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It seems that Obama, who claims to be a Christian, is ashamed of the Gospel. He didn't want to appear on TV surrounded by Christian symbols, and worse, a symbol of Jesus Christ's name. Maybe he thought all his non-Christian supporters would be offended. Maybe he thought his new buddies in the Middle East would be offended. At any rate, it wasn't important whether other Christians were offended, or worse, the Lord himself.
Either Obama was ashamed of the Gospel, or "The One" didn't want to have to compete with the True Lord for attention. All eyes and homage needed to be on Obama.
Whatever the reason, on Tuesday, April 14, Georgetown, a Christian University founded in 1789 by the Jesuits, hid the inscription "IHS" at the request of President Obama's staff. "IHS" is short for Iesous Christos - the Greek name of Jesus Christ.
According to Fox News, White House staff asked the school to cover up all religious symbols and signs while the president was on stage. Apparently, they didn't want Jesus' name to show up on TV during his speech. The monogram, which is normally above the Gaston Hall stage, was covered over with what Fox News said appeared to be black wood during the speech.
The White House said that the backdrop, which included blue drapes and American flags, was standard during policy speeches and other events. They insisted that the move was made only to provide a proper setting for the speech -- and said that "any suggestions to the contrary are simply false."
I have to wonder why the founding Jesuits made the decision to decorate the Hall as they had. Do you suppose they put it there during all events, over the head of all speakers, for the very purpose of continutally reminding all those in the hall that Jesus is Lord and the most important factor in all we think do and say? How would the founding Jesuits have felt about the hiding of Jesus Christ's name?
Many a foolish king has decided he's more important than God. If Obama is a Christian, surely he has read and understands the spiritual consequences of pushing God aside in order to puff himself up.
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It seems that Obama, who claims to be a Christian, is ashamed of the Gospel. He didn't want to appear on TV surrounded by Christian symbols, and worse, a symbol of Jesus Christ's name. Maybe he thought all his non-Christian supporters would be offended. Maybe he thought his new buddies in the Middle East would be offended. At any rate, it wasn't important whether other Christians were offended, or worse, the Lord himself.
Either Obama was ashamed of the Gospel, or "The One" didn't want to have to compete with the True Lord for attention. All eyes and homage needed to be on Obama.
Whatever the reason, on Tuesday, April 14, Georgetown, a Christian University founded in 1789 by the Jesuits, hid the inscription "IHS" at the request of President Obama's staff. "IHS" is short for Iesous Christos - the Greek name of Jesus Christ.
According to Fox News, White House staff asked the school to cover up all religious symbols and signs while the president was on stage. Apparently, they didn't want Jesus' name to show up on TV during his speech. The monogram, which is normally above the Gaston Hall stage, was covered over with what Fox News said appeared to be black wood during the speech.
The White House said that the backdrop, which included blue drapes and American flags, was standard during policy speeches and other events. They insisted that the move was made only to provide a proper setting for the speech -- and said that "any suggestions to the contrary are simply false."
I have to wonder why the founding Jesuits made the decision to decorate the Hall as they had. Do you suppose they put it there during all events, over the head of all speakers, for the very purpose of continutally reminding all those in the hall that Jesus is Lord and the most important factor in all we think do and say? How would the founding Jesuits have felt about the hiding of Jesus Christ's name?
Many a foolish king has decided he's more important than God. If Obama is a Christian, surely he has read and understands the spiritual consequences of pushing God aside in order to puff himself up.
.
5 comments:
Hi - interesting blog. But I think the issue you're writing about in this post is really that the President of the United States of America cannot be seen to publicly endorse one religion over another, regardless of his personal beliefs. This country was founded in part to provide religious freedom for all, not for some. The greatest protection of that religious freedom for all is a government which respects all religions but favors none. To go in the opposite direction opens the door to religious intolerance and oppression. Our President cannot show favoritism. Abraham Lincoln, while he quoted Scripture at times and made reference to a supreme deity, never officially endorsed any religion and few would argue that Lincoln suppressed religious expression in this country.
Sorry, but that argument doesn't hold water. It's an excuse for his behavior, not a valid reason.
The guy chose to speak at a Christian institution. That's already a fact. Does his choice to speak there mean that he endorses Christianity over any other religion? Does it mean that he doesn't believe in freedom of religion? Of course not. It would be absurd for anyone to suggest that.
Was he endorsing Catholicism when he spoke at Notre Dame? It appears that several Bishops didn't think so. On the contrary, they perceive him as an endorser of many things anti-Catholic.
When choosing to speak at Georgetown, it was already an unhidden fact that he was speaking at a Christian institution. Covering up the symbols didn't change that known fact. Allowing the symbols to remain unaltered didn't mean he endorsed them. It would have only meant that he respected them, as well as the institution and the Christians that placed them there.
To many Christians, it apears that the symbols made him uncomfortable.
I find it interesting that he snubbed the day of prayer as well. To many Christians, those behaviors speak volumes.
No one has illusions that he endorses Christianity over any other religion. Instead, Many have a feeling that he has no respect for Christians, Christianity. or Jesus Christ.
Speaking at these well known Christian institutions is merely an opportunity to speak, (which he loves to do) in front of potential voters and at influential universities.
As a Georgetown graduate (and beneficiary of a total of 16 years of Catholic education), I know that the Latin (not Greek) abbreviation "IHS" stands for "In Hoc Signe" (in this sign), which was a message to the Emperor Constantine before a battle: "In this sign you will conquer."
The "sign" was the cross, and Constantine -- who was not yet a Christian -- put the sign of the cross on his banners and shields and, indeed, won the battle.
After that event, he converted to Christianity and eventually it became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
That was a great explanations. We can hone in on Obama's behavior. It is more revealing of Obama's nature than anything else. It's not that he was trying to be tolerant, it is exactly the opposite.
The Greek (not Latin) abbreviation "IHS" stands for "Jesus Christ." IHS is the Christogram for the Greek spelling of Jesus (ΙΗΣ- iota-eta-sigma; short for ΙΗΣΟΥΣ)
While 'In hoc signo vinces' (IHS) is the Latin translation of the Greek phrase "ἐν τούτῳ νίκα", meaning "by this, be victorious!", it wasn't the symbol used by Constantine I on the famed flag of victory. The Chi-Rho (XP) was the symbol used. The Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P) are the first two letters in the name Christ (Greek: Χριστός).
Therefore - it was under another name for Jesus that Constantine won his battle.
However, Constantine did adopt the Greek phrase, "εν τούτῳ νίκα" as a 'motto' after he had a vision of the CHI-RHO in the sky just before the Battle of Milvian Bridge against Maxentius on 28 October, 312.
Eusebius said Constantine was marching with his army when he saw a cross of light above the sun with the words "εν τούτῳ νίκα." Later, he had a dream where Christ explained to him that he should use the XP sign against his enemies. Eusebius then describes the Labarum, the military standard used by Constantine in his later wars against Licinius, showing the Chi-Rho sign.
The 'In hoc signo vinces' phrase was later on a coat of arms used by Jan III Sobieski, the coat of arms of the Irish dynasty of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, the House of Vassallo, the city of Birkirkara, town of Bayamòn, and on Pall Mall cigarettes. It is also the motto of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.
However, 'In hoc signo vinces’ was not the original meaning or use of IHS. The use of IHS predates Constantine, which is why he recognized it as a Christian symbol. This symbol for Jesus Christ was implied in the Epistle of Barnabas ix.. He alludes to both Jesus (IH) and the cross (T). It is true that the symbol doesn't appear on many monuments prior to Constantine, but why would it? Christianity wasn't a state religion yet - and, in fact, was under heavy persecution. They found more subtle ways to refer to Jesus – such as the fish symbol. However, the monogram IHS, standing for Jesus, has been found in the catacomb of Priscilla and in the atrium of Capella Gr-ca.
Constantine, the man with the money and power in the 4th century, and with zeal to honor the instructions and victory given him by God, did emblaze his slogan on many monuments. But that doesn't eradicate its original use.
Since the end of the Middle Ages, IHS as a Monogram for Jesus has been wide-spread. Saint Bernardin of Sienna, in effort to honor the name of Jesus, displayed a tablet containing IHS written in gold and surrounded by the rays of sun.
The Jesuits later adopted it as I.H.S. (containing periods, or full stops). In this context, it is a Latin acronym standing for 'Iesus Hominum Salvator' – “Jesus, Saviour of man.” Saint Ignatius Loyola is represented in Religious Art by the monogram of the Jesuit order, I. H. S.
So in these later periods "IHS" has stood for the first three letters of "Jesus" in Greek (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) and in Latinized Greek (IHSOVS) - AND "in hoc signo" from the legend of Constantine. It has stood for both, and both with equal validity, which is not unusual for an acronym. But in the context of an altar of worship, not battle, it has been understood to stand for the name of Jesus Christ.
http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=IHS
http://www.catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/ihs-christian-symbol.htm
http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc06/htm/iii.lvii.ii.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07649a.htm
http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/ihs.htm
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