OLAADEGBU: WHY I AM NOT VOTING FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA

I became a citizen of this great country (USA) in 1996, and casted my first vote for President Bill Clinton, for 9 years I was a card carrying democrat like most immigrants who think America is a social democracy whose government is working much better than where we came from (Africa, Asia, Europe). I’ve been an independent for about 7 years now (I call myself a Bible Conservative).

In 2001, I went into full time ministry still a democrat. I became the marriage ministry director of my church (I taught classes and did pastoral counseling). In 2004, while counseling with a couple about to throw away a 20 year marriage (second for both of them); we encountered the law of the land which forced this couple to divorce (better financial incentive for divorce than for separation). Fired up with zeal I sought how to change the law, this led me to Nebraska Family Council (I now sit on their board). Not getting anywhere fast passing family friendly laws in a “red” state, I felt the Lord would want me to work through the community.

In 2007 (or 2006), I was introduced to an organization that seek to do exactly what I had in mind, I told the coordinator of the group that I was not interested in politics or position, but in transforming the community in the area of FAITH and FAMILY, the group was supposed to be non-political and faith based. It took a very little time for the group to lean to a political party and being faith based simply meant opening and closing meetings in prayer, not standing for biblical principles. I learned a lot from this group, saw tons of statistics that already buttressed what I know but with no data facts, and I met so many people that I believe brought a lot to the table to effect needed transformation in the black community (many are still my friend).

I resigned from the group early this year (2012) because one of us, brought up the protected class ordinance for LGBT community in the city of Omaha as a councilman, and the group would not renounce it publicly. I discovered that leadership of the group placed the assignment given to us by God as more important than the Word of God itself and righteousness in our land. There was no way I was going to be part of an organization that would not stand for righteousness publicly. Please note that the prblem in America might be exhibiting in sexual immorality of all kinds, but the fight is really, our definition of TRUTH and those willing (courageous) to stand for real truth (both in and outside the church).

Since 2006, I became very active in organizations that I believe stood for righteousness (God’s word) or used of God in the community. What I immediately noticed was a sharp contrast in the solution of each organization (to the myriads of problems) based on their ideology. If it was a black community organization, solutions and funds were always more focused on the government (city, state and federal), and large donors, if it was an organization that stood for Judeo-Christian values, solution were always based on the individual being told and accepting the truth, money came from few large donors but tons of small donors. This led me to study the bible and history, educating myself on the issues that faced our society (in this generation), where we came from, how and why we got where we are? Here are my findings;

•I discovered that America started as an idea of people who believed in a providential God and that belief is enshrined in its constitution which is a Constitutional Republic (Constitutional Republic is when people are governed by a set of laws - Democracy is when the view of majority becomes the law).
•I discovered that the bible actually said a lot about taking care of the poor (from Genesis to Revelation – particularly Leviticus and the book of Acts), and none of it referenced the government doing it, rather individuals (major reference is John 15: 1-8 ).
•I discovered that in the black community, we have more traditional/cultural Christians than true believers and the leaders of the community (mostly cultural Christians) prefer government based solution that edges on the problem, rather than going to the root of the problem (true Faith and Family structure). Which is why in my opinion there have been programs to eradicate poverty, reduce gang violence etc. for 40 years, yet it keeps coming back every 10-15 years.
•I discovered that those of us from Africa have been schooled in Marxism by our heroes, from Kwame Nkrumah to Obafemi Awolowo, to our favorite college professors, many of them resented colonization by the British and sided with Russia in the 1950s. I also discovered that no Social Democratic form of government has succeeded with taxing its citizens to the hilt; at some point taxation becomes overbearing and kills ingenuity of its citizens, since more would rely on the government than contribute to the society (Just look at Europe). I discover that social democracy deos not take human sinful nature into consideration, it's premise is that human are inherently good.
•I discovered that what made America great was a foundation based on Judeo-Christian values, its Constitutional Republic and its Free Market economic system. America is the only country in the world that has maintained one form of government since its inception. The unconstitutional transition from a Constitutional Republic to Social Democracy started with President Woodrow Wilson and the founders won’t recognize what America has now, balance of power is being muddled up, and crony capitalism is the order of the day.
For me the economc problems are actually secondary, when compared to the attack on America’s foundational values upon which it was built - Judeo-Christian Values/Principles. While the constitution of America did not have a state religion like England (where many they came from), the founders recognized the importance of Faith and the values brought by faith in the new governing system that was created. The Bible was used as a textbook in schools, for Grammar, for Civics, for history etc. Founders even had church in government buildings with military bands as choirs (go figure). Starting in the early 1900s there started to be a louder opposition to Christianity and its values.

This attack on Christianity and America’s foundational Judeo-Christian values came not only from people outside the church, churches were infiltrated with the purpose of division from within (already achieved). Those used of the devil also infiltrated the various spheres of influence, media and entertainment, educational institutions (elementary to college – would anyone believe that Harvard and Princeton where started as seminary colleges?), and the branches of government (executive, legislative and judiciary). Political correctness became the other of the day, absolute Truth became relative truth, our children now learn things contrary to God’s word and parents are intimidated or feel powerless to do anything about it. Rather than be givers (irrespective of income), a new culture of dependence was created.

As I traveled the country (US), I realized that the biblical principles I was called to teach were falling on deaf ears (lots of emotion) or what Christ call rocky or thorny soil, as a left brain person, I started to wonder what I could do. I stumbled on George Barna’s book “Faith Tribe” and it helped me sort out my audience (and individuals) when I speak. I wrote then that while 76% of Americans call themselves Christians only 9% believe the bible is infallible, this led to my own categorization of Christians;

1.Humanist Christians – they see Christianity as a book of moral codes that change with time. Human intelligence (especially definition of good) is often elevated more than the Holy Spirit, if acknowledged at all.
2.Traditional/Cultural Christians – many in this group are people born into Christianity, some came into Christianity via a church that teaches wrong or narrow doctrine. Emotion and Tradition (not Spirit and Truth) are often emphasized with this group but zero spiritual connection.
3.True Believers – those whose spirit man, has been rebirth (born-again). They believe the bible is the infallible word of God, they study and meditate on it and ask for grace to be Obedient. They are not perfect but understand God’s grace.
I personally believe that President Barak Obama exhibit the fruit of a humanist Christian while he attended a traditional church that teaches “Black liberation theology” (not found in the bible) for 20 years. Here are my reasons;

•there is a 2003 video where President Obama said “whose God, will we believe the god of Rev. Al Sharpton or the god of Dr. James Dobson” suggesting the bible is not infallible – to me this statement is reeked with ignorance (fundamental bible principle).
•during the campaign in 2007/08, President Obama not only dumped his pastor of 20 years, the person that married him and baptized his children, the person whose sermon topic inspired a book he wrote, he did so insulting his white grandmother who raised him. To me this is not a good character (someone who would do/say anything to get something - no foundation of Truth).
•upon assuming office, one of the first things was to announce that his government would not defend DOMA (defense of marriage act), a law defining marriage as a man and a woman, passed unanimously by both legislative house and signed by a democrat president.
•twice publicly, the President define salvation as collective (according to the Bible, salvation is an individual step based on grace through faith, not works) – I personally heard him say it on TV when he spoke at the Notre Dame University commencement (last year or 2 years ago).
•the President chose the money of the LGBTQ community over the foundational faith belief of the black church community, and insulting the black race equating the LGBTQ agenda with Civil Right (when it is not an immutable feature) by “evolving” on Same-Sex marriage. Still on Same-sex marriage, the President used his office (State Dept.) to make Kenya adopt Same-sex marriage in its constitution, the Nigerian government and legislative branch rejected the same offer from the US State dept.
•the President did not choose a home church in DC because he does not want his presence every Sunday to disturb the congregation; rather he gets daily devotion on tweet from pastors? Wow – what a reason to avoid the gathering of brethren.
Some might argue that Gov. Mitt. Romney is not a true believer as well, they might be right – I personally do not believe in the teaching of the Mormon Church and I do believe that the bible stands on its own; the only new revelation is one the Holy Spirit gives us, not another holy book by a human being. Having said the above, we are not voting for the Pastor-in-Chief of America, we are voting for the person whose believes (humanist Christian or Mormon) best fit the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded.

There is another thing that is disturbing to me, unbelievers (people who have not had a spiritual rebirth – churched or not) would not understand this, in-fact they’ll ridicule it (that’s OK by me). True believers understand that there are two spiritual kingdoms (Kingdom of darkness and kingdom of light) and the activities in both kingdoms affect our physical world. The battle in both kingdoms have been going on since the devil rebelled, the battle is for the soul of man, this why Christ came to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth, not physical but spiritual kingdom existing with power within us.

America (for those who are spiritually discerning) has been invaded by the spirit of Fear and Intimidation in the past couple of years, two people I respect call it the spirit of Jezebel (I’m not sure). What is happening in the physical realm is that, true believers, and religious people alike are intimidated and afraid to stand for God’s truth (even though they have authority and power - especially in their workplace or sphere of influence), as the kingdom of darkness unleash relative truth and every kind of sexual immorality in our world. My prayer is that we will all be like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who would rather go be with Christ, than bow to the fear and intimidation of the gods of this world.

For me this election is not really about the economics, even though that is important in our physical realm (spending more than we bring in is disastrous for any budget – personal or government), but what affects a nation more is the moral compass it follows and the God it chooses to serve (Psalm 33: 12).

I do not have to write this article since I know it will rub majority of my audience negatively, but I’ve never been afraid to write (or say) the Truth I believe either (see Rev. 21:5-8 ).

May heaven open the spiritual eyes of those who truly call the name of the Lord?

Remain Blessed

http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/awodele/081812.html

ijawkid:

U seem to dislike obama a lot.......


U expect godliness from politicians??

Goshen360: Well, I do reside in the USA and I do not have the right to vote yet. Should I have the right to vote, I will definitely NOT give it to Obama because he sanctioned "gay" marriage - approving the way to destruction for the nation as the number citizen at the moment. It is against my/our faith and for this reason, I will NOT vote Obama should I have the right to vote. This is not about being "black" or racist. This is about the way of perversion. Even though Mitt Romney on the other hand is of the Mormon, if he doesn't support perversion in the way of destruction, I will rather give my vote for him. What then shall I say, I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE YET. HENCE, I REST MY CASE. ~Glory to God~

Delafruita:
dont you think the decision on who your vote goes to(if you could cast one) should depend on more important things like the economy,medicare,immigration etc than an issue like 2 individuals been allowed to marry?

Ihedinobi:

The extrapolation of "less" important issues like the legalization of marriage between two individuals of the same sex might prove that it is indeed a monumental issue, not one to be treated lightly as though it were a matter of mere religious bias.

Delafruita:
dont you think the decision on who your vote goes to(if you could cast one) should depend on more important things like the economy,medicare,immigration etc than an issue like 2 individuals been allowed to marry?

Goshen360: Well, I do reside in the USA and I do not have the right to vote yet. Should I have the right to vote, I will definitely NOT give it to Obama because he sanctioned "gay" marriage - approving the way to destruction for the nation as the number citizen at the moment. It is against my/our faith and for this reason, I will NOT vote Obama should I have the right to vote. This is not about being "black" or racist. This is about the way of perversion. Even though Mitt Romney on the other hand is of the Mormon, if he doesn't support perversion in the way of destruction, I will rather give my vote for him. What then shall I say, I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE YET. HENCE, I REST MY CASE. ~Glory to God~

Delafruita:
ehm,obama can take a position on it,but its left to state legislatures to decide on the legal aspect.the federal government might be able to take some steps in that line but it would all be futile if the state legislatures vote against gay marriage.

Ihedinobi:

My brother, can you show me from the Scriptures that the sentiment embodied in that bolded statement is right and worthy of a Christian?

okeyxyz:

I don't know if you are truly naive or just pretentious. Why do you think these issues of same sex-marriage are generating so much "heat" around the world if they were not really important to the people concerned? We all have sentiments that we will fight to defend and marriage is just one of them. It is important for traditionally minded people that the meaning of marriage remains "uncorrupted". You may not agree and that's fine, but just as you have a right to fight to have it redefined, others also have that right to fight so that it remains "sacred" and you have no grounds to say to them that it is "not important" now that the trend seems to be in your favour. By the way how does one define what is more important than the other? it's just a question of one's perspective and never universal. If you think otherwise, then maybe you can enlighten us.

by okeyxyz(m): 3:59pm On Aug 22
How many of you guys who'd commented so far actually support obama besides him being "black" & romney white? Of course you are all entitled to be biased, that's what politics is about and I don't pretend otherwise, the OP has simply stated his mind based on his "spiritual" convictions and i admire him for that, unlike what seems to be "veiled biases" from the comments so far. This is democracy where the will of the majority becomes law, He has done nothing wrong in trying to whip-up support for his dear cause, it is only the politically active who succeed in getting state power to act, eg: the LGBT campaign.

Delafruita:
perhaps you're the one who is naive.how does the fact that gays marry affect the price of gasoline which in turn affects the price of everything?how does gay marriage influence the value of the dollar?how does it affect the value of your house?how does it affect the cost of a cinema ticket?how does it affect unemployment rate?a whole lot of hoopla for something that ordinarily should be ordinary.

Delafruita:
rep akin made a silly statement a few days ago about the female body having a "mechanism" for preventing pregnancy in "legitimate rape" and you dont think thats an issue that is more important than gay marriage.rep ryan wasnt to erase taxes for the rich.the same tax cuts bush implemented for 8years that brought about a recession and goshen360 thinks thats alright "so long as he's against gay marriage".romney will repeal obamacare which by extension gurantees universal health insurance for all americans including those with pre-existing conditions and thats alright so long as he's against gay marriage.how do you people even think?

Delafruita:
gay marriage is not an issue "all over the world".its more of an issue in america which ordinarily should be a free society.britain recognizes gay unions.south africa,holland,finland,germany,spain and other countries legalise gay marriage.many others including ultra-catholic brazil recognizes them as civil unions.the anglican church now organizes gay marriage and even in the united states,4 states legalise gay marriage and 3 others recognize their unions.
however there's a lot of stigmatisation.for example,a friend of mine who is legally married in a state that recognises gay marriage wanted to sell his house and lamented his inability to get a tax break despite the fact he wanted to get a bigger house and ordinarily should get a tax break.thats the sort of stigmatisation gays face and such should be deemed illegal and immoral

Sweetnecta: @Okeyxyz: My support for hm is based on his being smart and not as domineering as almost all the white president from Reagan onward. Bill Clinton case was arrogance and he has not seen a skirt that he does not want to explore. In the wake of 911, dead weight bush and his cranky vp cheney and their cronies of neocons, mostly zionists became terror tugs. Thank God that the opposite is Obama.

no president is good enough for everyone, and there is room for improvement even as the worst economically condition since reagan is beginning to show sign that it does need the life support that used to need, romney should not come in and reap the about to begin to pay dividend works that has been non stop for almost 4 years now.

My gut feeling is that Obama will stabilize the economy within 2 years of his 2nd term before he became a lame duck.

George Bush left the palace and subjects broke that only the american spirit of can do kept the union intact.

okeyxyz:
It's funny how the typical person would sing "the economy" as their mantra on political matters, perhaps that's the politically correct thing to say when indeed they have their ulterior motives for being activist. I look at the list you make above and i wonder: do you know that the price of gasoline actually falls during a recession or slowdown? likewise the price of everything else falls during a slowdown while they rise during economic boom. Did you consider that when you made your post above? like i said,it sounds sweet & "smart" when people say "economy" but ask them how exactly the economy affects them and they may not be able to explain. I give you examples of who the economy is really important to: the oils companies, the big business & corporations, the multinationals. Why? because they like the prices high and they prefer you to be able to afford the high prices, they want you to go to their high-priced cinemas, they want you to still subscribe to their high-priced cable-TVs, high-priced transportation, etc. You mean to tell me you did not notice the great price fall since 2008? I can only assume you really don't know how the economy works and to let you know that it's not determined by ordinary individuals but by corporations.

e:
So, what has akin got to do with this thread all of a sudden?

e:
Regarding the obamacare, I personally applaud it, it's a bold feat, but unlike you, i don't ignore the fact that it may or may not make economic sense, that it may or may not require americans giving up a huge amount of the freedoms & entitlements they enjoy today because of the healthcare mandate, but after weighing the things that i know, i'd still like to give it a chance. But then a large number of americans are against obamacare, why is it difficult for you to acknowledge that? why do you not acknowledge that's it's one of the main(if not the only) reasons the democrats lost control of the house of reps in the mid-term elections and gave obama his lowest poll ratings until the killing of osama bin laden? I support the obamacare mandate, but unlike you, while I hope and work for the best, i'm also aware of the realities on ground and i learn to manage them all. I don't pretend that everything is fine when my house if on fire!!.

e:
I'm surprised that you can argue from both sides of your mouth. First you say it's not an issue, then you say there's a lot of stigmatization. How's that not an issue then? And when did civil partnerships or gay-unions become marriages? It's good you have your opinions and leanings but i'd respect you more if you don't invent or imply facts and references because you want to win a debate. Even in counrties and places where gay marriages are legal, there are still a large number of people who vehemently oppose it and continue to vote based on their opinions, just like you and I, And the only thing stopping them from doing more is that it would be a crime. Like I said on my first post to you: You cannot say other peoples issues are not important just because you don't belong in their camp. simples.

Ihedinobi:

My brother, can you show me from the Scriptures that the sentiment embodied in that bolded statement is right and worthy of a Christian?

okeyxyz:

That's fine. That's your school of thought and the same for some people. However, there are many academicians and professionals who will argue in support and against obama policies and i'm not here to say "true" or "false", this is politics and I don't kid myself, I know for sure that the majority of people vote based on baises and sentiments than they'd let us know. So, even if obama is truly a smart person like I was made to believe in 2008, the fact is that reality has set-in, and he does not have unlimited power to do as he pleases, he still has to yield to power brokers in business, parliament, military, popular culture, etc and cannot please everybody. Even his last statement on gay-marriage was forced upon him by his vice-president inadvertently making an offical position in support(of which he'd since apologized), therefore obama could not avoid the issue like he's done since taking office.

e
:
As for me, If I were in america and had power to vote, I'd vote obama again and that'll be because he's black rather than being smarter. Why, So that the idea of a black president will be "normalized", so that it would not be said that a black man was given a chance and he made a mess of the whole system and they kicked him out immediately, no second-term!! So that the next time another black person comes up for election, he wouldn't need to be super-impressive like a "messiah"(the way obama was) in order to win an election where any average white guy can simply walk-in & win.

Delafruita:
i wonder what economic theory you employed to arrive at your analogy.in a recession,people cant afford the things they need either because those things have become too expensive or because they no longer have the income to afford those things irrespective of the price.
in a recession,economic growth slows down.unemployment rate rises,people can no longer afford to pay their mortgages and so homelessness rises.too many homes on foreclosure lead to fall in value of real estate,banks cant receive mortgages and cant sell foreclosed houses and then have to cut jobs or enter bankruptcy.its all a bandwagon effect.it would be a real miracle if prices generally fall during a recession but the reality is prices rise because producers have to spend more and thus transfer the cost to consumers.those that refuse to have to cut jobs.its so simple i wonder why you dont understand it.

okeyxyz:
You make the classic arguments as to how today's economics work, It's seems sensible to the ordinary observer but i'd come to realize that it's mostly false(if not entirely false). The simple truth is that big corporations & multi-nationals create recessions. It's not as if the consumer population dropped drastically through some "rapture" or major disaster/disease such that there is no more demand to sustain supply. They create recessions by their stock exchanges and financial instruments, these are people who create no real values in the market, create no employment in the supply-chain, yet the value of their instruments keep ballooning & ballooning until they decide it's time "pull the plug" & make all that money disappear. There!!, the bubble is burst, the recession officially starts. But even that alone is no genuine reason for people to lose jobs enmasse, Jobs are not lost because of lack of demand, but big businesses cut jobs so as to protect their huge profits, blaming recession, so the board of directors won't "punish" them by taking away their bonuses. They can infact continue to keep people in work and keep the economy working but they don't care about that. It's all about big profit. They cut jobs, force the remaining workers to do longer hours, under worse conditions and less pay, the result? bigger profits. Don't you wonder how these corporations still declare bigger profits despite the "recession"? Where do you think all that monies disappeared to as a result of the bubble bursting? of-course into their accounts and pockets and balance sheets. Money does not evaporate into thin air, it's all gambling & hegding, making money in "boom" and in "doom". So, my brother, it's not as simple as you paint it to be. I listen to these guys in power & business, I learn what makes sense and filter out the rest.

Delafruita:
dont you think the decision on who your vote goes to(if you could cast one) should depend on more important things like the economy,medicare,immigration etc than an issue like 2 individuals been allowed to marry?

Ihedinobi:

@Goshen360

Please excuse the above comment. I should have rather asked you to reconcile the sentiment in question with a portion of the Bible. So, I'll rephrase my question thus:

"how does the sentiment expressed in that bolded part of your comment agree with 'when the righteous prospers, the city rejoices' (can't provide the part of the Scriptures it's in right now) and Peter's 'love the brotherhood' and Jesus's 'there has never arisen a greater prophet from among the sons of women than John the Baptist, but the least in the kingdom is greater than he' (paraphrased)?"
I will provide the locations of these passages later if need be. I am in no position to do so right now, I'm sorry.

Goshen360:

I understand your statement of 2 individuals being allowed to marry. This is not just 2 individuals having right to marry but two individuals that allows perversion and taking the nation in the way of destruction. Even economy, medicare, immigration and the likes will not work when a nation is on its way to destruction. We should not allow such kinds of right to two perverted people just because we want to win votes. ~Am sorry, this is my stand~

Delafruita:
all these is according to christianity

Goshen360:

Okay, does Islam permit marriage between same sex?

OLAADEGBU:
I neither support Obama nor Romney if that will suffice.