The Party which walked in darkness….

It is nice when wives are willing to demonstrate a measure of admiration of their husbands.  This, however, is over the top.

It seems that Michelle Obama, during a campaign event in Nashville (NB: “campaign event” may be redundant. Has there been any other kind of event for this administration?) said of her husband, Pres. Obama

“I am going to be working so hard. We have an amazing story to tell. This president has brought us out of the dark and into the light.”

Do I hear an “Amen!”?

No.  I thought not.

Mrs. Obama is clearly a smart woman. She probably spent a lot of time with her husband in the church of Jeremiah Wright, soaking up the strange Marxist cocktail called Black Liberation Theology, understands social and even theological questions in terms of structural relationships between two groups: victims and victimizers.

Sound familiar?

Anyone who has spent any time in any Christian church, even one on the fringe of reason and history, ought to know what Person this “out of the dark and into the light.” image invokes.

So, sing along! Everybody!

Obama heybama bama bama O
Bama hey bama Obama
Hey Barry Barry you’re alright by me
Bama Obama hey Superstar

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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46 Comments

  1. Clinton R. says:

    The amen you might have heard sadly came from Sister Keehan and the folks at Notre Dame.

  2. digdigby says:

    This is a woman who had a $300,000+ job for which her main ‘qualification’ was ‘access’ to her husband. Her job was so vital that when she left, do you know what they paid her replacement?
    Nothing. There was no replacement needed.

  3. Supertradmum says:

    It no longer surprises me when those who are not really religious use religious language in politics. The era of this so-called charismatic leader is over. When a wife has to defend a husband, there is a real problem….

  4. markomalley says:

    Apparently it’s time to refer to the Obama Messiah website: http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/

    Sigh.

  5. Random Friar says:

    Gah!

  6. LisaP. says:

    You know, I’ve always believed the messianic marketing was just a political strategy grafting religious sentimentality and language that resonates because it’s embedded in our culture onto President Obama’s campaign.

    But this, after all the ridicule the right puts out regarding Obama’s savior complex?

    I’m starting to wonder if some folks around him actually *do* believe in his divinity, or that there are actual population segments that believe it and his campaign strategists are playing into it intentionally. This is starting to feel less like just a gaggy ad campaign and more like David Koresh.

  7. ContraMundum says:

    To be fair, George W. Bush’s State of the Union speech from 2003 contained a line that was just as bad: “Yet there is power — wonder-working power — in the goodness, and idealism, and faith of the American people.” This is a distortion of a well-known Protestant hymn in which the “wonder-working power” lay in the Blood of the Lamb. His speech on the first anniversary of 9/11 is even more explicit, and thus more sacrilegious, than Michelle Obama’s: “The ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. That hope still lights the way, and the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness shall not overcome it.” (See John 1:4,5 for comparison.)

    That is not to say that it is OK for Democrats to hail Obama as some sort of secular messiah; it is just to point out that Republicans are just as sacrilegious. [Nice try. Quoting a protestant hymn and invoking the Messianic prophecy in Scripture pointing to the Savior are different.]

  8. Sandy says:

    The other “amen” you heard came from “Father” Pfleger, the renegade priest. There’s an article on the ‘net today about “Father” being so involved with Louis Farrakhan and we know he spoke in the past at Jeremiah Wright’s church. “They will call evil good and good evil.” Boy, does our country need serious conversion!

  9. Supertradmum says:

    Communists and socialists always go for charismatic leaders….although Gramsci warned against this. It is very American to have a cult of personality, and very dangerous….

  10. EXCHIEF says:

    Anyone besides me come very close to being physically ill if forced to watch either Mr or Mrs Obama? I refuse to watch or listen to them if I have a choice, which, thank God, I usually do.

  11. AnAmericanMother says:

    ContraMundum,
    Here’s the big difference: Americanism, annoying as it may be when its proponents employ religious language, and as antithetical as it may be to Catholicism (vide Leo XIII’s condemnation), is not a personal cult. Nothing Pres. Bush said about America or America’s political system was out of the ordinary, nor did he make it personal. Politicians praise the American Dream in grandiloquent terms as a matter of course and have for decades – this sort of quasi-religious metaphor goes back to 4th of July speeches before the Civil War (and further back for all I know).
    On the other hand, this whole Obamessiah thing is completely a personal cult with overtones of rock star mania (people fainting in the audience! oceans receding! planets healing!), and it’s very, very creepy. These fringey churches seem to be merely a reflection of a charismatic and powerful leader – Farrakhan, Wright, or for that matter Fr. Pfleger . . . . All those photos of the president jutting his chin in the air in a childish imitation of Mussolini . . . the Greek columns . . . the “Office of the President-Elect” . . . . but what worries me is the followers who seem to actually worship the man.

  12. Laura says:

    EXCHIEF, I completely agree. I turn off the radio or tv if I hear his voice. I am repulsed by them both.

  13. ContraMundum says:

    So, it is better to worship the goddess Germania, as long as it isn’t a cult of personality around the frustrated artist and former corporal? It’s OK to burn incense to the City of Rome, but not to the emperor? I’m not buying it. If the one is idolatry, so is the other.

  14. St. Epaphras says:

    EXCHIEF: Yes! My husband used very nearly the same words as you when Obama was running for office the first time. (I won’t repeat what he says about him now.) At first I thought he (the husband) was just being mule-headed, but now I totally get it. If I had to watch Obama, I’d have a very strong urge to throw rotten veggies at his image, à la Jeeves and Wooster/Wodehouse. Mrs. O. also makes me feel queasy.

    No sir, you are not alone.

  15. Cantate says:

    EXCHIEF, my sentiments exactly. I cannot bear the sight of either of them, nor their voices –or vices. I had the same reaction to the Clintons, thus I developed a very strong reflex for the “off” switch on any media device. Which is probably why my TV-watching in the past twenty years has been negligible. I don’t even HAVE TV now.

    Darkness into light, indeed! Evil is called good; good is called evil. That was quite a halo ’round Himself’s head, Father Z!

  16. markomalley says:

    @EXCHIEF:

    Anyone besides me come very close to being physically ill if forced to watch either Mr or Mrs Obama? I refuse to watch or listen to them if I have a choice, which, thank God, I usually do.

    I haven’t watched the TV news for over 2 years because of concerns my TV might not survive anything else being thrown at it for the same, exact reason.

  17. plemmen says:

    Anyone who has visited my blog and read my multi-part Confessions (or any of my articles on Cultural Marxism) knows I am not a fan of Mr. Obama. A very good friend and fellow Catholic sent me a request yesterday to read an article at Doug Ross’ site and write an article about my evaluation of the article and the subject of the article (the erstwhile Mr. Obama) from the unique perspective of someone with my background. The result may be viewed here: http://anexconsview.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/takes-one-to-know-one/.

  18. pm125 says:

    EXCHIEF: Yes – also quick scrolling.
    There was a prayer here yesterday imploring the Holy Spirit to bend, warm, and correct; but it was to do with servants of God. These are not.

  19. capchoirgirl says:

    OH my gosh. That might be the best Jesus Christ Superstar riff EVER.
    LOVE!

  20. digdigby says:

    Contramundum-
    Those Bush quotes are central to understanding the disastrous arrogance of the ‘democracy project’. My all time ‘cringe’, however, is Lyndon Johnson’s favorite which he used all the time, “Come now, let us reason together…” The complete quote from Isaiah is “Come now, let us reason together saith the Lord.”

    [We do, however, all use phrases from Scripture all the time. And if you don’t like my response I’ll wash my hands of this and say ‘Quod scripsi scripsi”. But if we don’t agree then we are like a house divided. Be not afraid, however, for I don’t consider you a thorn in my flesh. Disputes like this as as old as the hills, though I am at my wit’s end to know how to resolve them. So, until we give up the ghost, let us move from strength to strength and fight the good fight. And even though you are like a fly in the ointment, I know you will try to stay on the straight and narrow. In the meantime, the writing is on the wall for this comment. I forgive you for you know not what you do.]

  21. TZ says:

    You’re certainly not alone, Exchief. Long before we knew what he was, my husband and I found it difficult to watch Obama on television and even to listen to the sound of his voice. We don’t seem to have this problem with Biden or even Pelosi. (Could someone please tell me what this means?)

  22. ContraMundum says:

    @TZ

    If it’s not a problem you have with Biden or Pelosi, it’s probably his manner of speaking. He’s not really a smooth speaker. He strikes me as too staccato and monotone. Also, because of the history of racism in this country, he thinks (probably correctly) that he has to adopt a “professorial” persona to be respected — he could not adopt a “good ole boy” persona like Bill Clinton did. Clinton pulled off the good ole boy act better than Obama pulls off the professor act; besides, the professorial persona runs a much higher risk of rubbing people the wrong way.

  23. Kathleen10 says:

    LOVE the Obama ode! Hey Bamabama….lol…..

    I have always had the oddest reaction to Obama and his wife (the Queen), and now I am fairly surprised to see others have the same response to them. The only word I can use is to say I find them actually repugnant. I have never heard the man put more than 50 or so words together, max, once I knew what he was about, which was almost immediately after he came on the scene. I then either change the channel or jump out the window, whichever I must. It strikes me that it is more of a spiritual discernment, than simply the feeling that a politician that doesn’t appeal to me gives. I find them nauseating, down to the last molecule. I am apparently not alone in this.
    The only good thing about them so far is their daughters (princesses). But they will no doubt fall in line with their parents sooner or later.

  24. Kathleen10 says:

    Oh and nice response on Contramundum’s comment, Fr. Z.
    I want to throw a good hissy when anyone tries to say Republicans and Democrats are “the same” in some category or another. There is usually a qualitative difference, but definitely a quantitative difference in their gaffes, perspective, behavior, and verbal comments. One mispeaks, errs, but the other makes error a lifestyle and rejoices in it.

  25. Obama has made me sick since I first heard him speak….Mrs. 0 (used on purposed) makes me sick as well. God have mercy and remove these 2 from DC.

  26. lh says:

    I don’t like to look at either one of the o’s. I used to yell at the television when they popped up in the news. Now I pray a Hail Mary instead. I hope he gets his pink slip come November.

  27. Xmenno says:

    Great “superstar” reference. My husband and I have been singing the first two lines for years now, but never made up more lines for the rest of the verse. Thanks!

  28. AnnAsher says:

    “Strike that ! Reverse it. ” – Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka

  29. AnnAsher says:

    Ex chief and Kathleen 10.
    Same here. I believe it is a spiritual recognition which leads to the nausea and firm desire to avert our attention. There are varying degrees of ability to listen to socialists in order to be informed but there is no time to reason with evil.

  30. FaithfulCatechist says:

    The use of Biblical metaphors is one thing; at least the words of Scripture still form part of our collective consciousness. Still, I’ve always suspected the President has a Messiah complex.

    I’m still amused that African-Americans could consider him one of their own. He is not.

    On a related note, my son asked me if there are smart conservatives out there, how come none of them are running for president.

    “Because they’re smart,” I told him.

  31. Mrs. O says:

    I hate that Jesus Christ Superstar song. In this case, it is appropriate.

    I suppose if you could convince everyone that there is no such thing as natural reason, then Mrs. Obama may be on it something.

    And people preferred the darkness to the light…

  32. Imrahil says:

    So, it is better to worship the goddess Germania, as long as it isn’t a cult of personality around the frustrated artist and former private first class?

    Both are (at times) idolatry, but yes, from all appearance it must be said it is better. (Simple fornication is better than adultery, as the Church always has taught.)

    The difference is that the first was (round-about perhaps) the attitude of William II. On the contrary, the second was the attitude of the said p-f-c and his régime. I do can see differences.

  33. DisturbedMary says:

    Lucifer loves to mock. “40 Days for Life” becomes “40 Days for Abortion”. “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” All that stuff about raising oceans….. Meanwhile the UCCB still seems unable to warn Catholics that Obama and his Democrat legions are the problem. What will it take?

  34. ContraMundum says:

    Nice try. Quoting a protestant hymn and invoking the Messianic prophecy in Scripture pointing to the Savior are different.

    Maybe. It looks like half your reason for dismissing the sacrilege is that it was a Protestant hymn, but the fact is that it is completely orthodox. Also, you ignore the 2nd citation altogether, which is much more explicitly Messianic than anything Michelle Obama said. The Gospel of John cannot be dismissed as merely Protestant.

    If sacrilegious language is shocking and unacceptable when used by someone you don’t like, it’s also shocking and unacceptable when used by someone you do like. Otherwise the real objection is not the language at all; it is the fact that you do not like the Obamas.

  35. Cantate says:

    DisturbedMary, “What will it take?” It will take a long time. The USCCB, under that and previous names, has had an unholy alliance with the Democrat Party for many years–at least eighty. Perhaps this “mandate” thing is the last wake-up call. Let us hope that the Holy Spirit enlightens our bishops and that they in turn, instruct the faithful.

  36. Scarltherr says:

    The Obamas frighten me. I joke sometimes that the whole birth certificate issue is really the result of the original saying in the father’s slot, Jackal. Now Michelle revealed her prom photos in ‘Ellen”, which I do not watch. Why? To show some history? For a man who has redecorated the White House with pictures of himself, where are the proud daddy photos at the birth of his girls? I know I’m sounding like a birther, but I am trying to explain the deep revulsion many here feel at his image and his words. He is different. He is the darkness. Oh, and the hiding of Catholic images at various speeches is a part of the whole dark feeling he invokes.

  37. ContraMundum says:

    @Cantate

    Meanwhile, the USCCB has come out against a Republican budget that wasn’t going anywhere anyhow. This is already being used create the impression that the Republican budget and Obama’s contraceptive mandate are morally comparable, something the bishops should not have been expected to foresee unless they have lived in the United States for at least 4 years. Come on, guys: focus! Some evils are more serious, more indisputable, and more urgent than others!

  38. If that picture of Barry is a form of an ikon, then I am rather limitedly an iconoclast!

  39. “If sacrilegious language is shocking and unacceptable when used by someone you don’t like, it’s also shocking and unacceptable when used by someone you do like.”

    Not necessarily. The same statement may be reverential and mean one thing when spoken by a believer, but may be sacrilegious and mean a different thing when spoken by a non-believer.

  40. ContraMundum says:

    @Henry Edwards

    True. This is one reason I am not as much in favor of teacher-led prayers in public schools: a mocking tone of voice can make that a very bad thing for children. It’s not really relevant to this situation, though. If

    The ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. That hope still lights the way, and the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness shall not overcome it.

    is reverential to anyone, it’s not to God, but to the American viewing audience. That’s about a reverent as substituting Uncle Sam for Jesus in the Divine Mercy image. It really cannot be defended.

  41. irishgirl says:

    EXCHIEF, I’m with you totally. I haven’t had TV since everything went ‘digital’ a couple of years ago; but when I hear Obama’s voice on the radio (either on my portable radio or in the car), I turn the volume down. I can’t stand listening to him, or his wife, either, for that matter. They’re both arrogant….feel sorry for their two girls, though….
    And even if I DID have TV, I’d either use the mute button to shut his yap, or throw something at the screen…something ‘soft’, so I wouldn’t break it!
    lh: ‘I hope he gets his pink slip come November’. Hear, hear! My thoughts exactly!

  42. JuliB says:

    “This president has brought us out of the dark and into the light.”

    Oh father, when I read that a day or two ago, I nearly died. I had the worst feeling. Are they mocking us? Or do they really believe it?

    Either way, it is beyond offensive.

  43. SKAY says:

    “Meanwhile, the USCCB has come out against a Republican budget that wasn’t going anywhere anyhow.”
    ContraM-
    Do you know if the USCCB commented on the ridiculous budget that Obama presented that would have raised the debt even higher? Even the Democrats -especially those up for re-election-voted against it. There has to be an understanding that this country is in debt
    for 15 trillion and counting.

  44. TZ says:

    “…I am trying to explain the deep revulsion many here feel at his image and his words. He is different.”

    Scarltherr’s expression comes closest to what I’m experiencing, ContraMundum. There appears to be something wrong with the very sound of his voice. (Whereas Biden’s and Pelosi’s manner of speaking is merely irritating.) His appearance adds to the confusion. Now it looks like others have noticed it, too.

  45. inara says:

    The Obamabot has always triggered my flight response…glad to know I’m not the only one. His wife just gives me the heebie jeebies, she’s got that Queen of the Damned evil smile thing down too well. If I look at her too long I get nightmares. I’m surprised Quentin Tarantino hasn’t made a movie about them yet.

  46. Cantate says:

    ContrMundum: At my earlier posting, I was unaware that the USCCB had come out against the Republican proposed budget. I am no fan of the USCCB in general because of their long-time emphasis on social justice matters over more important concerns, such as catechesis on the “practices” related to entire sad moral climate in this country, Catholics included. We hear about abortion mostly in January, just before the March for Life. The bishops should require regular preaching on other such evils of cohabiting before marriage, contraception, adultery, homosexual acts, unnecessary farming out one’s children to daycare, sacrilegious Communions, sex education in schools, etc. I would add feminism , but men preaching about that will get them cut off at the ankles; women can’t speak from the pulpit but must speak out–loud and often. The Church in the USA suffers from lack of leadership at the top. Miracles could occur, but we see the USCCB adhering to the rut of social justice. We need to pray more.

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