JESUS WAS DARK, LIBERAL: SO WHY FEAR MR. OBAMA?
Jesus was born Yeshua Ben Yoseph in the town of Bethlehem. Yeshua means salvation or “Lord who is salvation” in Hebrew, while the remainder of his name refers to his lineage from his earthly father. He was born into a poor Hebrew family from Nazareth, but one that was provided for very well by God through the Wise Men.
Nazareth was near the Gentile cities of Tiberias and Sepphoris on the Sea of Gaililee that lies in southern Israel along the ancient “Via Maris,” which linked Egypt to Mesopotamia. As has been shown by archaeology and linguistic evidence, this region was essentially an eastern extension of Africa due to the interaction of these peoples.
Second, Jesus’ genealogy is stated clearly in the Bible and demonstrates that he was a man of color. First, Matthew 1:2-17 sets out Jesus’ lineage to King David and beyond, which interestingly contains many flawed human beings (sinners like me), but also contains at least four Afro-Asiatic women: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth and Bathsheba. There was also a substantial general Afro-Asiatic influence in Jesus’ DNA as the Hebrew in Jesus genealogy were a subjugated people that spent a hundreds of years in Africa.
Putting aside the sexual exploitation of slaves that we know from the American and Mexican experience, Moses, for example, had a Cushite or Ethiopian wife and Phineas, which in Egyptian means “the Nubian,” was the son of Aaron and the father of a priestly Hebrew line.
Third, Jesus spent his early years in Egypt, where he and his family apparently blended in quite well. Matthew reports the flight of Jesus’ family to Egypt to escape Herod’s infanticide designed to kill Jesus. Thus, Jesus spent his formative years in Africa and was exposed to Egyptian mysticism.
This is confirmed by non-biblical resources, as early Jewish critics of Christianity argued that Jesus learned his magic in Egypt. Matthew also documents that God called his son out of Egypt.
For all these reasons, it is clear that Jesus was a man of color. He was of mixed blood known as Afroasiatic. Like his parents, he was much like the darker Palestinian, Egyptian or Yemenite of today: More chocolate brown than Caucasian in appearance.
What is in a name? Today in America, our names have little meaning other than to identify us. This was and is not so in Middle Eastern cultures.
The name Hussein, which is being used to demagogue Mr. Obama because it was also the shortened name of Saddam Hussein, does not actually have any evil connotation. In Arabic, it means “to be good” or “to be handsome or beautiful.”
So as with most demagoguery, we find that there is no basis in fact for it, nor is there any thing for us Caucasian Americans to fear from the use of this name.
Jesus was crucified because he was a liberal – indeed a radical against the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem. Immediately after his triumphal entry, with the crowd shouting Hosanna (God save us), Jesus proceeded to the temple where he made a whip of cords and drove out the money changers and those selling sacrifices, along with their animals. “You have turned my father’s house into a den of thieves,” Jesus implored.
This was done in full sight of the Roman Garrisons, which were situated on each end of the Temple Square and the Hebrew religious leaders that no doubt had an interest in the commerce.
Jesus, as he had many times before, then called these religious leaders hypocrites to their face because they misused their wealth, power and position to glorify and satisfy themselves rather than to take care of the poor, the widowed and orphaned. Jesus was consistent in his ministry as he often warned of the danger of wealth and possessions and that we are only stewards of God’s blessings. These are liberal principals, but it does not end there.
Jesus was against the death penalty. He taught that thou shall not kill and that if one is sinless, let him cast the first stone. Jesus changed a murderer named Saul into the most prolific apostle of them all. Peter was the rock upon which God’s church was built, but Paul spread the Gospel further and planted more churches than he. This belief in the goodness and potential of all men is a liberal principal.
Jesus is a peace maker and believed in and taught peace. He said, “Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of God.” He taught that we should love and pray for our enemies and that if anyone should harm us, that we should turn the other cheek.
You see, Jesus knew that love was the most powerful force in the world and that it will conquer in the end. We have seen this proven in our times. Just think about three of the most influential leaders of the last century: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King and compare their effectiveness to the Arab terrorist.
These were men of color on three separate continents in entirely different cultures who used love and nonviolence in the face of powerful entrenched government leaders and evil and hate to effect remarkable change. They were acting out liberal biblical principals in faith.
I could go on and on from Jesus’ rejection of strict enforcement of religious law to separation of church and state, but I think the point is made. Jesus is a liberal; thank God for his grace.
So, Florida, please see that you need not fear Mr. Barack Obama because of his color or his liberalism and progressive thinking. He is less liberal than Jesus. Mr. Obama has already told us that he does not want our guns and will enforce the death penalty.
Virginia is the birthplace of freedom through the leadership of our sons, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. They were liberals, indeed radicals declared by King George as criminals worthy of hanging.
Patrick Henry cried, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Thomas Jefferson wrote our Declaration of Independence, the most liberal document of declared rights of its time.
Florida you were sparsely populated and neutral during the Revolutionary War. Your brave sons however, stepped up to fight for freedom in the War of 1812 and have ever since.
Join us Virginians to make history once again. We must realize Martin Luther King’s dream. We must show the world that the truth and peace still matter to the citizens of these United States and that we have progressed past petty prejudices.
Do not listen to the demagoguery of this vision-filled man. I think it not a coincidence that Mr. Barack Obama, a Christian and a man of mixed black and white blood, has risen up to us as he has with such a strong belief that we can come together.
We must do this. We must realize the dream. We will be better for it. B.L. Conway is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kentucky and a 1986 graduate of its law school. He lives and practices law in Abingdon, Va., and serves in the information ministry of Highlands Fellowship
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