Obama resigns church membership.

[onehandle]

Source: CNN

Breaking on CNN.

No link yet.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Oh noes! Now he's a godless heathen!!!!

[kestrel91316]

58. Worse. The RW will claim it's proof he's really a Muslim terrorist after all.

[Triana]

61. That's what I figure. Those vacuum-packed nabobs will manufacture something...

...to smear him with out of it, since they can't use the church and whatever pastor enters into it to smear him with anymore.

[LARED]

2. Wow, it's about time

This will be viewed as a politically expedient move.

[timtom]

96. Political expedience is incompatible

with integrity to one's beliefs.

This is embarrassingly transparent and speaks of his character.

[aquart]

3. But I thought there was nothing wrong with it.

For twenty years, not one damn thing wrong with it.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

14. Why don't you tell us about your candidate's creepy prayer cult, aquart?

How much do you know about it?

[Dr Fate]

54. Conservatives dont have a problem with her prayer group.

Conservatives and Hillary supporters agree on lots of things.

[robinlynne]

78. republicans and hillary supporters just keep getting closer and closer.

She's going to have to join Lieberman's party soon.

[MonkeyFunk]

90. The Senate Prayer Group

isn't a creepy prayer cult.

[Lifetimedem]

24. Lets be honest

He joined that large influential church for political reasons . Who can blame an ambitious young man for making that choice ?

The church hinted that he was an "absent" member a lot. My guess is he did not hear many of those sermons, and if he was there his mind may have been elsewhere .

I will not question the testimony of another man, but I have no idea how he "found" Christ there.

[struggle4progress]

83. ... "I'm not denouncing the church and I'm not interested in people who want me to denounce the ..

church," he said, adding that the new pastor at Trinity and "the church have been suffering from the attention my campaign has focused on them" ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24908975

[napi21]

4. I don't really know anything about that Chruch, but they sure seem to attract

some extremist preachers! Being on the campaign trail, and likely our President, he wouldn't have had much chance to go to that Church anyway. Shame on those preachers for giving Barack no other option!

[nichomachus]

9. No, they attract

a variety of preachers. Some are extremist. Others are not. Sort of like real life. How dare they be like real life!

[napi21]

16. OK. I can believe that. The problem I have NOW is not so much

with Rev. Wright. I'm sure the media cherry picked his sermons to find the juicy ones. My problem is with this NEW NUT! Both of those preachers are supposed to be Obama supporters! Both of them are causing him nightmares! WHY?

[Lifetimedem]

19. Wright

Preached a Black liberation theology, so it is doubtful that the theme was a few isolated sermons.

My guess is that most contained some threads of that theology.

He is an angry man that ended up hurting someone that was supposed to be his friend. I have little respect for him

As for the priest..he is a raciest bigot..with friends like this BO does not need enemies

[DCKit]

27. Why? Because his candidacy has given them the opportunity.

Opportunistic parasites.

It is unfortunate that Obama had to resign at this time, but I'm sure he felt he had to.

[Blaq Dem]

29. Have you heard of COINTELPRO

Every brother ain't yo' brother.

[napi21]

50. Sorry, no, I've never hear of that. What is it? n/t

[Blaq Dem]

65. I'm glad you asked....

Google it.

It's a dirty program the governement have to keep black people from coming together against discrimination. It explains a lot.


http://www.monitor.net/monitor/9905a/jbcointelpro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
http://www.thetalkingdrum.com/cointelpro.html

[LARED]

11. Just in case you didn't know

That church has been preaching some pretty extreme stuff for a long time. Obama has been a member for twenty years.

[nichomachus]

53. Just like the church

that Hillary pals around with -- The Family -- very very extreme stuff. Obama's sounds better.

[bitchkitty]

100. The Family?

Do you mean The Family as in the Children of God? If so, can you please please please furnish a link?

As an ex-Family member, I am very, very interested in this!

Edited - I googled and evidently it's not the same group. At least I don't think they're the same, I'll have to look some more.

[L4TRUTH]

57. ACTUALLY, YOU'RE NOT QUITE RIGHT ABOUT THAT...

I've seen plenty of sermons from this church that were very benign. What people don't know is that Wright could do a heck of a lot more than say "God D*mn America." He actually preached about men being men, getting an education, getting involved in community affairs, not being promiscuous, staying away from drugs, etc.

This may come as a surprise to so many (because you don't want to believe it), but all of his sermons were not peppered with "God D*mn America."

[LARED]

71. I was not trying to imply that extreme stuff was the norm

only that it was not something that started recently. Not matter how many good sermons Wright preaches IMO it speaks poorly of Obama to have been a member for twenty something years. There was no way didn't know about Wrights ideology.

[stray cat]

5. Maybe he plans on moving to another region of the country -like DC?

[jody]

6. BO is a political chameleon, he changes his position to whatever is appropriate at the moment. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

10. Heh. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, eh?

[seriousstan]

15. No, damned when he chose to join in this crowd of haters. Damned when he stayed for 20 years.

Damned when he accepted and listened to the hatred.
Damned when he lied about not being able to disown Wright anymore than he could disown his family.
Damned when he did disown Wright.
Damned when the public learned what kind of "faith" he embraced for 20 years.

[Dr Fate]

55. You should use those talking points when you go on to work for a 3rd party or the Republicans.

Then you can "damn" the DEM nominee all you want. Maybe they'll even pay you for it.

The good news is you attack the DEM better than every republican I've ever met, so you wont have to change much.

[struggle4progress]

76. More Fox Lies: Jeremiah Wright -- the Whole Sermon (Erikka Yancy)

... I LOVED going to Trinity for several reasons. I found the congregation to be inviting, accepting of ALL people, ALL colors, ALL backgrounds. I found Jeremiah Wrights teachings to be progressive in nature, surprisingly political, informative, and sometimes funny. When Obama said he'd never heard Wright say things like he said in that video, I believed him. In three years, I never heard anything like that either. I heard him tell a story about how he told a woman that if she didn't like homosexuals in the church -- she should leave, because he wasn't making anyone else leave. I heard him systematically break down poverty in the black community, I heard him build up a congregation hungry for knowledge, and inspiration, but I never heard him say the things Fox News found. That should have been the moment it occurred to me that something was wrong. Fox News ...

In the FULL version of a now infamous sermon from Jeremiah Wright, he discusses government, slavery and politics. But that's not all. He talks about how "blacks had an intelligent friend in the Oval Office" under the Clinton administration, and continues to say that we went from an intelligent friend from a dumb Dixie-crat; a rich Republican who has never held a job in his life. That's pretty funny. He then talks countries and their failed attempts at imperialism, which brings us to the section we all know and love. But I don't want to give it all away; you should watch it ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erikka-yancy/more-fox-lies-jeremiah-w_b_92850.html

Click the link and listen to the sermon

[nichomachus]

12. He should be more like Bush and Hillary

and stick to something even when it's proven to be the wrong thing. That's just what the country needs

[mike_c]

7. now if he'd just swear off religion altogether....

Then I might take notice! Otherwise, the comings and goings of xtians don't mean very much to me.

[raystorm7]

30. True True =)

[alarimer]

99. I agree except this reeks of political expediency

And caving to the right wing.

But I am not voting for him anyway.

[BlooInBloo]

8. I'll wait for a link.

[amandabeech]

13. He should have done this years ago when he first started considering

state-wide and national political office.

Trinity is apparently a very popular church with excellent social outreach programs, but it is not doing Obama any good.

Chicago's a big city. Surely, there are other fine, socially conscious churches without occasional sermons that are extremely controversial among a the general population.

[jcla]

17. If this is true...

then it is a tragedy for the Obama family. A church, temple or mosque for most families is another wider family that the Obamas are now cut off from. But the nutters that condemned a church that has been a pillar of strength and a force for good in the community are condemning all its people and all its good works not just Barack and Michelle. To believe that a church is monolithic in its practices believes that descent is not allowed. Sounds like the o'Lielys of this world are given too much credit.. but prejudice still rules as so many voters have proved. My sympathy for the Obama and the Trinity families that have been severed so disgustingly.

[polmaven]

84. With the latest "problem"

it has occurred to me that, just like Wright got angry when Senator Obama decried the outrageous things he had said and decided to make things worse, maybe the church has turned on him too, and that is why they invited this latest train wreck to speak last week.

i think maybe the church has turned on him.

[CookCountyResident]

92. How much do you know about "Black Liberation Theology"?

What bothered me most about Pfleger's appearance in this church was that his speech came off as a kind of reverse "Uncle Tom". Lot of "white guilt" going on there.

This church, with its basis of Black Liberation Theology", espouses a very anti-white mentality. For all that Obama has been trying to do to bring people together in unity, having a 20+ year old membership in this church does not give off those kinds of signals - in fact, they seem to be quite the reverse.

Oprah was wise to have distanced herself from this bunch years ago.

For Obama to wait until NOW to do so only speaks of political expediency.

It's a very tough pill to swallow right now for those of us trying to make heads or tails of this campaign season and have the confidence to pick a candidate who will not go down the drain in the Electoral College this November.

[Muttocracy]

18. not seeing on CNN, MSNBC, NYT, Chi Sun Times, or Chi Tribune? nt

[amandabeech]

20. On MSNBC now.

Comments that Obama resigned today because this development may be overshadowed by the Rules Committee meeting.

[Muttocracy]

22. thanks - should have said I was looking online which is probably behind TV. nt

[amandabeech]

25. You're welcome.

[Muttocracy]

23. online, it's being overshadowed by the space station toilet mission! nt

[Blaq Dem]

21. It doesn't matter when he resigns, right-wangers would've hounded him anyway

[Muttocracy]

26. link on Chicago Tribune site:

http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/05/cnn_obama_leaving_his_church.html

[raystorm7]

28. YAY! welcome to the non-believer fold Obama! Enjoy the fruits of reality for a while =)

[NashVegas]

31. The Trouble With Pfleger

from earlier today ....

The Reverend Father Michael Pfleger isn't saying anything about Hillary Clinton that hasn't been said on MSNBC, DailyKos or Democratic Underground. There are two huge problems here. One is the pathetic attempt to imitate African-American-style preaching. When in Rome, sure, but it looks condescending to me. Does he really need to do that to be accepted by the Trinity congregation? The other is that in the wind-up to his Hillary imitation he espouses the talking points that get used by the pro-reparation crowd.

Republicans - and pragmatic Democrats - know that one of the quickest ways to a heated racial debate is to bring up government reparations. Anyone who thinks the Republicans aren't already planning on going there are in for a treat. Do your own Google search - here's what mine turned up.

If Barack Obama is the nominee a conversation is going to take place and Democrats are going to have to allow it to get loud on both sides of the line before the grown-ups come in and smash everyone's heads together, if he is to win the White House.

http://imperialwitness.blogspot.com/

[katerinasmommy]

32. Obama resigns from Trinity Church

Source: CNN

Michelle and Barack Obama have left their church followng remarks reported yesterday

No link yet.

[Muttocracy]

33. FYI, we're not supposed to post duplicate threads in the LBN forum. nt

[katerinasmommy]

35. this wasn't there yet when I first posted

[Muttocracy]

39. ok, you posted 15 minutes after the other one, so I'm surprised. nt

[uppityperson]

47. That is deep. eom

[Hissyspit]

46. not true.

only no dupes between GD and GD-P

[Muttocracy]

49. so am I misreading rule 3 for LBN?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x87249

"3. Do not post duplicate topics about news events that have already been posted. Please note that we are very strict about duplicates in the Latest Breaking News forum. Multiple discussion threads about the same topic are not permitted. If you would like to share a new article about a news item that is already being discussed, please add it to the thread that is already open on that topic."

[Hissyspit]

88. My apologies. I misread your original post.

[Seabiscuit]

34. It's about f'in time!

Now it's just a matter of keeping fingers crossed that it's true.

[Buck Laser]

36. That's a deep disappointment to me, but...

Back in my days as a clergyman during the Vietnam war, I followed a mentor's advice to apologize to a supervisor who disliked my antiwar activities. That was in 1967, and those words are still sour in my mouth. Shortly after that, I left the ministry, and I've never looked back.

It was political expediency that forced their exit. Trinity church is doing nothing other than what a church faithful to the gospel should be doing. This won't affect my vote at all, because I learned a very long time ago that everything human beings touch turns eventually to shit. But I'm sad about it.

[sharesunited]

37. What about his NRA membership?

[Omaha Steve]

48. Why give up the NRA?

I haven't fired a gun of any kind in at least 25 years. It is only a club. Extremists give it a bad name.

[Blaq Dem]

38. Damn, should've done that long time ago

It didn't matter anyway. Had he resigned 5, 10, 15 years ago, the right-wankers would still hound him for attending that church.

[Kahuna]

40. I don't blame them. Let me tell you about the black folks that I come

in contact with everyday at work (Fortune 20 company) and at home. We are very conscious of our conduct. We are all very careful to "behave" ourselves and conduct ourselves with dignity so that white folks don't point to us and say, ah ha! I can't vote for Obama because that's how "they" are. It's an unspoken code that whenever I talk to black folks and bring this up they all say, that's right. We don't want to do anything that might hurt Obama.

Then look at how his own people who supposedly know and love him seem to do everything in their power to hurt him. It's very puzzling.

[katerinasmommy]

43. That's sad

I'm sorry that you folks feel like you have to be that way. Though I know you're being realistic. Still, what a sad commentary on our society.

[Kahuna]

44. It may be sad. But it is true. nt

[1Hippiechick]

67. maybe it has to do with ethnic self-hatred - how sad is that?!?!?

:shrug:

"The term self-hatred can refer to either a strong dislike for oneself, one's actions, or a strong dislike or hatred of one's own race, gender, or sexual orientation. When used in the latter context it is generally defined as hatred of one's identity based on the demographic in question, as well as a desire to distance oneself from this identity.

[wellst0nev0ter]

68. The Latest "Angry Preacherman" That Prompted The Resignation Is White

I wonder how his behavior will affect the image of white people everywhere, especially those running for office.

I guess it's useless to complain about double standards, but I say let the preachers say what they want. They are they own people and they don't have to be governed by the needs of self-serving presidential campaigns.

[CookCountyResident]

93. I have trouble with preachers or visiting politicians "preaching politics" at the pulput...

period.

It is totally against FEC rules, but somehow they all get away with it.

[wellst0nev0ter]

97. Was He Saying "Vote For Obama" Or Just Talking About Hillary?

The line between regulating political speech from the pulpit and outright censorship is very thin.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

41. Tragic

That they should feel it necessary to sever their ties with a church that obviously meant so much to them is really sad.

I'm so sick of these tangential, meaningless issues taking up so much time and space in a campaign. This is right up there with lapel pins.

But, they did what they had to do to shut up the right-wing smear machine. So, good for them.

[JoFerret]

42. They woke up

Good. Hope it's not too late.

[raystorm7]

45. Leave that religion mess at home and in private, is what I'll always say.

[Divine Discontent]

73. THREE CHEERS FOR OBAMA!

Hip Hip Hooray!

There's more Christ-like acting ministers out there, let him find one if he so chooses to. The people that appear to be leading that church are questionable at best, and I guess Barack's decision to cut ties from them totally speaks that. I wish he'd have done it sooner, but whatever, it's done - on to VICTORY in November! (oh, and let the GOP say crap about him and this decision, we'll gladly go after the McCain's practices and beliefs)


New Obama Items Weekly!
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable

[Quantess]

51. Good, because he's going to need to concentrate on being President

He's going to be too busy cleaning up the White House to sit in church.

[Rowdyboy]

52. Sad but necessary....

K&R

[someone else]

56. It's getting crowded under the bus.

[Name removed]

79. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Freida5]

59. Finally caved in to the pressure.

[rebel with a cause]

60. link to MSNBC story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24908975/

Hope no one has already posted this. I put it up as a thread else where and they took it down. :shrug:

[onehandle]

62. Thanks. No link appeared before my edit time ran out. nt

[Triana]

63. He was bringing too much attention to the church and the church was bringing...

...too much attention to him. I agree with another poster in this thread who said that that church likely attracts all types of pastors and preachers. Some loud and outspoken, others more low-key. Likely a variety of them over the years. It's a typical large church - one that (gasp!) attracts all types of people. For most people, this needn't be an issue. However, for the first African American presidential candidate in the US - it can cause issues - mostly because of the double-standards applied to Democrats where such things are concerned, and the double-standards applied to AAs where such things are concerned - namely by the GOP/Republicans and their lamestream media.

I'm sad that Obama and his family had to do this but I understand the reasons for it. I don't doubt that his family's spirituality and faith is important to them and that it has been a guiding force in all their lives. Hopefully, he'll be too busy campaigning until he's elected, and once in DC can find another church to belong to - or another one in Chicago even before that.

[Divine Discontent]

82. EXCELLENT POINT - too much attention to the church & its members & too much attention to him from it

[TacticalPeek]

64. Another link:

Obama quits Trinity
By MIKE ALLEN & BEN SMITH | 5/31/08 6:21 PM EST


On the brink of the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has left his controversial congregation, Trinity United Church of Christ, in Chicago, campaign spokesman Bill Burton said Saturday.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10724.html


Saturday data dump.

[sunnystarr]

66. well you usually change churches when you move ...

and I see 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is too far from Chicago to stay at Trinity. Between now and then he's gonna be way too busy and my guess is he won't be in his Chicago home much.

[WoodyM]

69. In his quest to become president,

Obama has thrown the grandmother that raised him under the bus, he has thrown his pastor of twenty years, who married him and baptized his children under the bus, and now he throws his church under the bus. And Hillary Clinton is accused of doing anything or saying anything to be president.

[Divine Discontent]

74. he didn't throw his grandmother under the bus - your adding so much more to the statement

he threw his pastor under the bus for sermons that he apparently didn't attend that were overboard, and he pushed away from the church because a pastor got up there and politicized Hillary Clinton as a whiny cry baby hell bent on doing anything to get elected - I commend Obama for that, sorry you're just taking an unfair swipe at him... it all sounds like sour grapes because of Hillary being done...

[WoodyM]

101. Obama is just another politician

who used his church as long as it was useful to advance his career in Illinois politics. He was not going to throw those 9K votes away. When they were no longer useful or perhaps even hurting him he serially threw them away. First, there was his grandmother, who he implied was racist as she was just like other white people in that she feared when a black man approached on the street. Then there was his pastor who was his friend and mentor. And he did sit and in the church and listen to those sermons. He said at first he had never heard them until a video showed him sitting in audience. He said the preacher was just a crazy uncle that said some things that he did not agree with. But as more came out he renounced him and thru him under the bus. Now that such a sermon, if that is what you can call it, was preached by the priest and the reception it had with the listeners he had to resign and throw his church under the bus.
After my first choice dropped out. Clinton was not, by far, my first choice. Obama was, but as I watched Obama’s public appearances and realized that although he was an excellent orator, he could not explain his own policies in detail. He had no real grasp of what he wanted to do. Just chanting of slogans such as “Change We Can Believe In.” (whatever that means, perhaps you could explain it to me) It came to look like a cross between a cult and a pep rally for the big rivalry game. And so many of Obama’s supporters looked down on any one who did not support him. They saw and expressed the feelings that those dumb, old working people just were not smart enough to see how great Obama was. Do they not realize Obama will have to have those people to win in GE?

[BigDDem]

70. I'm sure the "folk" who defended Trinity to the nth degree

are going to be furious.
I'll be holding my breath waiting for the outrage.

:rofl:

[logosoco]

72. personally it matters not to me what church a gov't employee/leader goes

to..or if they don't. That should be a private thing, really.
I was raised in the Catholic church and "dropped out" when I was 16 because I didn't agree with a lot of their doctrine. Does anyone who goes to church believe 100% with 100% of what their church says and does? If so, I guess we will never have another Catholic candidate after the pedophile priest information came to light.

[shadowknows69]

75. Good to see the old spirit of Salem still chugging along

[minnesota_liberal]

77. Great! Now the Reich Wing will slam Obama for...

1) His association with Rev. Wright (nevermind that Obama cut his ties with that church)
2) Not belonging to a church (nevermind that Bush2 attends church about twice a year)
3) Being as much a member of a radical Muslim sect as a Christiam church

[polmaven]

86. I think he might be able to find a new church.

I really has now begun to put it behind him. The Trinity members do not seem to have his best interests in their hearts. I really think that, this time, the may have deliberatly "done him wrong".

[bevoette]

80. well...i for one think that's sad (nm)

[Divine Discontent]

81. I would have done the same thing. someone at the church you'd THINK would have told ministers not

to speak inflammatory words against Sen. Clinton, because Barack has CLEARLY said he's against that, and, he's spoken in detail the kind of message he's seeking in unifying all Americans - then, Trinity goes and allows this arse to go up and badger and humiliate Hillary for the TV to run 24/7 for a week... I don't know, sounds like a smart move to me!

[bevoette]

85. i understand why he did it, and it was the right move...

it's just sad that some toxic mix of politics and media focus made it necessary

i just think it's sad he had to do it, and i hope for us all that the decision pays off (and i pray it will :) )

i'm not so naive to not think that a lot of people just see this as a purely political and cynical move (especially on this forum maybe?)...but as a person of faith myself, it makes me sad for him and his family, that's all

[Divine Discontent]

95. I think he'll find a small church of a family friend or something...

there he will not have to worry about this stuff...

take care

[nolabels]

87. What the heck kind of a place was or is that anyway?

A place that instead of protecting it's membership sets out to get them in trouble :crazy:

[Xenotime]

89. Looks like the RW is getting exactly what they wanted.

He is becoming a RW pawn.

[hexola]

91. There must be more bad news...?

truncation

[ToeBot]

94. Do you suppose, if Romney had managed to buy the Republican nomination....

he would have been driven to renounce Mormonism? In any case, this is a sad thing that has transpired.

[alarimer]

98. Coward.

Way to cave to the right wing media. This does not bode well.