And here they are in Islamic mode:
Posted on 03/25/2007 9:58:20 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
For the past two decades, Barack Obama has been a faithful member of the congregation at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity is no run-of-the-mill black church. It's social activism and political awareness on pure, natural holy water. Trinity's progressive pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, preaches the black theology of liberation. And he practices what he preaches. Back when apartheid was the law of the land in South Africa, when Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner and when American corporations, institutions and the U.S. government all gave their blessings to those evil doings, the dashiki-wearing minister planted a ''Free South Africa'' sign on the church's lawn. Obama's spiritual mentor has routinely been on the right side of morality, championing liberal causes from gay rights to opposition of the war in Iraq. Shortly after Sen. Obama launched his run for the presidency last month, Erik Rush, a right-wing Christian blogger who happens to be African American, discovered what had been hiding in plain sight: The motto for Trinity United is ''Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.''
Trinity's motto, as well as its mission to eradicate what W.E.B. DuBois called ''the problem of the color line'' and ''the strange meaning of being black here,'' so incensed Rush that he wrote a blistering blog about it. It was unnerving for him to learn that the South Side church had adopted a ''Black Value System'' and that its 8,000 black members are committed to the ''Black Community,'' the ''Black Family'' and ''the Black Work Ethic.'' In his blog, Rush ignores -- or is just ignorant about -- the nearly 200-year-long tradition of the black church's struggle to free and elevate its people while slyly substituting the words white for black and then disingenuously concluding that ''like the Nation of Islam, a white separatist church or the Branch Davidians, Trinity United more resembles a cult than a church.''
No doubt that concept came as news to the thousands of well-heeled, professional and middle-class black Chicagoans who are members of the church. And no doubt media mogul Oprah Winfrey and rap star Common, who have both attended Trinity, were surprised to discover they were cultists. But quicker than you could say ''holy fit,'' the cable conservatives were clucking and complaining to the high heavens. Tucker Carlson, MSNBC's very own Fox News-type right-wing host, opined that, ''This stuff sounds separatist to me.''
Sean Hannity, the conservative half of Fox News' lightweight talk show, ''Hannity and Colmes,'' sounded as if this country was going to hypocritical hell. If a white presidential candidate's church had a similar statement and ''you substitute the word white for black, there would be an outrage in this country,'' Hannity preached. ''There would be cries of racism in this country.''
True and Catch-22. If a white church plainly and proudly pronounced its whiteness, Hannity, Carlson and company would be right. But if it was the Holy Trinity Polish Church on Chicago's North Side, proclaiming its Polishness, who'd care? This is how African Americans find ourselves in a trick bag. We're defined racially even when we're acting like any other of this nation's ethnic groups. Issues knee-jerkily become black and white when in reality they may be African American and Irish American. Or Serbian American and African American. Remove black and substitute another American ethnic group so that Trinity's Concept No. 6 reads: ''Adherence to the Mexican Work Ethic.'' Does that still sound separatist? Or racist? Of course not. But, if you're insincerely espousing color blindness, while holding the race card up your sleeve, you know you can easily trump African-American ethnic pride every time.
Obama's political advisers know this as well. That's why, at the last minute, Obama disinvited Wright to speak last month when he officially announced his presidential candidacy. Wright says that Obama now realizes that his political handlers gave him bad advice and that all is well between him and the senator.
I say this is just one more sad example of how ethnic identity gets color-coded for African Americans. And I believe it's just one more sign that there are those who would place Obama in political purgatory -- painting him not good enough to be black and not right enough to be white.
mailto:monroeanderson@gmail.com
Or is this self identification based on ones "color".
Can anyone help me with this?
Has Obama ever been asked his view on reparations?
A major Presidential candidate following liberation theology. Nice.
Supposedly, he's against them - and with his slave-holding ancestry, you can probably understand why.
There are other questions about this church. For instance, if reports are correct, they favor abortion. And they appear to put their commitment to race above their commitment to Jesus. I'd say this guy is more of a left-wing politician than a minister of the Gospel.
Valid question. My grandfather's father was from Great Britain. What color is my skin?
Sure highpockets, glad to help.
You see...uh...well it's like this, because they are...uh?
Mmmm. Can I get back to you on this?
Also brings to mind the "Puerto Rico paradox."
If Obama considers himself black - does that mean he denies he is as much white as black?
Isn't that bigoted?
It sure as hell does!
Who are they kidding?
One moment please while I access the Sub7 trojan on your computer and activate your web cam...
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED267144&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b8010bca5
"All respondents classified themselves as either white or trigueno (an intermediate category), avoiding classifications of Black, Mulatto, or other."
If Holy Trinity Church on Chicago's North Side were to proclaim its Polishness, I think I'd still feel welcome (I am of English extraction). I think someone of Ethiopianb extraction would also feel welcome there as well). I -- or a person of Ethiopian extraction might feel out of place -- but neither of us would be exclused simply because we are not of Polish extraction.
Obama's church, on the other hand, is ONLY open to people of a certain race -- regardless of their ethnic background.
It is NOT the same as Holy Trinity Church on Chicaog's North Side.
At Barama's chruch, Race -- not ethnic background -- is what matters. If you are not of the preferred race -- then you are not welcome, regardless of your ethnic background.
At Holy Trinity, your ethnic background and your race do not matter. All are welcome. If you are not Polish, though, you may feel out of place.
At Obama's church, if you are not of a certain race, you can never feel out of place, because you are not welcome.
;)
*****At Obama's church, if you are not of a certain race, you can never feel out of place, because you are not welcome.****
Ah - the hate crime (or speech) that only works one way.
Were I a Christian living near this church I would seek entry and make an issue of it.
Kind of like reversing the lunch counter routine.
I was with a friend of mine not long ago who was born in South Africa..he's white, but calls himself african-american (out of spite for those who call themselves african-american), but were born in detroit (or any other U.S. city) and are 4th/5th generation U.S. born and bred..he's gotten into (almost violent) arguments when he states he's more "african-american" than they are..it doesn't go over well, even though he's 100% correct..
he even applied for a job and checked "african-american" on the application, but was told by the person taking the app that he "wasn't black" and couldn't check that box, he had to check white/caucasion..
figure that one out..
I'm not sure that's true - I would imagine that lefties of all varieties are welcome there.
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