The Spirituality of Barak Obama and Rick Warren

Barak Obama, the Senator who
recently spoke at Saddleback Church, drew criticism from many
Christians because of his pro-abortion beliefs. Rick Warren
defended his move to include Obama at the AIDS convention, and
while at first glance, it may look like the two men are at
opposite ends of the pole when it comes to spiritual beliefs, in
actuality, they have quite a bit in common.

In

an article in United Church News, Obama stated that the
teachings of the UCC (United Church of Christ), of which he is a
member (Trinity
United Church of Christ), are “foundation stones for his
political work.” Just what are those “teachings” comprised of?
On Trinity’s website, on

the Yoga page, the following statement is highlighted:

“Within each [of] us is the seed
of Divinity. Each Soul is divine. I bow to the divinity in
us all!”

That is the spirituality of
Thomas Merton! You may be asking right now, “How is this kind of
affinity to yoga and panentheism similar to Rick Warren’s
beliefs? After all, he’s evangelical! Right.” But Rick Warren
has been and continues to promote Thomas Merton’s contemplative
spirituality, which has the same premise as that of yoga and
panentheism – it’s just that what he promotes is disguised in
Christian terminology so people are fooled.

It is interesting to note that on the

Trinity Church of Christ website, it states: Rick Warren is
“brilliant at explaining our real purpose on earth.” Such a
statement clearly shows that Obama’s spiritual leaders at
Trinity resonate with Rick Warren.

The United Church of Christ basically is an ultra liberal
Christian denomination that has focused on social justice and
making the world into a better place. But in the process of
their all encompassing view that anything positive is
spiritually sound, many leaders within this group have embraced
or incorporated the teachings and practices of occultism and
eastern religion. One such individual is

Bruce Epperly, a United Church of Christ pastor, who wrote a
book called Reiki Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus, in which
Epperly says: We can utilize the practice of Reiki to transform
families, relationships, meetings, and institutions.” Reiki, as
you know, is drawn from Tibetan Buddhism and incorporates spirit
guides and psychic powers. It is extremely likely that Obama has
been exposed to things such as yoga or Reiki.

Rick Warren and Barak Obama also share views on global peace and
world-wide unification. Obama, who was a speaker at the “Pentecost
2006: Building a Covenant for a New America” conference,
used “the speech as a call for continued dialogue and bridge-
building between religious conservatives and progressives.” This
“bridge-building” is the same kind of talk Rick Warren uses when
he is discussing his “new reformation” that will include all
religions, in which he states that he will do “whatever it
takes” to accomplish it in his lifetime.

In

Obama’s address at Pentecost 2006, he talked about the
“connection between religion and politics.” That is what

Rick Warren talks about with his “three-legged
stool” philosophy that government, religion and business
have to work together if global peace is every going to happen.
Herein lies another similarity between Obama and Warren.

When New Ager and meditation promoter Marianne Williamson came
to Rick Warren’s

defense recently, she knew he shared the same vision as she.
That vision, which is also Obama’s, will eventually attempt to
eliminate opposition to this mystical-based new reformation.
They will believe they have to in order for it to work.

We mustn’t be fooled into thinking that Rick Warren is on a
different page than Obama, just because their views on abortion
differ. They have found a common ground, and it is one that is
sinking sand.

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For related information:

The Red Three Legged Stool

Meditation: The heartbeat of a new kind of politics

“Spiritual Politics” (Excerpt from Reinventing Jesus Christ)



Why We Should Be Very Concerned About Leonard
Sweet and Rick Warren … and Their Plans for the Future

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