Thursday, February 5, 2015
From: Gary L. Bauer
Obama Defends Modern Day Islam / Attacks Christian History
President Barack Obama used the occasion of the National Prayer Breakfast to once again defend Islam. (Talk about chutzpah!) He did it using a tactic he has used before, but never so boldly.
Speaking before an event sponsored by an organization which professes “that Jesus transcends all forms of government and belief,” Obama lectured his audience, saying “. . . people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” citing “the Crusades and the Inquisition . . . slavery and Jim Crow.”
Obama’s historical references have absolutely no relevance to today’s fight against radical Islam — except that the Islamists are still fighting the Crusades!
As usual the president used a few truths to create a distorted narrative. For example, it is true that some Christians claimed to find a biblical basis for the institution of slavery.
But what Obama failed to mention was that Christian reformers like William Wilberforce led the charge in explaining why one man owning another man was an affront to the entire message of the Christian gospel — that all are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
The president also failed to mention that some of the most efficient slave traders over the centuries have been Muslims, a slave trade that continues to this very day.
Wherever Christianity spread over the centuries, it tended to bring with it better treatment for women, respect for minorities, religious liberty and what we generally refer to as progress. The reason for this is that the central figure of Christianity, Jesus Christ, said nothing in his ministry that could in any way justify bigotry or the mass murder of those who did not accept him.
Christ rejected spreading the faith by the sword, even rebuking Peter, one of his disciples, who attempted to prevent Christ’s arrest. As the president surely knows given his time in an Islamic school in Indonesia, Muhammad had no such qualms. He was, in fact, a warrior and actually led armies to spread the Islamic faith.
There is plenty of material in the teachings of Muhammad that provides theological support for the kind of terrorism and extremism we are seeing all over the world. One can find ample quotes by historians and renowned leaders to this affect, including Winston Churchill, who wrote about the “dreadful curses of Mohammedanism.”
Of course, who can be surprised that the president would choose a Christian prayer breakfast to launch into a review of the worst aspects of Christian history.
Just a few weeks ago, Ayatollah Khamenei, in the wake of murderous attacks in Paris, released a letter to the youth of Europe and America urging them to ignore the news, study the Koran and convert to Islam.
Sadly, given Obama’s record and past statements, I had no expectation that the president would, at a Christian prayer service, defend the teachings and values of Judeo-Christian civilization. True to form, he lambasted Christian history while defending present day Islam.
By the way, the theme of today’s National Prayer Breakfast was “Remembering the Armenian Genocide of 1915” — the slaughter of more than one million Christians committed by Muslims.
Obama’s Munich Moment?
We told you yesterday about reports that Obama’s nuclear negotiators were giving everything away in talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Unfortunately, it seems those report may well be accurate.
General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, commander of the Basij forces (essentially the ayatollah’s secret police), recently said, “The Americans are begging us for a deal on the negotiation table.” Naghdi went on to say that the U.S. was negotiating from a position of weakness.
My friends, the world is witnessing another Munich moment. While Obama is “begging” for a deal, General Hossein Salami of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was quoted on Iran’s state news agency recently as saying, “Iran prepares itself for war with global powers.”
Putin, Asperger’s And Obama
There are amusing reports that Pentagon specialists concluded in 2008 that Vladimir Putin falls somewhere on autism spectrum and may have Asperger’s syndrome. Some commentators have jokingly suggested that that would explain much of his erratic behavior. Well, not really.
Putin’s actions are very sane. The former KGB colonel gets up every morning understanding that he wants to promote the power and influence of a declining Russia. In contrast, we have a president who seems to get up every morning dedicated to weakening America’s influence and prestige by alienating allies, while obsessively making concessions to our enemies.
I wonder if the Pentagon specialists have any theories that might explain Obama’s delusional behavior.
Chain Of Command
Confirmation hearings were held yesterday for Ashton Carter, Obama’s nominee to be Secretary of Defense. Carter is generally well-respected, having worked at the Pentagon for decades. Senators found most of his answers to be reassuring, except for his understanding of the administration’s strategy to defeat ISIS. Watch it here.
But here’s a reality check: Carter will be the fourth Secretary of Defense in six years. That tells you something. Carter follows Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta and Robert Gates, all of whom have been very critical of this White House.
As you may recall, the current Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, had a difficult confirmation battle. Christians United for Israel and other groups opposed him, as did I. From leaks it appears that Hagel found himself at loggerheads with Obama on many issues, including the release of jihadist prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.
Carter told senators yesterday that he would be “a stickler for the chain of command.” They were encouraged by that. This White House is notoriously suspicious of our military leaders.
But what secretaries of defense under Obama have discovered is that the “chain of command” involves advising the president, who then checks with Valerie Jarrett, who then tells the president what to do. And if the Pentagon brass doesn’t salute, they are marched out the door.
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