# Obama viewed as the Antichrist
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [September 21, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959 "2009-09-21T16:30:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/21 "2009-09-21T18:17:57Z")
> [@griffin1977](#):
>
> I’m pretty sure you could repeat those results for any contentious leader in a Christian country in history, going back of course to the original contentious leader unpopular amongst the Christian community, the Emperor Nero (who the whole antichrist thing is believed to be a coded attack against)
Either him or Domitian. (Both persecuted Christians.)
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### Author:  [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/22 "2009-09-21T18:29:02Z")
I can’t say that the numbers surprise me. Back in the 90’s when I was an evangelical christian I remember hearing quite a few people at my church seriously discussing the possibility that Clinton was the Antichrist. People really started to worry especially after he won reelection because that would allow him to be in power for at least seven years, which if I recall correctly (though it has been a while since I read Revelations so I very well might not) was an element of the Antichrist prophecies, or at least it was the way that they interpreted it.
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### Author:  [@lalenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalenin)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/23 "2009-09-21T18:38:38Z")
Wait, I thought the new pope was the anti-Christ? Or was it Fidel Castro? I gotta check who I had on my anti-Christ office pool, but I’m pretty sure I only had Obama ranked as a minor demon.
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### Author:  [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/24 "2009-09-21T18:39:07Z")
> [@FriarTed](#):
>
> To the OP, I doubt that many people really believe it. After all, the AntiChrist is supposed to get things done!
😃
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/25 "2009-09-21T18:40:23Z")
> [@Alistair\_McCello](#):
>
> (though it has been a while since I read **Revelations** so I very well might not)
[hijack]Was listening to NPR the other day about a rap pioneer who became a preacher. Now normally I don’t care especially about the error, since I have made it myself once in awhile, but the preacher told about how he got religion when he was reading Revelation **s**. So yes, in that instance I did lose some respect for him.
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/26 "2009-09-21T18:43:39Z")
> [@Alistair\_McCello](#):
>
> Back in the 90’s when I was an evangelical christian I remember hearing quite a few people at my church seriously discussing the possibility that Clinton was the Antichrist. People really started to worry especially after he won reelection because that would allow him to be in power for at least seven years, which if I recall correctly (though it has been a while since I read Revelations so I very well might not) was an element of the Antichrist prophecies, or at least it was the way that they interpreted it.
That’s good news! It means all the wack-jobs who believe this nonsense will have to vote for Obama in 2012 to make sure the prophecy is fulfilled.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/27 "2009-09-21T18:49:59Z")
A couple of quick points.
1. It’s “Revelation,” singular, no ‘s.’
2. The Book of Revelation does not mention an “Antichrist,” or even contain the word. That word is found only in the Epistles of John, is used in the plural, and refers to rival or apostate Christians (namely Gnostics) operating contemperaneously with when those Epistles were written.
3. Revelation talks about the “Beast” which was a coded allegory for the Roman Emperor, probably Domitian, though 666 is a numerical anagram for Nero. There was a popular belief at the time that Domitian was Nero disguised or reincarnated (hence the imagery of one of the Beast’s heads being injured but recovering).
The Bible does not actually predict that an “Antichrist” or any other supernatural figure will take over the world. That notion comes from a creative conflation of multiple, unrelated passages in the Bible, all of which have completely different meanings within their individual contexts.
Therefore, the belief in any Antichrist at all is not just nutty, but un-Biblical.
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### Author:  [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/28 "2009-09-21T18:53:00Z")
Obama doesn’t have enough experience to be an effective Antichrist.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/29 "2009-09-21T19:09:58Z")
> [@Alistair\_McCello](#):
>
> I can’t say that the numbers surprise me. Back in the 90’s when I was an evangelical christian I remember hearing quite a few people at my church seriously discussing the possibility that Clinton was the Antichrist.
**That’s** setting the bar pretty low!
Jeez, they’ll let **anybody** be the Antichrist these days!
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/30 "2009-09-21T19:13:28Z")
N.B.: The word “Antichrist” does not mean “opposite of Christ” or “enemy of Christ.” It means, “in the place of Christ,” or “false Christ,” i.e., a pretender. Presumably nobody would qualify who does not, to begin with, actually claim to be the Messiah. (The word does not appear in Revelation; Revelation features the “False Prophet” and the “Beast.” The “Beast” is probably an emperor, and no Roman emperor ever claimed to be the Jews’ Messiah.)
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### Author:  [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/31 "2009-09-21T19:17:08Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#):
>
> The number of people who actually believe that Obama is the anti-christ is probably roughly equivilant to the number of people who “worship” him. Vanishingly small, but big enough to be noticed and used to demonize the opposition.
I totally blew that. Please do me the favor of allowing me to try again:
_The number of people who actually believe that Obama is the anti-christ is probably roughly equivilant to the number of people who actually believe he’s the Messiah. Vanishingly small, but big enough to be noticed and used to demonize the opposition._
I thank you for your patience.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/32 "2009-09-21T19:36:19Z")
There is absolutely nobody (outside of possibly a few schizophrenics) who believes that Obama is the Messiah. The notion that this is a real belief even on the outermost fringes of the left is completely made up by the right.
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### Author:  [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/33 "2009-09-21T19:38:48Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#):
>
> There is absolutely nobody (outside of possibly a few schizophrenics) who believes that Obama is the Messiah.
Sure there are.
> [@](#):
>
> The notion that this is a real belief even on the outermost fringes of the left is completely made up by the right.
No it’s not.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/34 "2009-09-21T19:45:09Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#):
>
> Sure there are.
>
> No it’s not.
How about a cite? Show me a a cite for a single person who thinks that Obama is the Messiah.
You won’t be able to. This is a non-existent belief completely fabricated by the right.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/35 "2009-09-21T19:49:44Z")
[Relevant Snopes article.](http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp)
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/36 "2009-09-21T19:52:46Z")
**Dio** , in an asylum with more than 300 million inmates, there simply has to be at least one inmate who believes Obama is the Messiah. There has to be one who believes his dog is the Messiah. Obama’s dog, of course, not the inmate’s dog. That would be crazy.
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### Author:  [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/37 "2009-09-21T20:06:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#):
>
> How about a cite? Show me a a cite for a single person who thinks that Obama is the Messiah. You won’t be able to. This is a non-existent belief completely fabricated by the right.
Diogenes, you are always so uptight. Relax, dude.
Sure, OK, I sincerely doubt that there’s anyone on the left who believes that Obama is the literal Messiah. Here’s a secret for you, though: there isn’t anyone on the Right who thinks that there IS that belief. When they say, “the left thinks that Obama is the Messiah,” what they actually mean is “the left thinks this guy is the smartest, handsomest, most upstanding guy who ever lived, and they think he’s going to get them everything they ever wanted.” And you know full well that that’s pretty much the truth AND that the left continues to play right into it:
[http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2009/09/20/22/obamadress.standalone.prod\_affiliate.81.jpg](http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2009/09/20/22/obamadress.standalone.prod_affiliate.81.jpg)
As far as the antichrist people go…if you think that’s some kind of significant portion of the population…I mean, who LITERALLY believe that Obama is the anti-christ (as opposed to using figurative language, as I suspect people were doing in that poll), well, I’m going to have to see a cite for that, as well.
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### Author:  [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/38 "2009-09-21T20:32:55Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#):
>
> As far as the antichrist people go…if you think that’s some kind of significant portion of the population…I mean, who LITERALLY believe that Obama is the anti-christ (as opposed to using figurative language, as I suspect people were doing in that poll), well, I’m going to have to see a cite for that, as well.
I think thats where your wrong. Based on my experience the zealous Obama supporter do indeed believe he the “messiah” with a very small ‘m’, as in a great politician hows going to put right all the political problems the country has, they don’t think he’s the literal son of god.
On the other end of the spectrum the zealous religious Obama opponents do genuinely think he is the literal antichrist according to their interpretation of biblical scripture\*. They don’t just think he’s a terrible evil politician that’s going to turn America into a socialist dictatorship, they think (or suspect) that he is the literal son of the Devil that is going usher in the Tribulation and the end of the world.
-
- I’d agree with DtC on this that the intrepration of the “end times” prophecy that is currently popular is a imaginative interpretation of a series of extremely obscure and abstract fragments of scripture spread all over the bible. These fragments have somehow been colated into an interpretation that seems to have every hour of the coming apocalyse mapped out down to the last minute (though the schedule seems to keep slipping for some reason 🙂 )
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### Author:  [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/39 "2009-09-21T20:48:57Z")
> [@lalenin](#):
>
> Wait, I thought the new pope was the anti-Christ?
What, you mean Darth Benedict? Not that I’m aware of.
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### Author:  [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-viewed-as-the-antichrist/510959/40 "2009-09-21T20:59:23Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> It also helps to remember the basic 'crazification factor" in America today. You can find 15% of any group…
I thought the original number was closer to 25%, give or take.
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