Local News article: "Mayor 'just curious' if Obama is antichrist"

[Excelsior]

it is bad enough when some of the general public believes this way but when an elected official does, it is over the top.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/220041.html

By STUART WATSON / NewsChannel 36
SWatson@WCNC.com
Posted: Sunday, Sep. 28, 2008
FORT MILL, S.C. -- Fort Mill Mayor Danny Funderburk says he was ?just curious? when he forwarded a chain e-mail suggesting Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is the biblical antichrist. ?I was just curious if there was any validity to it,? Funderburk said in a telephone interview. ?I was trying to get documentation if there was any scripture to back it up.?

Funderburk apparently sent the e-mail from his business account at Gastonia Sheet Metal where he works as a business agent.

The e-mail, which has circulated in the last six months since Obama secured the Democratic nomination, claims the biblical book of Revelation says the antichrist will be in his 40s and of Muslim ancestry.

There is no such scripture. And Obama is not a Muslim. But that hasn?t stopped the e-mail.

The urban legend Web site Snopes.com first exploded the myth in March. Funderburk forwarded the e-mail this month.

When asked if he believed Obama was the antichrist, Funderburk replied, ?I?ve got absolutely no way of knowing that.?

Funderburk said it ?probably does give that impression? that he believed the e-mail was true ?but that was not my intent.?

The mayor said it was a mistake not to include a subject line when he forwarded the chain e-mail.

?I am curious about current events and their connection to the Bible,? he said.

 

[fskimospy]

What I don't quite get is that the antichrist coming to power is supposed to be A.) inevitable and B.) heralds the return of Jesus. Shouldn't christians vote FOR him then? The sooner he starts running things the sooner Jesus can roll back in.

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
What I don't quite get is that the antichrist coming to power is supposed to be A.) inevitable and B.) heralds the return of Jesus. Shouldn't christians vote FOR him then? The sooner he starts running things the sooner Jesus can roll back in.

maybe GWB was the antichrist and BHO is Jesus returned?

oh crap did I just do the Obamessiah thing? nards....

edit: and it doesnt surprise me this is coming from Fort Mill, SC. I lived there and there is some serious stuff in the water in Lake Wylie or something..makes people bananas.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Yep, here is one of the local mayors in the Charlotte, NC area. Not the brightest crayon in the box...

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/220041.html

By STUART WATSON / NewsChannel 36
SWatson@WCNC.com
Posted: Sunday, Sep. 28, 2008
FORT MILL, S.C. -- Fort Mill Mayor Danny Funderburk says he was ?just curious? when he forwarded a chain e-mail suggesting Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is the biblical antichrist. ?I was just curious if there was any validity to it,? Funderburk said in a telephone interview. ?I was trying to get documentation if there was any scripture to back it up.?

Funderburk apparently sent the e-mail from his business account at Gastonia Sheet Metal where he works as a business agent.

The e-mail, which has circulated in the last six months since Obama secured the Democratic nomination, claims the biblical book of Revelation says the antichrist will be in his 40s and of Muslim ancestry.

There is no such scripture. And Obama is not a Muslim. But that hasn?t stopped the e-mail.

The urban legend Web site Snopes.com first exploded the myth in March. Funderburk forwarded the e-mail this month.

When asked if he believed Obama was the antichrist, Funderburk replied, ?I?ve got absolutely no way of knowing that.?

Funderburk said it ?probably does give that impression? that he believed the e-mail was true ?but that was not my intent.?

The mayor said it was a mistake not to include a subject line when he forwarded the chain e-mail.

?I am curious about current events and their connection to the Bible,? he said.

Sounds like he was curious, and didn't know enough one way or another, so he forwarded it out to see what other people thought and if they had any facts to back up the email.

Don't see a problem here, other than the fact that he was "curious" to begin with.

 

[child of wonder]

Anyone who believes the bit about Revelations saying the AC will be of Muslim descent should be drug into the street and shot considering that

1. They could pick up their own damn bible and check this statement
2. Islam didn't even EXIST at the time Revelations was written

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: child of wonder
Anyone who believes the bit about Revelations saying the AC will be of Muslim descent should be drug into the street and shot considering that

1. They could pick up their own damn bible and check this statement
2. Islam didn't even EXIST at the time Revelations was written

Well if the bible is predicting future events, Islam existing isn't really necessary. Remember, god gave them the lowdown on all this so presumably he knows.

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
Sounds like he was curious, and didn't know enough one way or another, so he forwarded it out to see what other people thought and if they had any facts to back up the email.

Don't see a problem here, other than the fact that he was "curious" to begin with.

His words and actions are all we have to go by. With that said.

he states he has "absolutely no way of knowing" if Obama is the antichrist. I think that claiming absolute ignorance of the facts, in particular to the facts surrounding whether Obama is Satan, is a backhanded acknowledgment that it could be true.

He forwarded the email without the subject line. What does that even mean? Why bother when most people would probably delete it right? Or, was he counting on people being curious and opening a Fw: Fw: Re: etc etc without a subject header? wierd.

He states it was not his intent to promote such lies about BHO. We can never really gauge a person's intent. so shrug.

To me what is really telling is his comment about "absolutely no way of knowing" if Obama is the AC. Ummmmm, seriously bud?

If that is the case, I have absolutely no way of knowing that GWB is Satan. And I have absolutely no way of knowing that Dick Cheney is in fact Darth Vader. OR....is it the other way around?

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
Don't see a problem here

because you are part of the problem.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Another idiot, another day. Ain't we lucky?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: child of wonder
Anyone who believes the bit about Revelations saying the AC will be of Muslim descent should be drug into the street and shot considering that

1. They could pick up their own damn bible and check this statement
2. Islam didn't even EXIST at the time Revelations was written

Well if the bible is predicting future events, Islam existing isn't really necessary. Remember, god gave them the lowdown on all this so presumably he knows.

This chain email is a litmus test for fundies to see if they've ever actually read that book in their hands. The word antichrist doesn't even appear in the Book of Revelation.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK

Sounds like he was curious, and didn't know enough one way or another, so he forwarded it out to see what other people thought and if they had any facts to back up the email.

Don't see a problem here, other than the fact that he was "curious" to begin with.

No, he sounds like every other ignorant redneck out there who loves spreading FUD about a democratic candidate. There is only one reason someone forwards stuff like this...and that is malicous intent.

edit: and it doesnt surprise me this is coming from Fort Mill, SC. I lived there and there is some serious stuff in the water in Lake Wylie or something..makes people bananas

It isn't isolated to Fort Mill, SC unfortunately. This is spread all throughout the SE.

 

[Moonbeam]

Personally, I'm a lot more curious as to what the ????????? has to say about Obama. That is the real relevant issue.

 

[child of wonder]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: child of wonder
Anyone who believes the bit about Revelations saying the AC will be of Muslim descent should be drug into the street and shot considering that

1. They could pick up their own damn bible and check this statement
2. Islam didn't even EXIST at the time Revelations was written

Well if the bible is predicting future events, Islam existing isn't really necessary. Remember, god gave them the lowdown on all this so presumably he knows.

Sure. But when has a prediction the Bible made been right?

 

[Lemon law]

The e-mail, which has circulated in the last six months since Obama secured the Democratic nomination, claims the biblical book of Revelation says the antichrist will be in his 40s and of Muslim ancestry.

There is somewhat a New testament Book of Revelations that some Christians and no Jews would accept, written about 96 A.D., the problem is with the Muslim theory, is 96 A.D. predates the birth of Mohammad
by some 500 years. The Muslim interpretation of the anti christ origin was only added by some 19'th century A.D. dispensation Christian sect, and has no official Christian sanction from any source not self granted by individual nuts.

But since Barack Obama's father was presumably a Muslim, Barack Obama came from Muslim ancestry, and with reasoning like that, we should conclude all Jews, including Jesus Christ and most of his original disciples and contemporary followers, were originally Jewish, and were also Christ killers, and some brought that taint with them by converted to Christianity. And now its long past time to wise up, and kill all of today's Christians and Jews by that the hereditary shared guilt assumption.

And don't blame, I happen to like blameless Druids. We are still pissed at the blasphemous smuck who cut down the dogwood tree.

But silly me, one should not take a matter of faith to its logical conclusion, who needs stinking logic to hate or demonize.

 

[heyheybooboo]

"Forget it, Jake, it's Fort Mill, South Carolina."

 

[alchemize]

Repost

As for revelations, etc. you'll find that the whole interpretation of this anti-christ junk is a modern (mostly american) thing. I believe the catholic church has the correct interpretation where all this symbolism was basically referring to the roman empire and politics at the time.

 

[SP33Demon]

Makes you wonder if the place (SC) and color of Obama's skin had anything to do with it.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
Sounds like he was curious, and didn't know enough one way or another, so he forwarded it out to see what other people thought and if they had any facts to back up the email.

Don't see a problem here, other than the fact that he was "curious" to begin with.

Depends on the context in which it was forwarded. If he sent it out asking for others to validate or debunk it that's one thing. If he simply forwarded it on then he's a liar. Either way he's a fundie nut case. How do these people get elected?

Edit: Note that this guy is too stupid to know how to do research on the internet. A friggin' elected official. Congrats to Fort Mill.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
But silly me, one should not take a matter of faith to its logical conclusion, who needs stinking logic to hate or demonize.

So...please tell me...what is the matter of faith taken to its logical conclusion?

 

[Moonbeam]

What do faith and logic have in common?

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
What do faith and logic have in common?

The exact same thing as faith and illogic.

 

[LS8]

I suppose the mayor is "just" an idiot then.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: alchemize
Repost

As for revelations, etc. you'll find that the whole interpretation of this anti-christ junk is a modern (mostly american) thing. I believe the catholic church has the correct interpretation where all this symbolism was basically referring to the roman empire and politics at the time.

No one had posted this article from my news paper, which is kind of different. So not exactly a repost.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: LS8
I suppose the mayor is "just" an idiot then.

Are you saying that it is possible to believe in that email, in whole or part, without being an idiot?



Nah, seriously, here's what happened. The mayor doesn't believe in a bit of the email. He just forwarded it along to keep that FUD alive. That's what really happened.

 

[chess9]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
The e-mail, which has circulated in the last six months since Obama secured the Democratic nomination, claims the biblical book of Revelation says the antichrist will be in his 40s and of Muslim ancestry.

There is somewhat a New testament Book of Revelations that some Christians and no Jews would accept, written about 96 A.D., the problem is with the Muslim theory, is 96 A.D. predates the birth of Mohammad
by some 500 years. The Muslim interpretation of the anti christ origin was only added by some 19'th century A.D. dispensation Christian sect, and has no official Christian sanction from any source not self granted by individual nuts.

But since Barack Obama's father was presumably a Muslim, Barack Obama came from Muslim ancestry, and with reasoning like that, we should conclude all Jews, including Jesus Christ and most of his original disciples and contemporary followers, were originally Jewish, and were also Christ killers, and some brought that taint with them by converted to Christianity. And now its long past time to wise up, and kill all of today's Christians and Jews by that the hereditary shared guilt assumption.

And don't blame, I happen to like blameless Druids. We are still pissed at the blasphemous smuck who cut down the dogwood tree.

But silly me, one should not take a matter of faith to its logical conclusion, who needs stinking logic to hate or demonize.

To repeat the historical nonsense that JEWS killed Christ is very offensive and dead wrong. I know it was an innocent mistake, but I find it incredible that people will constantly repeat this baloney.

-Robert