I have seen this story get a new lease on life in the last few days so we might as well address it here and try to put it in perspective.
Obama has written and spoken about being inspired by the preaching of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., and his calls to “spur social change.” The title of Obama’s second book, “The Audacity of Hope,” which essentially launched his presidential bid, was taken from a sermon by Wright. (Hard to argue that giving his congregation hope is a bad thing.)
Baptized in Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama has been an active member for two decades, regularly attending services with his family under Wright's spiritual mentorship.
Some of Wright’s sermons, which often address themes of white supremacy and black repression, have come under scrutiny by those who interpret them as racially divisive. Such preaching, they believe, polarizes Americans rather than unites them. (I imagine that those who do not want a discussion of racial inequality are those who wish to continue it.)
Remarks attributed to Wright that were posted on audio files on the Internet and cited in press accounts earlier this year may have prompted the criticism.
“Fact number one: We’ve got more black men in prison than there are in college.
(That is true. Look it up.)
"Fact number two: Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run.
(Well we did take the land from the native Americans and used violence and unfair bargaining tactics to victimize them simply because they were not white or Christians.)
"We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional killers. ... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. ... We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. ... We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means.
(All of this is true and verifiable.)
"And ... And ... And! God! Has got! To be sick! Of this s***!"
(I am not a believer, but if I were God I would be very disappointed in how humans interact with each other.)
Look I am not much of a fan of religion in general and therefore not one to defend any candidates religious advisers. But this guy is not even close to the kind of wingnuts that regularly advised Bush on spiritual matters, which included defrocked part-time gay minister Ted Haggard and those crazy bastards who wrote the "Left Behind" books.
If this is all the Right Wing, and Hillary, have to throw at Obama then they are clearly almost out of ammunition.
This is sad, very sad. I was sitting on the fence but was very close to giving my vote to Obama. This crazy man was in Obama's life for 20 years. There is no way I believe Obama did not know his views. I'm concerned who the REAL Obama is. He no longer has my votes. I'm afraid Obama's pristine peaceful beginning has reached it's end.
ReplyDeleteWell Anonymous I am sorry to hear that. However it looks as if you were looking for a reason not to support Obama and his minister simply provided you with one.
ReplyDeleteI do not find this information to shake my confidence in Obama at all. My only concern is that his opponents might use this to try and paint Obama as some kind of black power radical, which it is clear he is not.
Barack has made it clear who he is and what he stands for.
If he is not the candidate for you then I respect your opinion just so long as it is an informed opinion and not one based on a few minutes representing the most controversial comments by a preacher who has been ministering for 30 years. I have to believe that the vast majority of his sermons were powerful life affirming messages that have obviously filled his church with ardent admirers.
My belief is that those are the type of sermons that attracted Obama to join his congregation.