i've had it...

i recently recieved an email forward that daringly compares President Obama to Hitler. i am so fed up with ignorant, factless, e-mail forwards that i replied. below you will see my response & if you care enough to read the original it will be at the bottom:

Dear ____,
While I appreciate your check up emails & getting prayer requests via e-mail, I have never really been a fan of forwards. I find that they tend to be poorly researched, severely biased, and are often offensive materials that cannot be backed up if/when questioned. I usually politely delete such e-mail with little to no thought, just a little frustration at the amount of junk mail I acquire that way. Please don’t get me wrong, I more than welcome class updates, prayer requests, etc, but if we could limit the amount of forwards I would appreciate it. However, the most recent forward you sent to my inbox was highly offensive, and I feel the need to both speak against it and politely ask that I be taken off the forward list.

The opening alone, “IS THE TRUTH OF WORLD HISTORY,” is very true; fluctuation of economic highs and lows are very much world history. Even Roosevelt was forced to deal with this when he was elected in ‘32 and re-elected in ’36. As a people, we have failed to learn financial lessons. How does pointing that out make a president so hated that people would compare him to a hateful, racist, bigot as Hitler?

Our current Financial Crisis is the result of poor investments, business practices, and an overall neglect of living with in our means. While Obama has found fault with many of our bankers, Hitler was blaming Zionists around the world. Obama, along with many others, agrees that not only is it OUR bankers, but ignorance as a people as well. This is true; we are a nation that has lost focus on the fact that our money has a limit. We’ve overstretched our budgets, & now we’re suffering for it. Hitler’s plan of attack was to cleanse the world. I’ve yet to hear even the slightest of such thoughts from Obama. As Christians, I feel it is imperative that we be sure of our words before they are spoken - even more so when it comes to a leader of our country. There are countless examples throughout the Bible of discourse between countrymen & kings/rulers. Through each of these situations, God’s people did not speak out with false attacks on the leader’s character. Instead they lived out Christ’s love and will, resulting in God’s glory. So how do we, as Christians, claim the love of Christ while attacking a man entrusted to run our country? When Daniel disagreed with his King’s stifling of his religious rights, he continued to respect his friend, the king as that - his king. He followed his rules as best he could without turning his back on God. Daniel continued to pray to God, and even when that got him in trouble with the law, not the first vile word towards the king was spoken. Look how God worked that one out.

This e-mail claims, “Hitler was elected to power by only 1/3 the popular vote” now, to be honest I don’t know what the numbers where when Hitler was elected to power, but I do know that Obama was elected by much more than 1/3 of the popular vote. And while change may be a parallel claim, they were on VERY different terms. Hitler’s sole purpose was an “ethnic cleansing.” I have yet to hear any verbiage from Obama that comes close to expressing the intent of wiping out an entire ethnic group.

As far as being a supreme leader, this is the United States of America, there are checks and balances in effect. There is absolutely no way Obama (or any other president) is allowed to expel anyone from the senate or the house on impulse. There are steps and legalities in place to prevent this. What indication is given that Obama has even attempted this course of action whether in theory or actuality?

The paragraph that reads, “I trembled last night when I heard the voices of American children raised in song, praising the name of Obama, the charismatic fellow who claims he is the American Messiah,” is yet another untruth. When did Obama proclaim himself Messiah? There are those that may believe such, but this is not from Obama’s own doing. There are many that look up to Obama, but there were many that looked up to Bush as well; does this mean any time we have a leader we look up to we should be afraid they will turn into Hitler?

Interestingly enough, the author of this email states, “Yet with my last breaths I warn every Christian and Jew now in the name of the Lord, unless your course of the church in America is spiritually changed now, returning to the Lord, there are new horrors yet to come.” This, this is a biblical truth. It has nothing to do with who is or is not president. For God chose multiple times in the Bible to let His people be overtaken, to suffer, just to bring them back to Him. By no means does this prove that Obama is following in Hitler’s footsteps.

As far as abortion, that is a whole separate set of issues to discuss in the rights and wrongs of such action. But abortion is not comparable to a genocide. Hitler’s killings were well planned killings to wipe out an entire ethnicity.

It is true that churches are not allowed to preach political agendas from the pulpit IF they want to keep their tax exempt status. Contrary to the author’s words, “American law forbids this freedom of speech to conservative pastors or they will lose their ‘tax exempt’ status” this law is not focused singularly on Christians or even conservative pastors. In all honesty, if the church decided preaching a political agenda was more important than the money saved by being tax exempt, they could preach whatever they pleased from the pulpit, as could any other tax exempt organization for that matter.

I was particularly bothered by the snippet of a quote the author uses when “quoting” Obama here:
”I have heard the words of Obama damning and mocking all of you in small towns because you ‘Cling to your religion.’” I would suggest that we take a look at this quote in its entirety. I think we well know the danger of taking words out of context. Obama spoke to more than just a religious stereotype. He spoke to unity - not a racial or religious cleansing. Not to mention the fact that no one should cling to “religion” per se, but instead we cling to Christ himself. Religion is nothing without Christ.

The Original:
PLEASE READ THIS LETTER. BE PREPARED. THIS IS THE TRUTH OF WORLD HISTORY. IT
IS NOT FICTION. IT IS REAL. AND IT IS KNOCKING AT AMERICA'S DOOR. MAY GOD
BLESS THE PERSON WHO WROTE THESE TRUTHS AND MAY GOD FORGIVE US ALL.


Subject:From an elderly German lady ... A German Lady Remembers and Speaks

Dear Believer,

Your nation, your country, your culture and future are all in turmoil no
matter where you are right now reading this. We cannot as Christians take a
passive fatalistic approach to all that is occurring. We need to cry out, warn,
pray until our throats ache, and get the focus off of our small little selves.

Please read the message from a wise elder saint who has chosen to be a
voice... ...regardless of the what it has cost her.

In His Shadow, Mary Lindow ... A German Lady Remembers and Speaks

Lori Kalner

In Germany, when Hitler came to power, it was a time of terrible financial
depression. Money was worth nothing. In Germany people lost homes and jobs,
just like in the American Depression in the 1930s, which we have read about in
Thoene's Shiloh books. In those days, in my homeland, Adolph Hitler was
elected to power by promising "Change."

He blamed the "Zionists" around the world for all our problems. He told
everyone it was greedy Zionist Bankers who had caused every problem we had. He
promised when he was leader, the greedy Zionist bankers would be punished. The
Zionists, he promised, would be wiped off the face of the earth. So Hitler
was elected to power by only 1/3 the popular vote.

A coalition of other political parties in parliament made him supreme
leader. Then, when he was leader, he disgraced and expelled everyone in parliament
who did not go along with him.

Yes. Change came to my homeland as the new leader promised it would. The
teachers in German schools began to teach the children to sing songs in praise
of Hitler.

This was the beginning of the Hitler Youth movement. It began with praise of
the Fuhrer's programs on the lips of innocent children.
Hymns in praise of Hitler and his programs were being sung in the
schoolrooms and in the playyard.

Little girls and boys joined hands and sang these songs as they walked home
from school.

My brother came home and told Papa what was happening at school. The
political hymns of children proclaimed Change was coming to our homeland and the
Fuhrer was a leader we could trust.

I will never forget my father's face. Grief and fear. He knew that the best
propaganda of the Nazis was song on the lips of little children.

That evening before he said grace at the dinner table, he placed his hands
upon the heads of my brothers and me and prayed the Living Word upon us from
Jeremiah 1:4-5.

'Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to The nations."

Soon the children's songs praising the Fuhrer were heard everywhere on the
streets and over the radio. "With our Fuhrer to lead us, we can do it! We can
change the world!"

Soon after that Papa, a pastor, was turned away from visiting elderly
parishioners in hospitals. The people he had come to bring comfort of God's Word,
were "no longer there." Where had they vanished to while under nationalized
health care? It became an open secret.

The elderly and sick began to disappear from hospitals feet first as "mercy
killing" became the policy.

Children with disabilities and those who had Down syndrome were euthanized.

People whispered, "Maybe it is better for them now. Put them out of misery.
They are no longer suffering.And, of course, their death is better for the
treasury of our nation. Our taxes no longer must be spent to care for such a
burden." And so murder was called mercy.

The government took over private business. Industry and health care were
"nationalized." (NA-ZI means National Socialist Party) The businesses of all
Jews were seized. (Perhaps you remember our story in Berlin on Krystalnacht in
the book Munich Signature)

The world and God's word were turned upside down. Hitler promised the people
economic Change? Not change. It was, rather, Lucifer's very ancient Delusion
leading to Destruction.

What began with the propaganda of children singing a catchy tune ended in
the deaths of millions of children. The reality of what came upon us is so
horrible that you in this present generation cannot imagine it. Our suffering is
too great to ever tell in a book or show in a black and white newsreel.

When I spoke to Bodie about some of these things, she wept and said she
could not bear to write them.

Perhaps one day she will, but I asked her, "who could bear to read our
suffering?" Yet with my last breaths I warn every Christian and Jew now in the
name of the Lord, Unless your course of the church in America is spiritually
changed now, returning to the Lord, there are new horrors yet to come.

I trembled last night when I heard the voices of American children raised in
song, praising the name of Obama, the charismatic fellow who claims he is
the American Messiah. Yet I have heard what this man Obama says about abortion
and the "mercy killing" of tiny babies who are not wanted.

There are so few of us left to warn you.

I have heard that there are 69 million Catholics in America and 70 million
Evangelical Christians.

Where are your voices? Where is your outrage? Where is passion and your vot
e? Do you vote based on an abortionist's empty promises and economics? Or do
you vote according to the Bible?

Thus says the Lord about every living child still in the womb.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you."

I have experienced the signs of the politics of Death in my youth. I see
them again now. Christians! Unless you stand up now, you will lose your freedom
of religion.

In America priests and preachers have already lost their freedom to speak
openly from their pulpits of moral danger in political candidates.

They cannot legally instruct you of which candidate holds fast to the
precepts of scripture! American law forbids this freedom of speech to conservative
pastors or they will lose their "tax exempt" status. And yet I have heard the
words of Obama's pastor Damning America!
I have heard the words of Obama damning and mocking all of you in small
towns because you "Cling to your religion."

But I am a woman whose name is unknown. My life is recorded as a work of
fiction. I have no fear of reprisal when I speak truth to you from the pages of
a book. I am an old woman and will soon go to be with my Lord. I have no fear
for myself, but for all of you and for your children, I tremble. I tremble
at the hymns to a political leaders which your children will sing at school.
(Though even now a hymn or a prayer to God and our Lord Jesus is against the
law in public school!) I pray you will personally heed this warning for the
sake of your children and your grandchildren. Do not be deceived.

The Lord in Jeremiah 1:7-8 commands every believer to speak up!

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' for to all whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them for I
am with you, declares the Lord!"

I am in Prayer for you, and for the Church! Spoken to you in the authority
of Jesus the Christ, the Name Above All Names,
Lori Kalner