At first notice, when he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and then when he started his campaign speeches, we couldn’t help but notice a great similarity to Martin Luther King, Jr. Has nothing to do with race or what Obama says, but how he says it. The pace, the cadence, the repeating of certain phrases for emphasis all say preacher. Because that’s exactly what a good preacher does. And MLK was that.

Then there’s the motivator. When a good motivational speaker finishes, we’ve got to feel good about ourselves. We can do it, whatever it is. We have purpose, we can accomplish. Effective preachers convince all who listen of that. Good case: The man who preaches to an arena size congregation every week, and packs stadiums even in heavy doubter territory like New York City. His name is Joel Osteen. Watch him sometime. He IS the motivational speaker. As people listen, they don’t just feel good about God, they feel good about themselves.

Then there’s preacher Rick Warren. Motivational speaker, writer, host of he first McCain/Obama debate. He’s written a book that’s not just a NY Times best seller, but THE best seller, other than the Bible, of the past 2,000 years! And what’s the book about? You! YOU have a purpose in this world. It’s called the Purpose Driven Life. And YOU are the star of the book.

Cut back to Obama. He IS the motivational speaker. He IS the motivational preacher. Not the message we hear in church – except on occasions like Tucson – but accomplishing the same thing: moving people to feel and do what the speaker urges. How? By convincing you that you can accomplish more than you ever thought you could. And of course what you’re supposed to accomplish is the bidding of the one who delivers the inspiring words that convince you that you’re capable of anything. That’s Obama. That’s a preacher. And the ultimate salesman.

If both sides told the truth, and didn’t spend so much time beating up on messengers, both would have to admit that they have no proof that can be seen, touched, felt or scientifically reasoned without speculation. It’s all deduction backed by speculation. Many on both sides say so. They all just think their side has the superior deduction.

And what does an atheist evangelist hope to accomplish anyway? Surely nobody really thinks religion is going away. Huge, powerful regimes have tried to kill it, as in most of the ones that ran ancient Rome and then the Soviet Union.

But people, somehow, manage to get back to their religion, even after it’s been suppressed long enough that it logically should have died. The people couldn’t wait to re-open their churches after the fall of the Soviet State.

America got started, against awesome odds, in large part because of religion. Try to give a logical, scientific explanation of that. Yeh, you could pick out some facts here and there probably, and call it logic.

But that little rag-tag band that made up the army George Washington led against the largest, most powerful military in the world actually winning? Not just matter and evolution and practical science. Survival of the fittest? Laughable. No,it was something that logical men would have declared impossible. And what some men and women still call miraculous!

But never mind. Back to the Atheists. They’d choke on the thought, but there’s no difference in an Atheist evangelist trying to convert the world and a Christian evangelist trying the same thing.

Both have committed to a cause and neither will back down a millimeter.

Woah. Heavens no! That would mean losing MAJOR face.