Obama And The Oath of Office

As I was looking at a picture of President Obama that was taken during the Oath of Office ceremony I began to think about something.  What book does the president-elect place his hand on when being sworn in?  I assume (as most of us do) it is a Bible.  If so, then I have to ask the following questions to get a better understanding:

1. If it is a Bible, then he must be stating that he agrees with the truth contained in it, and also (equally important) that he understands there is One who authored it and watches over it.
2. If it was not a Bible, then what book was it?

At this point I can’t answer the second question so I will stick with the first.

If it is a Bible, and he is swearing that he will do this or that, does it hold him to a higher authority?  Of course it does.  What authority is it that we assume he holds himself to?  To the God of the very Word that Mr. Obama places his hand on.  That is where I find a dichotomy.  The act of swearing on a Bible demonstrates that you acknowledge the authority of God, and by placing your hand on the Bible you affirm that you are speaking the truth just as the Word of God is truth.  How can you swear by God, and hold your hand on the Word of God, and then not uphold the things contained in the very same Word you swear by.  Let’s apply this thinking.

President Obama has made it very clear that he considers homosexual ‘equality’ a basic American (indeed human) right.  There are those among us who think this is proper, because God loves everyone. This is a true statement, but as happens more often than not it is misconstrued.  God does love everyone, saint and sinner alike.  The fact that He was willing to commit His Son to death for our redemption forever settles that question (Romans 5:6-8).  However this is an incomplete picture of the character of God.  The same One who sent Jesus to die for us is the same One Who destroyed Sodom and the surrounding towns due to their perversity.  From beginning to end the Word of God gives example after example that there is a price to pay for rejecting the clear message of God (Genesis 19:1-25; Revelation 22:12-16).

It is a very dangerous thing to try and rationalize the Word of God without regard to understanding the whole Word of God.