What does the election of Barack Obama mean for Seventh-day Adventists

[CGMedley]

Does the election of Barack Obama have a significan meaning for Seventh-day Adventists? Former Review editor William Johnsson shares his analysis. You can read is piece "More Than Politics this week on the Adventist Review Web site.

http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=2245

[doctorj]

It seems to me a bit of a weak article. I was hoping there would be some real meat in the article that would give some indication of what it really means to Adventists. Perhaps we should have a go here in this forum to suggest what Obama's election has to do with Adventists. I believe there is much more that could be said on this topic.

[John317]

It might be easier to know what it means for Adventists after he's been in office for a few months. What do you think it means for Adventists? Any firm beliefs or feelings?

[olger]

Time will tell. At a minimum we ought to be concerned about someone who is referred to as a "messiah" (Matthew 24:23-26).

[Kountzer]

The majority of the current white house staff is catholic. The majority of the house is catholic. Prez W Bush says he can look in to a man's eyes and tell a lot about them. When he had a private session with Pope Benedict recently, he was asked what he saw when he looked into the current Pope's eyes, and W replied that he saw God.

And someone is asking what Obama's preisidency means to adventists? If anything it will mean status quo.

DB

[olger]

Good point...

[Tom Wetmore]

It seems to me a bit of a weak article... I believe there is much more that could be said on this topic.

It was only an editorial, not a full length comprehensive analysis.

[Felix Florimon]

Throughout the last twenty years, I have developed a hobby of writing letters to members of the US Congress and this has generated in myself an intense desire to describe how and why certain things occur in this nation. The election of Obama has taken place because he is seen as a ray of hope generated by someone with very good political instincts. The winning of President elect Obama has been greatly favored by the very poor dividends the Iraqi war has generated and the economic mess that many voters have felt to have occurred as an end result of eight years of a Republican administration.

In a set of five letters written in 2006 I mentioned to members of the US Congress:

“NATIONAL SECURITY AND NATIONAL PROSPERITY: HOW THE AMERICAN POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT (BASED ON A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE) LACKS A PROPER SENSE OF ORIENTATION”

In a set of two letters sent to members of the US Congress dated March 22 and April 11 2007 I mentioned to them:

“HOW THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP OF THE 109th US CONGRESS (BASED ON A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE)LOST THE GOOD WILL OF MANY AMERICAN VOTERS”

In a set of three letters in 2008, I wrote them:

“LETTER TO US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS --NATURE VERSUS NURTURE-- AN AWARENESS THAT US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID OF: A 63 YEARS HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY THE AMERICAN POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT. HOW THE AMERICAN POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT HAS BEEN GUIDING THE NATION INTO A VERY OMINOUS AND DESTRUCTIVE PATH.”

I personally feel that it is not a matter of who is in the White House that is going to have any effect on God’s people on earth. The real problem is how God’s enemy has been manipulating human events in order to weaken any influence that God’s children may have in the unfolding of human history. Even though in 2007 I mentioned how Republicans lost and were losing the good will of many American voters, it seemed that they did not care until the economy and the war in Iraq (results that were very different from the war in the early 1940’s against Hitler and against Emperor Hiroshito of Japan).

I feel very sad to conclude that American nation has lost its ability to learn from history and from Jesus’ teachings regarding what is the best way to fight against evil and to create a much better future. Therefore, if those of us who are called by God’s name lose the ability to be the salt of the earth, then Jesus’ prophesy will have a very horrendous fulfillment: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13).

FF