It has never been about Jeremiah Wright. It has been about Barack's claim to Christianity while sitting in a "church" whose pastor spills vile hatred and lies from his mouth while the congregation cheers him on. But now Barack has seen the light, as it were, and resigned his membership from Trinity United Church of Christ.
While it is surely a good thing to get up and leave a church where even once every six months hatred and lies are preached from the pulpit, I personally cannot credit Obama too much for having left at this time. For all the appearance of "doing the right thing" will lay to rest in the minds of many this controversy that has dogged him-- and not without cause, but for many others it will be viewed as little more than political expediency. The evidence after all is quite clear: Barack has left his church of twenty years only because his membership was hurting his candidacy. From the Chicago Tribune:
Obama told reporters that he and Michelle had weeks earlier talked to the new Trinity pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss III, about leaving the church, "and we prayed on it."
The Obamas thought it would be difficult to continue as members as long as he was running for president, and the recent episode with Pfleger reinforced that view, Obama said. He said he and his wife hoped that, once they left the church, it would "be in a position to get back to doing what they do, which is worshiping God."
"Doing what they do"? Jesus said if you hate your brother you are a murderer at heart. No one, or congregation, can worship God with hate in their heart.
Two points. Barack and Michelle had stewed over leaving Trinity weeks earlier. And after praying on it decided it would be difficult to continue as members as long as he was running for president. On the surface it's rather innocuous, that is until you look just a fraction deeper. You have to ask yourself, would the Obamas have stayed at Trinity if they weren't running for president? Of course they would.
As far as perceptions go, it gets even worse. From Christian News Wire:
Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Washington DC based Christian Defense Coalition comments, "It is painfully clear that Senator Obama has publicly discarded decades long relationships because his church has become a hindrance to his political aspirations.
"Only one of the two following options may be true; for the past twenty years Senator Obama was a member of a church fellowship that was the foundation of his spiritual and moral reasoning -- or -- he sat in the pew of Trinity United Church simply for the political gain such relationships could bring.
"If Trinity United Church was simply a club to improve Obama's standing in the community, then he is consistent in discarding his membership today, when such gain is gone.
"But if his church membership was truly spiritual -- then this action shows a fundamental lack of integrity. Obama's resignation of membership in Trinity United Church demonstrates that he will trade even on his faith for political advantage.
"As voters, the American people must ask Obama, as president, what closely held value will he trade away next time."
A faithless pretender to grace, or a weak babe lacking discernment. Either which way you go with this Barack Obama wins nothing by doing what he should have done-- as a Christian --years ago. Many will say 'Bravo, well done, now we can get back to the business of bringing about change America can believe in!' These many will turn all their venom on Barack's detractors. But as I said at the beginning, this has never been about Jeremiah Wright, or for that matter Rev. Otis Moss III, or Father Michael Pfleger. It has been about judgment and integrity.
It would seem that Faith in Christ still has some sway in America, enough so that this controversy was even possible-- the salt has not lost all its savor. But as evidenced by the number of angry Americans on the other side of the ideological divide, the definition of 'Faith in Christ' is swiftly being replaced by something entirely faithless. The fox is in the hen house, and he's not sparing the flock... and the yard hands are too drunk on worldliness to check out the commotion in the hen house, let alone kill or drive the fox out.
Still, congratulations are in order. Congratulations Barack for doing the right thing. Too bad it's years too late for many people. All I can say at this point is I hope your decision and repentance was truly God given, and not the result of political expediency.
Yet despite that hope, and it is genuine...
"As voters, the American people must ask Obama, as president, what closely held value will he trade away next time."
It IS a fair question, and as voters we have every right to ask it.
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Regarding Barry's departure from Trinity, I think it shows the cut of his jib that he would turn his back on what he has depicted as such an integral part of his life. His inability to deal effectively with questions surrounding his association with this church and others gives us a good idea of how ineffective he'd be as a president dealing with questions regarding his governance. I find it incredible that he has so many supporters who don't or won't see what is so apparent to anyone not drinking the Razz-Barry Kool Aid.
Obame quit his chuirch for political expediency. That's all. It takes expediency to succexd in politics, I guess, but I sure don't like it, and I sure think much less of him for doing so. It is a shame on so many levels it makes my heart ache.
"It IS a fair question, and as voters we have every right to ask it."
Sadly, I have to agree, and I mean I sadly agree, EL.
On the other hand, he was damned by you if he did, and damned by you (and others who oppose him), if he didn't. And, I suppose that is the crucible of the bastard, political expediency.
Hey, every candidate has compromised close held principles now, I think. Can we have do-overs? Can we? Huh, huh? Can we?
For myself, my beef with Obama is not the least bit personal. Or religious for that matter. It's strictly ideological. I don't like his politics and I don't like his stance on issues like abortion.
In a sense, what happened is a good thing if it gave you a taste of what we've been force-fed from this guy. I hope others are also having their eyes opened, if even just this little bit. It is true he was damned by us, but it's not accurate to say that this incident changed that in any way. It's too little, too late as far as disassociating with such people and such a vitriolic church steeped in victimhood.
But his choice of churches is only a part of the larger question of his judgement, and his choice of a church, his choice to remain a very supportive part of it, and his current decision to throw them under the bus, are all examples of his poor judgement. There are so many more examples that have nothing to do with his church.
All in all, there's nothing this guy does that demonstrates any substantive "change". He's just another politician, and not a very good one.
Which is probably better, actually, the cult of personality being what it is.
Considering our choices this time around, from either party, I could not agree with you more.
If the rumors of the tape of Michelle Obama uttering racist remarks prove to be true, and the situation proves to be problematic to his Presidential Campaign, do you think that Obama will leave her as well?
And if he doesn't, then does that set up a double standard of some kind?
Even so, I don't think his association with this organization is his true problem politically. Yes, the doctrine of Black Liberation Theology is heretical, and that's a problem for Sen. Obama on a personal level, but politically his real problems are that he's a blatant socialist that has promised to betray every principle our nation's founders fought and died for.
If as Father Pfleger says, America's history of slavery is part of the greatest sin against god, then Obama's continued support for socialism and the Marxist trend of his politics surely leads to an even greater sin - A return to slavery in America. This time the enslavement of all but the political elite to our government.
Oh, and I seriously doubt the rumors of a tape of Michelle Obama. So far, nobody appears to have held back at all in tarring Obama with his associations. As it is, there's enough in Michelle Obama's publicly available writings and statements to use for that purpose now. Here college thesis was racist and her anti-American anti-Caucasian statements have already been exposed.
Like I said, Sen. Obama's politics are much worse than his associations. It's his politics and his politics alone that disqualify him for the office he seeks in my mind.