Posted on 06/01/2008 3:51:33 AM PDT by Kaslin
Likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has resigned from his controversial church, Trinity United Church of Christ.
“We don’t want to have to answer for everything that’s stated in that church,” Obama told reporters in Aberdeen, South Dakota during a rare Saturday night press conference.
Obama’s church came under intense scrutiny after videotapes were discovered of Obama’s longtime friend and former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright making anti-American and racist statements in sermons earlier this spring. Obama’s initial reaction was to defend Wright, until Wright engaged on a media tour and reiterated many of his most offensive remarks.
Questions about the church were renewed last Sunday when another one of Obama’s Chicago friends, Father Michael Pfleger, made racist statements pointed at Obama’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
"Rev. Moss, when Hillary was crying, and people said that was put on, I really don't believe it was put on," Pfleger said, recalling Clinton’s tearful press conference during the New Hampshire primary. "I really believe that she just always thought, 'This is mine! I'm Bill's wife, I'm white, and this is mine! I just gotta get up and step into the plate.' And then out of nowhere came, 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,' and she said, 'Oh, damn! Where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!”
Obama expressed regret at having to leave his church of over 20 years. “I did not anticipate my fairly conventional Christian faith being subject to such challenge and such scrutiny,” he said in South Dakota.
Obama noted his resignation should not be interpreted as a denouncement of the church. “It’s not a church worthy of denouncing,” he said. Obama said his critics “they’ve seen caricatures of the church and accept those caricatures despite my insistence that’s not what the church is about and there’s not much I can do about it” with a defeatist tone.
TUCC issued a statement that said: “Though we are saddened by the news we understand this is a personal decision.”
Obama’s decision came shortly after a contentious meeting ended in Washington D.C. by the Democratic National Committee to determine how delegates from Michigan and Florida should be seated. Both states were punished by the DNC for moving up their primary dates and were thus stripped of their delegates.
The DNC decided Saturday to seat half of the delegates from Florida and Michigan and to specially allocate 69 of Michigan’s delegates to Clinton and 59 to Obama.
The compromise was fought intensely by Clinton’s surrogates who are unhappy with the outcome of the meeting. Clinton campaign strategist Harold Ickes said at the conclusion of the meeting that Clinton had asked him to reserve the right to challenge the compromise with the Democratic Credentials Committee. This tactic has been deemed the “nuclear option” by political analysts since it would likely extend the Democratic contest until the Democratic convention in Denver.
I know everyone here has seen the video of the “sermon”. At the beginning, Pfleger rants and screams about the evil whitey and his evil assets that were only made attainable by the racism of his forefathers (no mention of hard work and sacrifice). The media is totally ignoring this part. They only hear the part about Hillary. The first part scared me to death! Hillary can fight back. How do we fight back against and “attitude”?
And that is the closest to the truth in this entire speech; he's not upset with the language and the hatred coming from his church, he's just tired of explaining it.
Ditto, what a putz!
I happened to have Fox News on when the press conference started. I’m surprised at how badly he does when he doesn’t have a teleprompter to read from, a lot of stuttering and false starts. It makes his debate performances seem like just that, performances memorized from a script of preanswered questions.
He didn't throw Christianity under the bus, he threw Black separatist racism under the bus. That Church doesn't preach Christian doctrine.
“Obama noted his resignation should not be interpreted as a denouncement of the church. “It’s not a church worthy of denouncing,” he said.”
Horsehockey. Everyone focuses on the words of the pastors while ignoring the congregation. Look at these video tapes. The congregation is on it’s feet, clapping and cheering these words. The congregatin is exchanging ‘high-fives’. The congregation is in complete and total agreement with the racist sentiments of these pastors. You cannot separate the words of the pastors and the reaction of the congregation. Both are racist.
In addition, the congregation supported these pastors and their racist rhetoric by their financial support and their continued attendance.
Now, tell me again that this church is “... not a church worthy of denouncing,”
I was appalled by how badly Barry did last night. He actually ran away at the end of it! There is no way this man can be the POTUS, all else aside, he is just too inept.
I had a flip reply to this: yeah, but it’s just like him ordering us to lay off his wife. The whole controversy takes one more thing off Obama’s table and further restricts his room for maneuver rhetorically. That’s always good, IMHO, though the alternate remains McCain, so we’re only winning a little bit (still, better than nothing).
Then I realized: has anyone heard a word from Michelle since her gaffe embarrassed the entire left? I think that this also shuts Pfleger up (even his Archbishop had to speak up to hint he should stop) and removes Christianity from the things the Democrats can attempt to co-opt. IMHO, that’s what the whole controvery originally was. The Dems thought they could simply adopt Christian postures and pretend, with the help of the MSM, that they actually were sensible and faithful Christians, just going out to do battle for the poor, like Christ ordered us to do.
What this all shows is that it wasn’t just cover, it was an open fraud because it exposes the truth that the Dems now have no idea what actually constitutes authentic Christian belief, practice or way of life. They can’t even convincingly fake it. The fraud is exposed and Christians can now stand up to preach true charity (from your own hand, thank you very much) and humility (we should be silent before the loving God who has made us and all things). We don’t have to be co-opted into repressive environmentalism and oppressive welfare entitlement. Those are secularist frauds perpetrated in Christ’s name for the financial and moral benefit of the perpetrators.
This is a good things, if only we could see it.
Why sign the petition? The Church did nothing about their pedophile priests who were destroying little boys and girls until they were sued and prosecuted out the kaazoo! They are going to do nothing about this pervert unless the Holy See gets involved. The Bishop or Cardinal has encouraged this Idiot for years.
Very selective & measured in his response to questions..I noticed that too but I think he’s just being VERY careful in his choice of WORDS. He doesn’t want to trip up & say what he really believes lest we see who’s behind that mask.
I had Fox News on too, and could only listen for about 30 seconds, in every second he went “uh” I finally had to mute my TV and just watched his mouth move
It will be interesting to see how trinity, the congregation and black liberation theologist on whole respond to this.
> going out to do battle for the poor, like Christ ordered
> us to do.
Christ orderd *NO* *SUCH* *THING*!!
He ordered us to
1. Love God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind.
2. Love others as you love yourself, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
3. Go and preach the gospel to all men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Christ *DID* *NOT* participate in political activism.
Christ *DID* *NOT* advocate taking money from one man to give to another by threat of force.
I wouldn’t say that he has *encouraged* this wayward priest, but he needs to take very firm actions with him. In this case, it might be far better to communicate with the Vatican. That CAN be done, you know. The person to write to would be the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada.
You have is ailing 85 year old grandmother, the Wrong Reverend Wright, now the entire congregation and new Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (Trinity is the UCC's token Black church).
It's not over, they better make more room under that Obama bus, because there's more on the way. Unrepentant terrorists Ayers and Dohrn aren't there yet, Tony Rezko hasn't been dealt with yet, Rashid Khalidi is still out there and who knows what other radicals, con men, frauds and terrorists from the Obamessiah's flock are still to be uncovered?
“...he threw Black separatist racism under the bus”, yup after throwing grandma and his whiteness under the same bus to protect it...
How astute that you noticed that. I watched him on interview and never saw so manys uhs in my life, it is obvious to me that when he gives a speec it is highly rehearsed.
Hmm, well, yes I over-spoke. Christ said the poor would always be with us. You are right about what order has the most importance, but I wasn’t addressing that. I was addressing the further command that if we love those whom we can see, then we will be strengthened in our love for Him whom we cannot see. That was the basis for charity and care for the poor. Doing battle is indeed a poor choice of words in the case and I retract them. I contend that my criticism of Democrats in the case is otherwise sound.
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