Newsweek Literally Asks: "Is Obama the Antichrist?"

Here are highlights from the article:

Is Obama the Antichrist?
The winning lottery number in Illinois was 666, which, as everyone knows, is the sign of the Beast.

Lisa Miller
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Nov 24, 2008

... According to a 2006 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, a third of white evangelicals believe the world will end in their lifetimes. These mostly conservative Christians believe a great battle is imminent. After years of tribulation—natural disasters, other cataclysms (such as the collapse of financial markets)—God's armies will vanquish armies led by the Antichrist himself. He will be a sweet-talking world leader who gathers governments and economies under his command to further his own evil agenda.

No wonder, then, that Obama triggers such fear in the hearts of America's millennialist Christians. Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University's law school, says he does not believe Obama is the Antichrist, but he can see how others might. Obama's own use of religious rhetoric belies his liberal positions on abortion and traditional marriage, Staver says, positions that "religious conservatives believe will threaten their freedom." The people who believe Obama is the Antichrist are perhaps jumping to conclusions, but they're not nuts: "They are expressing a concern and a fear that is widely shared," Staver says.

[snip]

... On his Web site, he has something called the Rapture Index, a calculation based on signs and prophecy of the proximity of the end. According to Strandberg, any number over 160 means "fasten your seat belts." Obama's win pushed the index to 161.

I personally believe that this level of incendiary and irresponsible journalism has no place in legitimate media outlets. But for a major publishing such as Newsweek to actually provide a forum for this type of twaddle is beyond the pale.

Ms. Miller’s column is brimming with ignorance and paranoia which seems to be purposefully crafted to fan the flames of fear and hate ... and one certainly hopes and prays, nothing worse.

You may want to share your thoughts about this "Belief Watch" with John "America-Is-A-Center-Right-Nation" Meacham, Editor, through these contact points:

Newsweek
251 W 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

Phone: (212) 445-4000

FAX (Letters To The Editors): (212) 445-4120
FAX (General): (212) 445-5068

E-mail: letters@newsweek.com