure at the end of everything, but that the Anti-Christ is much more of a spiritual figure. The traditional Lutheran understanding of the Anti-Christ is the office (not the person) of the Pope. For more details on that view, check here: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=12503

    4.    Has your church addressed this issue to the congregation and what did it say about it?

    1.    Outside of answering the questions of concerned congregation members, we have not addressed this issue.

    5.    Has your church faculty as a whole had any questions from church members about this assumption? What were the questions and believes/fears of these members?

    1.    Yes, that’s how I first received the forwarded email.

    6.    How much affect do you think this will have on Obama supporters who are Christians? Do you think the assumption will dissuade voters? Why or why not?

    1.    Most of those who follow the understanding of the Anti-Christ as a political figure are conservative Christians who already have other reasons to not support Obama, especially his pro-choice/anti-life position.

    7.    Do you think that those that believe this assumption are only a small fringe of mainstream Christianity or that it may have an affect on Christians everywhere? What evidence do you have to show who it is affecting?

    1.    Mainstream Christianity is hard to define. The idea that Obama is the anti-Christ would not affect mainline Protestant denominations, which includes the UCC of which Obama was a member, because those groups are generally more liberal, and thus more in favor of Obama. Their interpretation of the Bible also tends to avoid the view of the Anti-Christ as an evil political figure. Fundamentalist Christians, who are strongly pro-life and would vote against Obama in any case, interpret the Anti-Christ as a political figure, and would see it as an additional reason to not vote for him. Evangelical Christians, who could probably be described as most mainstream, would have similar strong pro-life views and interpretations of the Anti-Christ as the fundamentalists, but are also struggling with McCain’s lukewarm support for the pro-life position and Obama’s support for the poor and oppressed. The idea of Obama as Anti-Christ could affect them, but it would most likely be one of a multitude of factors considered in the voting decision.

    8.    Does the McCain video display Obama with a “messiah complex” or a possible Anti-Christ? Why? Are there any references he used from the Bible that would show that his video was portraying this? Here is the link for the McCain ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8

    1.    Yes, it shows Obama with a messiah complex. Many of the references to the One carry Christological implications, although the idea of a One is present in Hindu and Buddhist thought as well, and could even just be referring to the Matrix. “They will call him…” seems to echo the prophecies in Isaiah that refer to the coming Messiah, such as Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The idea of the Messiah as a reformer and restorer is also present in Jewish and Christian thought. The clip of Charlton Heston as Moses reinforces that image. The ad, while over the top, doesn’t seem to present Obama as an Anti-Christ.