Why does The Bible's Satan look so much like Barack Obama?

Why does The Bible's Satan look so much like Barack Obama?

Coincidence... or something more sinister?

You might think it would be impossible for a TV series set thousands of years in the past to comment on contemporary American politics. But last night, hundreds of viewers of the History Channel miniseries The Bible took to social media to argue that the show had found a way — by casting Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, an actor who bears a striking resemblance to President Barack Obama, as Satan.

Perhaps inevitably, conservative commentator Glenn Beck was one of the first to comment on the physical similarity between The Bible's Satan and our 44th president. Beck originally made the comparison last week, while encouraging his followers to watch the upcoming episode:

The bible on the history channel Sunday.Best episode yet.Don't miss it.Does satan look EXACTLY like Obama?Y e s!

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 15, 2013

Beck pointed out the physical similarities again after Sunday's episode had aired:

Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on HIstory Channel looks exactly like That Guy? twitter.com/glennbeck/stat…

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 17, 2013

Is the resemblance between the History Channel's Satan and President Obama just a coincidence, or is there a rather on-the-nose political statement here? The Hollywood Reporter notes that The Bible producer Mark Burnett has donated to the Obama campaign and the DNC, suggesting that he bears the president no ill will. And Ouzanni is no stranger to biblically themed film and TV productions, so it's not as if producers had to go hunting for him. Over the past 20 years, Ouzanni has appeared in made-for-TV movies including David, which depicts the battle between Israel and the Philistines; Jeremiah, which chronicles the life of the titular prophet; In the Beginning, which adapts both Genesis and Exodus; and The Ten Commandments, which follows Moses as he attempts to free the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It's possible that the show was simply looking for someone with a proven track record in religious adaptations, and that the resemblance between Ouzanni and the president is just a coincidence.

Regardless of the underlying motives — or lack thereof — in this case, The Bible hardly represents the first time in recent years that a popular TV show has come under fire for making a political comment. Last year, HBO drew widespread criticism when it came out that an impaled head in the background of a scene bore the likeness of George W. Bush. HBO immediately apologized, recalled all the DVD sets of the series, and released a new version with the head digitally erased.

The Bible isn't likely to inspire a similar reaction. For one thing, it would be impossible to scrub Satan, a major character, from the series; for another, The Bible has plausible deniability on its side (unlike Game of Thrones, whose producers acknowledged the likeness on the DVD commentary). ( The Week )

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History Channel denies show’s Satan character resembles Obama

History Channel denies show’s Satan character resembles Obama - The History Channel miniseries “The Bible” has been generating heavenly ratings, with more than 14 million viewers tuning in to its debut episode. But the show generated some controversy with its Sunday night episode in which the character playing Satan made his debut. The controversy was not over anything happening on screen, but rather whether or not the actor playing Satan looks a little too much like President Barack Obama.

Does the actor who portrayed Satan in a new miniseries too closely resemble Obama? (Twitter)

Conservative media figure Glenn Beck was the first big name to address the odd similarity, writing on his Twitter account, “Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on History Channel looks exactly like That Guy?”

Beck was not alone, with thousands of viewers and several media outlets jumping on the story. Many were quick to note the similarity reminded them of a recent controversy in which it was discovered that the makers of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” had used a prop of George W. Bush’s head in a grisly scene.

History Channel has been quick to deny any similarities between the two, issuing the following statement:

“HISTORY channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It's unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. HISTORY’s 'The Bible’ is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”

And honestly, while the actor does bear a striking resemblance to Obama in the image posted to Beck's Twitter account, he looks more like a Jedi from "Star Wars" that the president is always talking about than history's biggest villain.

Interestingly, Moroccan actor Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, who portrays Satan, has appeared in a number of film productions with religious connections over the years, including “The Satanic Angels,” “The Ten Commandments,” “In the Beginning” and “David.”

In other images, any similarity between Obama and Ouazanni is far less striking.

Even Beck has tried to brush off any hidden agendas, posting that his original tweet was a joke: “Media—relax. Actor has been in similar roles b4. Funny, nothing more. For different reasons, #TheBible is 1 of my fav shows. Keep watching”

“The Bible” executive producer, Roma Downey, also released a statement saying she and fellow producer Mark Burnett made no conscious effort to cast an actor resembling the president. "Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our President, who is a fellow Christian,” the statement reads. “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.” ( The Sideshow )

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'Bible' producers dismiss Obama-Satan connection

'Bible' producers dismiss Obama-Satan connection — The producers of the cable TV miniseries on the Bible say Internet chatter that their Satan character resembles President Barack Obama is "utter nonsense."

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey said Monday the Moroccan actor who played Satan in the History channel series, Mehdi Ouzaani, has played Satanic characters in other Biblical programs long before Obama was elected president.

Associated Press/History, Joe Alblas - This publicity image released by History shows Diogo Morcaldo as Jesus, right, in a scene from "The Bible," on History. The producers of the cable TV miniseries on the Bible say Internet chatter that their Satan character resembles President Barack Obama is "utter nonsense." Mark Burnett and Roma Burnett said Monday the Moroccan actor who played Satan in the History channel series has played Satanic characters in other Biblical programs long before Obama was elected president. (AP Photo/History, Joe Alblas)

The connection got widespread attention after talk show host Glenn Beck last week tweeted: "Does Satan look EXACTLY like Obama? Yes!"

History said in a statement that the network has "the highest respect" for Obama, and that "it's unfortunate that anyone made this false connection."

"Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our president, who is a fellow Christian," said Downey, the "Touched By an Angel" actress who is married to Burnett. "False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of the Bible."

Beck has actually been a big supporter of "The Bible." The same tweet that pointed out the actor's resemblance to Obama urged his followers: "Don't miss it."

On Monday, Beck tweeted "Media — relax."

He said the observation was "funny, nothing more" and that the series "is 1 of my fav shows. Keep watching."

The five-part miniseries has been a big hit for History, reaching more than 13 million viewers for its first episode. ( Associated Press )

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Flyers-Devils Preview

Flyers-Devils Preview - With Martin Brodeur out, the New Jersey Devils have mostly struggled. However, two encouraging performances by his backup have them hoping they're on the verge of turning things around.

The inconsistent Philadelphia Flyers are hoping the same thing after breaking a three-game losing streak their last time out.

New Jersey hosts Philadelphia on Wednesday night in the opener of a home-and-home series, with the Devils looking to extend their recent domination of the series.

New Jersey (12-9-5) has lost seven of nine since Brodeur began to suffer from back soreness during warmups Feb. 24. They've yielded 3.8 goals per game in that stretch compared to 2.2 in the first 17 - 13 of which were played in by Brodeur.

Johan Hedberg has gotten the majority of work in Brodeur's absence and has had his issues, posting an .855 save percentage in eight starts since the injury and getting pulled twice in that span.

He's been better of late, however, helping his team to 3-2 shootout victories in two of the last three games. He's stopped 46 of 50 shots in those contests and denied all three shootout attempts in a win over Winnipeg on Sunday.

"I had to bounce back," said Hedberg, who was pulled from a 6-3 loss to Carolina on Saturday after giving up five goals on 18 shots. "There's no time for getting down and feeling sorry for yourself. I had to get back out there. I really needed this, and maybe now I can put a few games together."

The Devils badly need that with Brodeur apparently nowhere near being ready to play. He skated Tuesday for the first time since getting hurt, but there's no timetable for his return.

"It's part of his rehab to get strength," team president Lou Lamoriello told the team's official website. "He's been off the ice quite awhile now. It's still going to be a little bit. As to (when), I couldn't even tell you, or how long."

The Flyers (12-14-1) will be glad not to see Brodeur, who beat them 3-0 Jan. 22. They snapped their third three-game skid of the season Sunday with a 3-2 home win over Buffalo, but the club still has major issues.

Philadelphia is among the most penalized teams in the NHL, having been short-handed 108 times, and like New Jersey has had problems with its goaltending as Ilya Bryzgalov has struggled.

The Flyers, whose 82 goals allowed are among the most in the league, are tied with the Islanders for last place in the Atlantic Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference.

"It doesn't take much to understand what's going on," forward Simon Gagne said. "You look at the standings, and I think everyone came to the locker room today and looked at where we were at and how many games we have left. I'm not good at math but if you look at it we have to win games right now."

They haven't done much of that against the Devils recently, dropping four of five and seven of the last 10 meetings, including two in New Jersey this season.

Philadelphia will need to slow down Ilya Kovalchuk, who has four points in the season series and 13 in his last seven matchups with the Flyers. Kovalchuk has two goals and three assists during an overall four-game point streak. ( The Associated Press )

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A devil who shouts devil

A devil who shouts devil - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mahmud Abbas Palestine President's speech as devil on UN General Assembly last Thursday (29/11). "Based on hatred and lies," he said. Netanyahu's colleague, also as Israeli's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman added, Mahmud Abbas was Israel's prime opponent.

He called Abbas did not have the willingness to make peace. "Such person (Abbas-rec) if in power would harm his people. He would exploit his people for his personal interest and put them in misery."

Like tit for tat, US Secretary Hillary Clinton viewed UN General Assembly agreement supporting Palestine as non-member UN observer was very unfortunate and lack of in depth thought. According to her opinion, the only way to establish Palestine State was though direct peace agreement between Palestine and Israel. Not through UN.

"Such decision has added hurdle for peace," she said. Nothing surprising from Israeli or American officials’ statements above. This was a common issue, where America would always use veto right in UN Security Council every time proposed resolution condemning Zionist Israeli's outrage raised.

Common thing also happened if previously Israel threatened to kill Mahmud Abbas if he proposed for UN support. Also, not surprising if America threatened to shut down Palestine representative office in Washington if Palestine questioned Human Right violations done by Israel to International Criminal Court in Den Haag, Netherlands.

Because, with Palestine current status in UN, Palestine has direct access to ICC. In world society, where armed forces were the language, intimidation and threat have become common respect. Not really clear who was the devil who was the angel. Could not be understood anymore who was the evil and who was the divine. It could be, the devil shout out other party as the devil.

But, UN General Assembly resolution related to support to Palestine has changed. Western countries which usually taqlid a'ma alias just quacked to American decisions on constantly supporting Zionist Israel, this time around made different move. England, Australia, Germany, and Netherlands, for example, chose to be abstaining with the other 41 countries.

Meanwhile, France, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden on the contrary joined to 138 countries promoting Palestine. Meanwhile, countries rejected promotion against Palestine only nine countries, including US and Israel itself. The rest, only minor countries or geopolitically have minor influence to the world.

With such map, US and Israel have actually getting more isolated. Furthermore, currently US was having lingering economic crisis. They tried so hard to avoid military interference to other countries, just as they did to Afghanistan and Iraq. On the contrary, to Palestine, UN General Assembly support was clearly a triumph and step forward heading to an independent and sovereign state.

Palestine received extensive and strong support toward their demand to found independent and sovereign Palestine State in West Bank, Gaza and Madinatul Quds (East Jerusalem). Also, to get back occupied territories by Israel since Six Days War on 1967.

Furthermore, UN acknowledgement has opened the gate for Palestine to join institutions under UN, including ICC. On such, Palestine would be able to bring all human rights violations and war crimes done by Zionist Israel to International Tribunals.

This is actually what US and Zionist devils (read: Israeli's high officials) were very afraid of. Of course, with joining to UN did not mean Palestine problems were solved. Road to struggle was still very long. In factual, most of Palestine's territories were still occupied by Israel. ( republika.co.id )

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Santorum on Satan

Santorum on Satan: Who leaked the speech to the press? - We think it’s important here to follow one of the cardinal questions of politics – who benefits? That would narrow the field down to Rick Santorum’s GOP opponents.

Who leaked Rick Santorum’s Satan speech to the press? Perhaps a better way to put it would be who steered the Drudge Report to Santorum’s 2008 remarks at Ave Maria University in Florida that America is under assault by Satan? After all, those comments had existed, waiting to be discovered for years, before Drudge plastered them all over the top of his website for much of Feb. 21.

Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum addresses the Maricopa County Lincoln Day Luncheon in Phoenix, Ariz., Tuesday. Joshua Lott/REUTERS

Rush Limbaugh blamed generic “leftists,” but we don’t think it came from Democrats. President Obama’s campaign team still appears to believe that Mitt Romney would be the most formidable GOP candidate, so they might not want to weaken Mr. Santorum. If they do worry about Santorum – and there’s some evidence he might be the stronger GOP candidate in Midwest swing states – they’d save the Satan card to play in the general election.

No, we think it’s important here to follow one of the cardinal questions of politics – who benefits? That would narrow the field down to Santorum’s GOP opponents. And of those, only one has the money to devote to opposition research, and a relationship with the Drudge operation. Let’s just say that person’s initials are “Mitt Romney.”

We don’t have any specific evidence here, it’s important to say that. But we’re only repeating what many in the GOP itself are saying this morning. In late January the New York Times reported that Mr. Romney’s campaign manager Matt Rhoades had “close ties” to Drudge. Since then the influential site has featured a string of pro-Romney stories.

“I ... think that this is a Romney-leaked piece,” wrote conservative editor Erick Erickson today on the RedState blog.

Mr. Erickson, by the way, defends Santorum, saying that he (Erickson) agrees with the Satan remarks. In the 2008 speech, Santorum asserted that Satan had taken over US academia, culture, politics, and mainstream Protestantism, which he said was “in shambles.”

“His statement is well within the mainstream of orthodox Christian theology,” writes Erickson.

Other conservatives aren’t so sure. Jennifer Rubin, writing on her Right Turn Washington Post blog, says that the Satan statements are not remotely commonplace social conservative views, and that conservatives will be the group most hurt by them.

“He threatens to discredit them and cement stereotypes that they are judgmental and extreme in their views,” Ms. Rubin writes.

We should note here that Rubin has written supportively of Romney in the recent past. Overt Romney surrogates such as Gov. Chris Christie (R) of New Jersey have not shied away from the topic, either.

On Feb. 22 Governor Christie told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America that Santorum is wrong, and his statements are relevant to his fitness to be commander-in-chief.

“It is by definition relevant ... I think people want to make an evaluation, a complete evaluation of anyone who asks to sit in the Oval Office,” Christie said.

GOP gray eminence Karl Rove on Fox News Tuesday night noted that Santorum’s words might help him in the primary but would be “hurtful in a general election,” particularly his assertion that mainstream Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists are now subject to Satan’s power. ( csmonitor.com )

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Faithful author Dickens disliked dogma

Faithful author Dickens disliked dogma - Twist of fate in novelist’s childhood likely inspired characters wronged by the church.

Britain’s Prince Charles kicked off a yearlong celebration of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday on Tuesday with a wreath-laying ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey.

It seems a fitting gesture, given that the Poets’ Corner houses the famous writer’s remains. However, Dickens had a distaste for religious structures and rigid dogma.

Britain's royal family and other officials marked the bicentenary of the birth of author Charles Dickens on Tuesday at Poets' Corner in London's Westminster Abbey.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/10/3421690/faithful-author-dickens-disliked.html#storylink=cpy

Dickens, a member of the Church of England, believed deeply in Jesus as savior and in his moral teachings, but many of the novelist’s most avowedly Christian characters represent the worst in religion: greed, hypocrisy, indifference to human suffering, arrogance, self-righteousness and theological bullying.

“He was more interested in the general spirit than the specific letter of the faith,” said Brian McCuskey, who teaches English at Utah State University.

Dickens’ wildly popular Victorian novels, McCuskey said, “criticize evangelicals as being meddlesome at best and hypocritical at worst.”

To Dickens, says Barry Weller, a professor of English at the University of Utah who specializes in 19th- and 20th-century British literature, “any sectarian commitment got in the way of essential Christianity.”

It was the Christian zealots’ attitude toward the poor that bothered Dickens the most.

“What we find again and again in the novels is that (these Christians) want to do charity in a wholesale rather than individual way,” Weller said. “They are not sensitive to the needs of individual families and their situations. Instead of giving them what they need, they hand out a bunch of (religious) pamphlets. When they visit the poor as representatives of religion, they seem more eager to impress (on the needy) a certain doctrine than try to help them.”

So where did Dickens get his wariness toward Christian institutions?

The novelist’s father, John Dickens, was “loquacious, feckless, grandly theatrical,” writes Kenneth Benson in a biographical sketch for the New York Public Library, “and highly skilled at amassing debts.”

After a somewhat idyllic childhood, the 12-year-old Charles was sent to work for 12 hours a day, Benson writes, “pasting labels on bottles at a tumbledown, rat-overrun shoe polish factory on the Thames.”

The elder Dickens landed in debtors’ prison, where he was joined by his family. The future novelist had to walk 3 miles a day to the prison from his factory job. Eventually, the family went free, but the young Dickens never forgot the trauma.

“These cruel turns of fate — his humiliating enslavement to menial labor and his father’s imprisonment and disgrace — would haunt Dickens for the remainder of his life,” Benson writes.

The experience also gave him an instinctual empathy for the suffering masses and an antipathy for those proclaiming the Christian gospel who failed to care for the poor. In Dickens’ novels, McCuskey said, many scenes illustrate the churches’ institutional neglect of the poor.

Dickens, though, also enjoyed positive experiences with religion.

The first person who taught him to read,” Weller said, “was an Anglican clergyman in Rochester where the family was living.” As a successful writer, Dickens became involved in many charitable causes, including homes for “fallen women” and orphanages, he said.

Dickens connected his intense empathy for children’s suffering with Jesus’ own receptiveness to the young and innocent, Weller said, and alludes frequently to the Christian savior’s example in the New Testament.

Dickens’ most overtly religious work, “The Life of Our Lord,” emphasizes Christ’s “humanity and moral lessons,” McCuskey said, not his divinity. In this small volume, the novelist penned a simplified version of the New Testament for his children.

The book concludes with a plea to “do good, always” and to live, without boasting, the “quiet” Christian qualities of love, gentleness, meekness and humility. ( kansascity.com )

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