You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:2-3)
For fun, Google “Obama worship” or “Obama Messiah”. Over four million hits for the former, over three million for the latter. In fact, some of the Obama worship is downright scary (see the “Obama children” for example).
But this shouldn’t come as any surprise. The quarterback picked in the first round of the draft is usually hailed as the Messiah for their team. And America is full of false idols, from money and fame, to celebrities, to gadgets.
So I take “Obama worship” as more of a figure of speech. But is it? I’ve already said much about our over reliance on our politicians to fix everything that’s wrong with this country and how we expect legislation to define our morals. While we may not be worshipping our politics, we are putting our faith in them. We may not be praying to a political candidate, but I’d be willing to bet that there are many who have given more to campaigns than they’ve given to their church.
It’s the eve of the election, and there’s nothing I can post here to change anyone’s mind. But I will continue to warn against turning politics into an idol, be it the celebrity of a candidate as in the case of Obama, or the platform held as in the case of the Religious Right.
A couple of images to give you chills before you head out to vote.
After looking at these, ask yourself if you’ve put any other gods before the LORD. If you can honestly say that you have not, praise God! But look around, and pray for the many who have.