It may be necessary for Obama to give a 'religion' speech

[reflection]

in the same vein as his historic 'race' speech that was well-received.

I'm an Obama supporter, but I think this Pfleiger video can not help him in any way. He may need to take the opportunity to tie a verbal rope around Hagee, Pfleiger, Wright and all these other pulpit clowns who choose to use their podium as a launching pad for division, dark comedy, and yes, sometimes hate. And as another poster pointed out, it would also be a good time to bring up the concept of IRS review to make sure this kind of crap is not being funded by the taxpayers.

My church does nothing of this sort, and I am ashamed that the candidate I support has vaudeville acts in lieu of sermons. Pfleiger is probably by and large a good man, but the video is cringeworthy and pitiful. I would make a hole in the wall leaving if someone started a tirade like that in my church. Just my $0.02.

[BlooInBloo]

1. People are so melodramatic. It won't be necessary because the primary is over...

and McCain doesn't want to have that conversation.

God save us from every Chicken Little in our party.

[reflection]

2. Whatever, man.

Chicken Little. Not all of the voting public can separate Obama from his clown church and think on two different levels. If trying to get out in front of the issue and handle it like an adult is being a "Chicken Little" then don't complain when it is made an issue against us.

[ij9800]

32. The primaries may be nearing an end, but this sort of thing will become

an explosive issue during the GE.
Obama better get a handle on this... Because the way it is going, the only ones saying "amen" about that church will be the GOP

[SoonerPride]

3. Why? People still thinks he's a Muslim. Even after all the Wright stuff.

At this point, if anyone thinks Obama is a Muslim or a crazy Christian, they aren't paying attention and a major speech won't reach their ears anyway.

The low information voters will still be ignorant and damn proud of it too.

[reflection]

4. There are some gray areas between

slack-jawed drooling fundie church goer and the average person. Those are the people who we need to placate in order to win.

[Bucky]

7. I disagree. Speeches like that take the wind out of the hyped "storyline" talking heads stick to

The OP makes an excellent suggestion. Hagee and his leftwing mimics need to be roped off from serious political discourse. The progressive cause is hurt far more than the conservative movement by people getting whipped into apopleptics by religious hate-speech.

I miss the good ol' days when religion was a basis for loving your neighbors rather than castigating your fellow countrymen.

[shraby]

5. Read your constitution! There is NO religious

test for a presidential candidate. He does NOT have to address the words of another pastor or ANY pastor. It's wrong to expect him to.

[reflection]

10. I know that. And you know that.

But a lot of people don't. You've got to play the hand you're dealt. If you don't think he should be proactive about this, then fine. That's an understandable position to take. But I disagree and don't need a primer on the Constitution.

[Fovea]

6. It may be time for Americans to be reminded

of the separation of church and state.
A simple,

"My Christian faith and heritage may inform my decision making, but faith is not, as we have seen in the Bush administration, a responsible substitute for reality based public policy."

Would probably do it.

[reflection]

12. Yes. Something short and simple.

To cut this thing off at the knees. Agree.

[Frustratedlady]

8. Why is it so difficult for everyone to follow the founding fathers...

and separate church and state?

Perhaps it's time these churches which insist on talking politics from the pulpit be taken off the tax-exempt rolls.

It used to be Hollywood types who dominated the political scene. Now, it's evangelicals/Christian-comedian-wannabees who grab the headlines.

You play, you pay.

Personally, I'm sick of it.

[jaxx]

9. Oh pulleeeezzzzzz

This is getting ridiculous.

Maybe Obama could give a speech on that.

[cliffordu]

11. Yeh, whatever you do, don't allow a discussion of the issues.

That would be boring.

[reflection]

15. I must have missed the discussion.

Looked like friggin "Family Guy" up there. (which I love, by the way)

[cliffordu]

22. Making a candidate answer for what anyone else says is kinda

too easy.

What does the candidates actual work reflect??

That priest, by the way, works in the worst neighborhood in Chicago. Which is saying something.

My point is that NONE OF THIS has anything to do with the economy, the war, Iran or the jailing of Cheney.

[book_worm]

13. This stroy of Pfleiger is not anything, stop blowing it out of proportion

He mocked Hillary. Didn't Hillary mock Obama supporters a few months ago? big deal.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. A good 2-cents. :-)

My confusion comes as to why religion is a factor in this campaign. Granted, there is the continuing rumor that Sen. Obama is a Muslim, trying to incite fears among Americans because of 9/11, so he stepped up to the plate, proclaiming that he's a Christian. But that should have been the end of it.:-(

The fact that Bush* wears his "religion" on his sleeve, and has said that his God told him to invade Iraq, should have been a wake-up call to the candidates that claiming to be devoutly religious would not be a selling point, but the media has jumped on this. It produces ratings. CNN even did a special on the religiosity of the top three candidates, Senators Obama, Edwards and Clinton. Why?:eyes:

We have a separation of church and state in this country and we need to focus on their positions on the issues, not how religious, or not, that our candidates are...:shrug:

[SeaLyons]

16. Arrogance will defeat us in Nov.

and the arrogance being expressed on this board on this issue is unbelievable. You Obama supporters actually think this man is untouchable.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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

[Youphemism]

18. A Religion Speech? God no...

Dude... You're glued to the tube too much. Get out and breathe some air.

Nobody wants to hear this crap. We've hear more than enough church talk for one election cycle. The economy is crumbling, we're fighting two wars, a world food shortage is looming... Nobody wants to learn more about these morons dancing around at the pulpit.

The guy said it, Obama denounced it, and of course the Clinton camp tried to keep it going. End of story. Let it go.

Sure, there will be a few people whining about it. They were already planning on whining about that church up until the general election anyway. This gives them one more arrow in that quiver, for anybody who can be swayed by that kind of crap. But the connections between Obama and this guy are less than between McCain and his whack job pastors.

Granted, I do wonder when these guys actually teach about religion, God, the Bible, and all that. This group seems more like The Firesign Theater Church of God.

[reflection]

20. I appreciate your opinion.

Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm too close to it. We could all use some calibration now and again.
:hi:

[Connie_Corleone]

19. Obama should give speeches about race, religion, sex, monsters, elitism and bowling.

He should also waste his time giving speeches about every single politically incorrect statement ever uttered from anyone who supports his candidacy.

He should then time travel into the future, find out what offensive things his supporters say and then come back to the present time and reject and denounce the comments before they happen.

[reflection]

21. I can tell you don't agree with me.

But I still laughed my ass off. Thanks. :D

[Teaser]

23. your 2 cents are covered in that nasty green shit

take them back, please, and get me some shiny pennies.

[reflection]

24. What in the bloody hell

Are you talking about.

[Teaser]

25. you've never seen those nasty green rusty pennies?

I hate them.

[reflection]

26. Right over my head.

But that is not unusual. My wife says I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

[frickaline]

27. oh please no ...

That's a dangerous, slippery slope. The probability of backfire = 101% minimum ...

[theboss]

28. I feel like I am the only person on this board whoever attended church

95 percent of what goes on in churches is normal, everyday, praising of God.

5 percent of what goes on in churches is whacky stuff.

I had a great minister growing up. He was wonderful with the youth. He once traveled with me 250 miles when I needed a special surgery in Baltimore. He "pastored" like no one's business.

And once a year, he would give a crazy, batshit sermon on abortion or labor unions or Communists or something else. And I would ask for a meeting with him and complain in private and we would move on a friends.

[Youphemism]

29. I'm not a church person, but...

...I have a fair number of family and friends who are. According to those folks, yes, a church might talk about a local issue on a rare occasion.

But of all the folks I've talked to, they *never* hear a candidate's name mentioned from the pulpit, let alone a direct opinion on the quality, character, or thought process of that candidate. It is just taboo.

I know these churches represent a different culture. But if they're promoting one candidate over another, regardless of party affiliation, they should have their tax exempt status revoked. Period. It's not an issue of culture.

And I'm saying that as someone who basically agrees with most of what this guy said. I don't think Hillary emphasized her race as much as he did, but I absolutely believe she feels entitled to the presidency, and as if it's her turn, and who is this Obama guy to deny her that office.

But that sort of talk has no place in a church that enjoys a tax-free status. It is political lobbying, and if it continues, it may prompted people to revisit whether *any* churches should be tax exempt. You can bet the government would like a chunk of that money pile.

[Hippo_Tron]

30. You are basically proposing that he pander to liberals at the start of the GE campaign

And in terms of strategy, that's stupid.

Pfleger is a non-issue becuase he's white. Nobody actually cares about the words that came out of his mouth and only the right wingers really cared about the substance of Wright's words. Wright was effective because they want to associate Obama with an "angry black man" to scare white people. Showing a white person speaking at Obama's church over and over again on the news would almost have the opposite effect that Wright did and help Obama (except with Clinton supporters). Which is why nobody will remember who Pfleger is in a week.

[Bake]

31. Damn ... didn't he already do that post-Wright?

It's like Whack-A-Mole ... just keeps popping up. Maybe it's because those idiots cannot keep from popping off in the Trinity pulpit.

They're not doing Obama any favors.

Bake

[msallied]

33. Absolutely not. Why should he associate himself with this in any way?

Other than to give more ammo to those dimwits who can't separate the words of others from the words of the man himself.

[scheming daemons]

34. This bullshit that a candidate has to answer for anything anyone says is getting ridiculous....

...