From the Times of India (via Drudge Report):
NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious….
An hour-long prayer meeting to sanctify the idol was earlier organised at Sankat Mochan Dham and by Congress leader Brijmohan Bhama, Balmiki Samaj and the temple’s priests.
“Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are presenting an idol of Hanuman to him,” said Bhama.
This story gives a whole new meaning to the name “American Idol.” But seriously, this could add another layer of religious confusion to the ever-unfolding bizarre “Obamessiah” phenomenon.
Okay, we all know Barack Obama is not a Muslim. After all, Islam disdains idolatry, as at their core do Christianity and Judaism. So should Obama accept the Hindu idol? Apart from worrying about the fuel it might add to all the recent talk surrounding religion and his campaign, he also may wish to consider this first:
The monkey symbolism of Lord Hanuman is related to the notion that a human being’s mind is ever active and never restful, hence the depiction of a human being with the face of a monkey. Furthermore, Lord Hanuman symbolically stands for pure devotion, complete surrender and absence of ego or the lower self.
The “pure devotion” and “complete surrender” may refer to the blind legions following Barack Obama, but what about the “absence of ego”? It’s very hard to see how that would describe Obama himself. All told, one of the more curious political stories of the season.
Idol Worshipers for Obama- the Bumper Sticker for 08