Will someone explain?

[rainbabies]

I would like someone, from a Christian backround (others are welome too) to explain something I heard today about Obama?
*I am truly asking out of genuine curiosity. Not to bash religion or obama. Everyone here will be polite, and understanding to religious differences..... thankyouverymuch!

"Obama is the anti Christ"

That's it. Anyone?

[peggyfromwastate]

I imagine they're referring to the book of Revelation where a charismatic leader comes into power and is basically a tool of satan...

I am no religious scholar, though...

I think that in the mainstream Christian community you would not hear that claim-- that Obama is the anti-Christ... I think this definitely would come from fringe groups.

[MarissaNicole]

I know some of devout prolife-catholics (my Mom being one of them) are very afraid of him because of his FOCA bill which makes abortion a fundamental right.

[GrayMatterWife]

The phrase "[someone] is the anti-Christ" is a fairly common reference that has meaning usually as an obvious overstatement. It means: "That person is the antithesis of everything I believe is worthwhile or meritorious."

The anti-Christ is a figure from Christian prophetic writings, primarily the epistles of John (as distinguishable from the Gospel of St. John) and the Book of Revelation. The anti-Christ is a figure who will appear before the Judgment Day, and will be the antagonist to Jesus Christ, the protagonist. The anti-Christ is not Satan, however. It is generally believed that the anti-Christ is a deceiver--specially, one who is mistaken for a force of good, or Jesus himself. But, beyond this, there tend to be a lot of doctinal differences from denomination-to-denomination, and from tradition-to-tradition. Premillenialism, postmillenialism, etc. all take their difference take on the anti-Christ's role. Some teach that the Pope is the anti-Christ.

Islam also has an anti-Christ figure, I believe, and he also is an evil deceiver (noting, of course, that Islam recognizes the historical existence of Jesus Christ and his role as a prophet, although Islam denies Christ as divine). But Islamic doctrine is WAY out of my league of basic knowledge, so I could DEFINITELY be wrong on this.

To any degree, the Obama reference most likely is meant hyperbolically. I mean, they could mean it literally, I guess, but that would certainly be a weighty charge. I think Obama is a disaster of a President and grossly misguided on domestic issues and naive on foreign policy, but he does take AirForce One to NY to take his wife out to dinner and a show, where they hold hands for the press. I doubt the anti-Christ would be so cute.

[fluffhead]

And anyway, remember back in the 80's, when people were saying that Ronald Wilson Reagan all had 6 letters = 666, and if you rearrange the letters, you get "insane anglo warlord"
So as long as his name isn't Barack Damien Obamma, I guess we're safe.

Sorry to be flip about this, but the antichrist comment is just silliness.

[rainbabies]

i was asking out of genuine curiosity....not trying to bring a silly comment to the table.

thanks to all who answered.

[fluffhead]

Sorry, I didn't mean that comment as a dig to you, just saying that folks who say things like that can't be taken seriously.

[Rapunzel]

We don't believe in one specific anti-Christ as in the person's title is "Anti-Christ" (as in THE Anti-Christ). If anyone is going to qualify for the capitalized title it would probably be satan himself as he has been opposed to Christ's earthly mission from the premortal existence.

Rather, anyone whose active agenda is opposite of the Gospel's and actively pursuing the destruction of Christ's church and teachings would be considered anti-Christ. In the Book of Mormon the most cited example is Korihor. He actively attempts to draw people away from the church of Christ. In the Bible there are examples in prolific numbers.

"Anti-Christ" is a group that one can belong to that has existed throughout history. "Anti-Christ" is a term that can apply to anyone (either mortal or spirit) who attempts to divert others away from Christ's teachings and church. There can be (and, often are) MANY anti-Christs in any given generation.

Since an anti-Christ seeks to destroy Christ's church on the earth and draw away as many as possible from the Gospel it stands to reason that such a historical group would include those who are devious, well-spoken, and outwardly attractive along with those who are none of the above.

Sorry to edit, but more information:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world (1 John 4:3). This great antichrist which is to stand as the antagonist of Christ in the last days, and which is to be overthrown when he comes to cleanse the earth and usher in millennial righteousness, is the church of the devil (Revelation 13; 17), with the man of sin at its head (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). (See Bruce R. McConkie, "Gospel Doctrine:Antichrists.)

It is a concept and a group into which an ever-growing number of mortals fall into.

A modern principle that qualifies as anti-Christ would be communism, for example. It may be that a person who calls a a politician "anti-Christ" is referencing the politician's tendencies towards communism.

Coming from a very conservative fundamental background heavily drenched in the evangelical/Charismatic movement where 75% of life's purpose it do decipher the "times" we currently live in, I've got a bit more than 2 cents of an opinion. That means you find the Anti-Christ who is like Abigail defined him, he's like the pide piper, deceives all in his song of a one world order where all religion and government is mainstreamed to "false" unity. This is why every socialism idea, talk of the UN, the euro - etc, pushes the extreme right, conservative movement over to the deep end. Every generation from the 1950's with this leaning always thinks their generation is "it". Consequently they choose to ignore that St. Paul thought he was in that generation as well. The gospel says to keep your "lamp lit" and always look for the end of times to come. But I've made a huge personal switch from evangelical to more Presbyterian theology that emphasized community and impacting your current generation vs worrying it could end in a mushroom cloud tomorrow. The idea to always to be on the "watch" is so that you live your life for the here and now, but I find that they more or less go overboard, buy to many Left Behind books, vs getting their butt out there, making sacrifices in their actual life to help others out. It drives me insane. My parents talk about the end times all the time, yet to say you can interpret Revelations 100% takes - some serious guts IMO. I actually make it my personal mission to make sure my kids and I NEVER go to a church that emphases such dogma. Do I believe in it, in essence yes, but do I think it's going to be like the Left Behind series or the way it would be if Revelation would be taking completely in concrete literal context - no. C.S. Lewis gives the view in his FABULOUS book (which is fiction and a thousand times better than the Left Behind series) "The Great Divorce" that hell is a place were we become overcome by ourselves, where you loose sight of what is around you, that hell is more of a place where God is not, vs Dante's Inferno. I hate the end times talk. I run away from it.

Now the person who said that could have been stating what Abigail said, that Obama is so far off the track as if he were the Anti-Christ, or it could have meant literally - they think he may indeed be the Anti-Christ. Either way, I like the saying they have about speaking about politics and religion = sometimes best not to go there, so you don't start to hate a good friend

[GrayMatterWife]

Look, this entire conversation is utterly misguided.

Barak Obama is NOT the Anti-Christ.

Hillary Clinton is. Geez, who doesn't know that? Read your Bible, people!

[Ladybug]

Lol.