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March 18th, 2013
01:59 PM ET
Producer: Claim of Obama-Satan likeness nonsenseBy Dan Merica, CNN Washington (CNN) – The third episode of the History Channel's miniseries “The Bible” was supposed to be remembered for the brutality of Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar, the strength of Daniel in the lion’s den, and the birth of Jesus Christ. But after viewers claimed there was a striking resemblance between Satan’s human form and President Barack Obama, that probably won't be the case. Buzz on Twitter quickly grew. According to Topsy.com on Monday, there were an estimated 20,000 tweets containing the words “Obama” and “Satan” since the 9:00 p.m. ET hour on Sunday, the hour in which Satan appears in the two-hour show. In a statement, miniseries producer Mark Burnett called claims there was a resemblance "utter nonsense." Burnett said the actor who played Satan, Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, "is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics - including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President." Ouazanni has had roles in two biblical TV movies - "Jeremiah" and "The Ten Commandments." Executive producer of the miniseries Roma Downey, Burnett's wife, added, "Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our President, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible." Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Satan appears during the miniseries’ retelling of the Temptation of Christ, when Jesus fasted for 40 days in the Judean Desert. Satan tests Jesus’ faith, asking him to make bread out of stone and jump from a cliff, but he refuses each temptation and returns to the Sea of Galilee to begin his ministry. In the desert, Satan is draped in a long, black, hooded robe and with a slight silver tint to his face. Both Downey and Burnett supported Obama's first campaign for president in 2008, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Downey gave $5,000 to the Obama Victory Fund and $2,700 to the Democratic National Committee in 2008. Burnett also donated to Obama's first campaign - $2,300 in 2007. Neither gave money to Obama's 2012 campaign. While the show was airing, tweets poured in noting the resemblance. [tweet https://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/313120671297306624%5D [tweet https://twitter.com/lkspringer/status/313470968448315392%5D [tweet https://twitter.com/DanAmira/status/313491508391182336%5D Not everyone on Twitter agreed, though. [tweet https://twitter.com/joshuadubois/status/313489150118608896%5D [tweet https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/313498892148830208%5D [tweet https://twitter.com/scottgrimm1/status/313652372561858560%5D After three episodes, the show has scored strong ratings. Its first episode drew 13.1 million viewers, ratings that trumped CBS’s “60 Minutes” and AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” The second episode drew 10.8 million viewers. Ratings for the third installment in the five-week miniseries have not been released. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The project has been a three-and-a-half year process for The History Channel and for Burnett and Downey. Burnett - who is better known as a king of reality television, with “Survivor,” “The Voice” and “The Apprentice” all under his name - told CNN earlier this month that this project was “personal.” “It was time for an updating, adding fresh visual life to a sacred text,” Burnett said. Both Downey and Burnett were raised Catholic, Burnett in England and Downey in Ireland. They still regularly attend Mass in Los Angeles. Growing up, both watched the classic biblical films that the Hollywood of yesteryear churned out, like “The Ten Commandments” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” To film their Bible series, the duo set off for the southern tip of Morocco with a crew of around 400 people. Burnett and Downey consulted a wide range of pastors and academics, including a major evangelical leader and a Catholic cardinal. Their advisory panel consisted of many people from varied backgrounds familiar with sharing the stories of the Bible, rather than a who’s who of biblical academics. Joel Osteen, a popular television preacher and pastor of the 30,000-member Lakewood church in Houston, was among those consulted. Osteen and Burnett are friends and were developing a television series together that went on the back burner during the production of this series. Osteen even took his family to Morocco during some of the filming. While the History Channel owns the exclusive North American rights to the project, Burnett and Downey own the rights to global distribution and theatrical airings, which are in the works. The project also has a book tie-in, games and apps. - CNN’s Eric Marrapodi and Eric Weisbrod contributed to this report.
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You bunch of fvcking 12-year olds blowholes.
When I first saw Satan.......a chill went up my leg!!
♪♫ Tom, Tom ♫♪♪
♫♪ Come out to play-y-aaa ♫♪♫
Or is it "she who blogs and runs away lives to blog another day."
Satan looks like Obama and smile like Biden!
You fvcking people are amazing. I'm in awe at your logic and common sense. You're all like fvcking Vulcans.
The combined IQ total of all the religious right commenters here still wouldn't get to triple digits.
Yeah. Like you've ever even seen a triple digit.
I am sure Obama's IQ is a secret just like the rest of his life......
I've got ten digits, but only one is saluting you right now.
Just saw the video of Sarah Palin strutting out to the microphone at CPAC. Damn, I want to take that deep. For about a week. Me likee long time.
So you're a masochist then.
Hey, Moriarty. You're gay. It's ok. It's your way.
Say hey, hey!!
Is Barry shooting hoops tommorow, playing golf (or attempting to) or going on vacation?
To be on the safe side, the film could be checked for subliminal suggestion images. The human eye does not focus or see these images but the nervous system picks them up and transmits them to emotions. A lack of these images would indicate the resemblance is coincidental. Support was given for 2008 but not for 2012. Was there a quiet shift in political alliance?
The cuckoo chirps at dawn.
Or in my case, every few minutes.
You're not "Everyman" 51% of the country voted for Obama. You're a moron.
That's it. CNN isn't paying me enough to put up with this kind of trollish crap.
Well, Kenny, considering that Obama "lost" most of the military votes, handed out absentee ballots like Hallmark cards and gave free phones to "repeat customers" at the precincts –
He got the majority vote. PERIOD. He got the electoral vote. PERIOD. That is all that matters. That is why mr empty suit, your hero, mutt romney is home. You should be thankful Obama cant run for a third time. Based on the AZZ holes at cpac. He'd destroy them too.
So, Kenny, is that your "war face?"
Gerble, gooble, goo.
What, you don't think people recognize lies and propaganda for what it is?
When had the devil been so obivoius in his dealings he took on the form of cold serpent. So now the first man in the White House that is a man of color is the devil. So we are to believe that every leader in the US that is not a person of color is true and honest. As a member of the melting pot ( USA) I am to believe that the first President a man of color is evil the devil. When this president leaves the White House someone else will be blame. Wonder what the first woman President will be called remeber she may be your mother and you will be so hurt at the names others will call her.
That's deep man. Real deep.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Someones Mother? Why not just say "Sum dey won uv ar ganmammies mite b pressydant won dey......sow b nyss'"
(special present for baby-talk '..Angry')
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0-04VDrCbM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I79wUEqBdQc
Doesn't anyone remember the last umpteen presidents who were supposed to be the anti-Christ? If you want to see the devil people go look in a mirror & re-read the Bible. The Devil is an embodiment, not a singular boogie man. It is us you & I everyone that ever was & ever will be. We have all sinned against God when we were in heaven. Earth is our prison now, & death is or punishment. However we can all make it back home if we just try. The story of the prodigal son explains this so clearly. Peace.
36 pages of Christians and righties showing they are king-hell racists, interspersed with 36 pages of Christians and righties howling that it's everyone else who is the bigot for not accepting their racism.
And that's just chapter two!
There's even more CNN bible-bashing in our next story! Complete with stories about a new pope who, during his childhood, only wanted to be a flamenco dancer.
Fruit? Hell yeah! Maybe we can invite Harry over to sing to us.
" Daaaaay-O, Daaa-aaa-aaa O ! Daylight come and me wan' go home
The he can tell us why guns are so bad.
Butthurt troll can't sing either.
"I didn't vote for him but he's my president, and I hope he does a good job." John Wayne, speaking on the election of JFK. He was one of the last truly patriotic Republicans who respected the office of the presidency.
It's not about respecting the president. It's about respecting the people. Repubs can hate his guts (Which they do) for all I care. Just do your job. Boehner has to be the laziest speaker in history. No bills, No votes, no nothin'
The devil is in the details.......Obamacare! He really is the devil!
Joseph must have a very tiny..ahem..member.
My aren't you a wealth of information. Cry baby cry.
So much butthurt from such a small member.
It's a mystery.
Before Jesus and Satan, there was Buddha and Satan. It appears the NT scribes like the OT writers, copied quite a bit from those who came before:
To wit:
ProfessorMarcus Borg [Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings] notes the following traditions about the Buddha that provide something of a parallel to this cluster:
"Then Mara the evil one drew near to him, and said: "Let the Exalted One exercise governance, let the Blessed One rule."
"Now what, O evil one, do you have in view, that you speak this way to me?"
"If the Exalted One were to wish the Himalayas, king of the mountains, to be gold, he might determine it to be so, and the mountains would become a mass of gold?'
The Exalted One responded: "Were the mountains all of shimmering gold, it would still not be enough for one man's wants. He that has seen suffering – how should that man succu-mb to desires?"
Then Mara the evil one thought: "The Exalted One knows me! The Blessed One knows me!" And sad and sorrowful he vanished then and there. (Samyutta Nikaya 4.2.10)
During the six years that the Bodhisattva practiced austerities, the demon followed behind him step by step, seeking an opportunity to harm him. But he found no opportunity whatsoever and went away discouraged and discontent. (Lalitavistara Sutra 18)
I thought: "Suppose I practice entirely cutting off food?' Then the deities came to me and said: "Good sir, do not practice entirely cutting off food. If you do so, we shall infuse heavenly food into the pores of your skin and you will live on that." (Majjhima Nikaya 36.27)
Also said Jesus and Satan temptation story was simply another myth concocted by Matthew (plagiarized from Buddhas' writings?) and later copied by Luke. e.g. http://www.faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb139.html
Wait.....are you saying God manage to convey the same message to different culture throughout the world?
Shocking!
That's right, the same thing. God went to all those different cultures pretending to be a different god in each of them, and he told them if they believe in or worship any of the other versions of him, they end up in hell.
Are you sure you're sure?
Obviously, some did not read the last sentence.
Also said Jesus and Satan temptation story was simply another myth concocted by Matthew (plagiarized from Buddhas' writings?) and later copied by Luke. e.g. http://www.faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb139.html
Obviously, most don't give a damn about your post.
Aww, poor little troll is butthurt.
I'm surprised your JesusTroll hasn't been decimating posts on this story too.
Which one?
Careful, Arvn. "Decimating" is a big word for you to be throwing around.
It's certainly bigger than your balls, troll.
Bethany aka Atheism is not aka captain america aka truth be told aka too many other sock puppets to list. e plubibus unum.
pluribus, not plubibus
Ah, thanks, Arv. Yeah, the poor thing really is thin-skinned. Holds a grudge, too. You'd think it would get over losing an argument on an anonymous blog, wouldn't you?
snif.
Arvn can't handle the big words.
Hey, look, it's herbie stealing my name again! What a fvcking little fruit.
I haven't shaved my legs lately so I think I'll apply.
Burnett's holding a casting call for the part of a first lady who looks like a wookie for his new reality show, "Death Star Apprentice President."
The movie producers did an excellent job finding someone to resemble the Devil. He just happens to resemble the community organizer as well.........
Still fighting the Civil War, huh, Joseph? You know, you guys lost.
Left wing radical progressives cry racism to anyone that opposes O'devilbama..........he is destroying this nation you freaks!
Yeah, the stock market's up, housing prices are going up, unemployment is dropping, the wars are over. Yup, chicken little, you must be right.
@joseph......................Hello joseph are you there? Reality please. Just reality.
All that. Wow. And it only took the false sense of security that only $16 Trillion could provide.
The American people are just plain stupid. They created their own problems and don't want to change. So they are destroying themselves. Blaming the President is just denial as the American people elected thousands of politicians this past November and look how good that is going.