Posted on 03/17/2008 11:41:36 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The eruption of outrage, shock and fear that is flowing over Barack Obamas campaign like hot lava because his pastor has preached some strident sermons tells us one thing for certain: Many white people dont know black people at all.
If they did, they would know that Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago is hardly the only black minister who uses the pulpit to rant against racial duplicity and injustice. The black church has always been the place for letting our hair down and speaking our peace -- a safe haven from the criminations outside. Its how and why the black church became the nursery for the freedom and civil rights movements. Not every minister seasons his or her sermons with political commentary, and not every one who does is as fiercely spoken as Rev. Wright, but there is nothing unusual about the black clergy as social agitator. Guess the shockees didnt know that.
It seems they were also clueless that, when race, racism and discrimination do invade the pulpit, it is not always in the context of forgiveness and humility. Much of black America is resentful, angry and distrustful -- rightly so, some of us would say. Did the uninitiated honestly believe that slavery, lynching, Jim Crow, white resistance and flight, economic and educational duality, hyper-incarceration and yawning disparities in wealth, health and longevity have had no lasting effects; that all of that is really no big deal -- something we can kick off as easily as our Sunday shoes?
Surprise.
This could be a teaching moment for the society at large, which would do well to pay closer attention to 35 million of its members and to give heed to their accounts of their own experiences. Unfortunately, and typically, the alarmists are threatening to make it a Waterloo for Obama.
The candidate has denounced Rev. Wrights statements about Americas treachery, honest as they were.
Obama has even removed his Wright from his ministerial council. That had to be painful for Obama, who has otherwise spoken devotedly of the preacher who brought me to Jesus, performed his marriage ceremony and baptized his daughters.
Those pounds of flesh are not enough for the alarmists, however. They and frothing pundit after frothing pundit want the candidate to rebuke Wright categorically -- mind, body and soul.
Obama is in the unenviable position of having to court a large and diverse audience -- the American electorate generally and Democratic voters particularly -- that includes a good number of people who have no knowledge of, curiosity about, nor sympathy for the black experience, while, at the same time, remaining true to what he knows about Rev. Wright specifically and the black church generally.
Its a delicate balance, and Obama has tried to strike it, explaining to journalists that the anger and disdain expressed by Rev. Wright reflect common themes in the black memory, albeit not sentiments he shares.
In a fair world, Obama would be able to elaborate about the black perspective and thereby give some context to Wrights comments and the facts of black expression.
But, then, in a fair world, there would be no racial divide to bridge. Of course, Obamas detractors would never consider that.
About these things?
slavery -- Abolished in America over a century ago, but alive and well today in Africa. Discuss.
lynching -- Literally, a summary execution by a mob. Nobody has a monopoly on victimization by lynching.
Jim Crow -- Affirmative action?
white resistance and flight -- Can you blame people who don't go where they aren't wanted?
economic and educational duality -- BEC? "Black graduations"?
hyper-incarceration -- O.J. walks?
and yawning disparities in wealth, health, and longevity -- If these are so totally out of your control, what use is it to complain about people do who have even less control of your life than you do yourself?
lynching
Not happening now nor in the near past.
Jim Crow
Not happening now, nor in the near past.
white resistance and flight
You must pardon folks for not wanting to raise children in crime infested neighborhoods.
economic and educational duality
value education in your culture and stop calling it "acting white".
hyper-incarceration
Stop breaking the law.
yawning disparities in wealth
see "education" above
health and longevity
White people are to blame for biology?
The current push to "enhance" self-images is only making this problem worse.
To think I was worried about the local mosque.....
Makes me want to burst into song
You give your hand to me
And then you say hello
And I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
Well, you don’t know me
No, you don’t know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
Oh, I’m just a friend
That’s all I’ve ever been
‘Cause you don’t know me
For I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I let my chance go by
A chance that you might
Love me, too
You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
Oh, you’ll never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don’t know me
For I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I let my chance go by
A chance that you might
Love me, too
You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
Oh, you’ll never know
The one who loves you so
You don’t know me
You’ll never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don’t know me
“The Simpson verdict and more importantly, the reaction to it, were a clear signpost for me.”
.....absolutely!....that was an illuminating moment....followed by Louis Farakan’s Million Man March in DC ...followed by Fidel Castro’s raucous reception in Harlem....those three back-to-back episodes should have given whites everywhere a little glimpse into black attitudes.
Yes. Make nice with the Joos and they will let you do the same thing. Now run along, the adults are talking.
And, when THAT happens (the “steal”)....Hillary is going to lose a boatload of voters.......BAAWWAAAHHHHHHH....this is a NO WIN for the DEMS!
So, are we supposed to say something, or do something other than what we typically do which is, treat them like any other nice decent people that we know?
Jeremiah Wright's rhetoric is the closest to what I would imagine Satan would be saying when cut loose.
It surely is NOT Christianity nor anything Jesus would say.
I have been a teacher in the public schools for 18 years and spent the last 12 of those deep in the inner city teaching AP Gov't and psychology at the high school level.
This inflammatory rhetoric is par for the course from....black teachers and administrators! Not so much the kids although they do at times parrot back what they hear at home. But my Lord, I have felt the racist hatred from my african American "peers" come rolling off them in waves! It can be nauseating at times. However, as the sole hard core conservative in my entire school (this time, at my last school there were a dozen or so) it never bothers me and I let the glares of anger and rage just slide off my back like water off a duck. I go out of my way to be nice and courteous and accomodating. That usually makes 'em even madder. They've given up on me as a lost cause. Every time there is some new conservative comment made in the news, these folks hasten to avoid me for the fear it might serve to encourage me! This is because they know they can't argue the issues factually they can only whine from emotion.
To be fair, in the last couple of years most of that has ceased once these folks realized that my Christianity isn't a feigned article. Once they knew me to be an evangelical Christian largely the rage over my politics has abated.
That’s one perpetually angry, frustrated woman - looking for someone to blame.
We say that my eldest daughter has no black friends. This is because she has been raised in a family (and a church) that ignores skin color. My daughter has friends, some of whom are black. When I look on her innocence and wisdom, her love and kindness given to her as a gift from Jesus and affirmed by loving parents, I can only contrast it to the bitterness and race-hatred of this little Hitler of a preacher.
And you know what else? My church has split over piddling little issues like whether the projection screen is allowed to be lowered in front of the cross. If Obama has seen even one of these Hate America First And Blame Whitey sermons without standing up and taking his leave, then he is just as guilty of racial hatred and bigotry as his fuhrer.
Some of my best friends are white!
I don't have a great problem with 'ranting' (although it can be a self-defeating poison that seeps into your bones if you dwell on the object of your 'rant' too much), but please - not in a Church of Christ.
Everyone of us are sinners.
We can all find some grievance, or another.
Since the Fall in the Garden, this disease called 'sin' entered into the world - and there is no party that is immune to its effect.
To think that you hold a monopoly on persecution is just wallowing in self pity.
The purpose of the Church is to lead the individual to confront our sins. We are the sinners. There is no need to point fingers at anyone else (unless it is simply to warn the blind).
The Church is to bring people to the foot of the Cross in repentance - with love for a Saviour who paid for and redeemed our sins.
If they are focusing on the 'dung' of the world, rather than the beauty of Christ - these pastors have led their flock far astray.
If these folks want to start their own racial club to rant, and wallow in self-pity and anger -- well, I guess I can't object (although it sounds like a pretty dumb idea) - but please, keep it outside the Church.
If they are looking for a name for their club, 'KKK' is already taken. Maybe they can take 'WWW' (Wright's Wonderful Whackjobs), or 'BBB' ('Barack's Beautiful Bigrade'), or something like that...
out from under your rock, huh, Murry? Maybe you might CITE some FACTS instead of spewing your rhetoric about Christian ministers.....if there were any doing that....no Presidential nominee was in their congregation for 20 years, that’s fer sure!!!!
Well, I’m certainly glad all this is getting out in the open so that whites may get to know blacks who attend and support these churches a little better.
I’m glad you showed up again; us old-timers were having a hard time convincing the noobies that you weren’t just a musty myth.
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