Obama Resigns From Trinity Church

By: Dean Reynolds
Topics: Barack Obama

From CBS News' Dean Reynolds:

CHICAGO -- Barack Obama has formally resigned from his church, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

It had to have been a painful decision, as Obama just cut the line to his religious anchor, but the church had become a weapon for his political enemies. The Trinity Church was the place Obama called his religious home. A place where he was married. Where his children were baptized. Where he was friends with the congregation and its minister, Jeremiah Wright.

When Obama came to Chicago his religious devotion was spotty. His family was not devout. His father, who left the family when Obama was two, was a non-practicing Muslim. So as Obama began his work as a community organizer on the city's South Side he became acquainted with the leaders of neighborhoods. And they were often preachers. Indeed, Obama tells a story of how he was admonished once that if he wanted to be effective with churchgoers in his adopted city, he might do well to join one of those churches.

And so he joined Trinity United.

By all accounts, he was not religious about attending. He says he never heard the incendiary remarks that Wright made infamous, with help from YouTube. Obama was not present when Rev. Michael Pfleger, the pastor of St. Sabina's Catholic Church, offered up his inflammatory comments last Sunday at the same pulpit from which Wright – now retired – once spoke.

Campaign spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, confirmed to the traveling press this evening that Michelle and Barack Obama have "left the church."

Dean Reynolds
Dean Reynolds is a CBS News National Correspondent based in Chicago.

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by tofurulz June 1, 2008 6:05 AM EDT: Like the Furby, Obama is a passing fad. Renouncing his "church" only shows he is becoming aware of this.; Reply to this comment


by oldat45 June 1, 2008 5:20 AM EDT: So, now Obama has officially repudiated Christianity. Well, I can''t vote for anyone who doesn''t go to church!; Reply to this comment


by omaar-101 June 1, 2008 3:10 AM EDT: Seperation of Church & State: I`ll be glad, when No candidate Attends a Church, is Endorsed by Any Church, Mosque, Temple Or Synagouge.

I`ll be Glad when All Candidates say, in Debates `I`m Implementing the Seperation of Church & State Rule` ...

My Religion is the Constitution.

My Religion, is to the (Republic) For which It Stands.

My Religions are the Senate, Congress, The State, This Nation and Its People.

You Hypocrites can Have Your Religion, I have Enough on My Plate, as You can See.

John McCain has Hagee & Parsley to Denounce, and You give McCain the Pass & Accept Every Excuse, but when its Obama...You all just Pile On.

Seperation of Chuch & State...For ALL Candidates.

They should not Attend Church...Anywhere.

Because the Pastor-Preacher can say Anything Controversial, at Any Time and this can Only Hurt the Politician, who may or may not have been in the Church, when the Pastor- Preacher says what he says.

All Politicians should use this Election as a sign...Seperate, Church & State...Permamently.

PS: Politicians don`t Attend Church Religously or Devoutly..Anyway

Just Like YOU...HYPOCRITES.

I`d Love to See Your Church and its Members.; Reply to this comment


by verycold June 1, 2008 1:46 AM EDT: For me the entire relationship Barack has had with this church makes little sense. If he was an infrequent member, or a just recently new member much of all this would make some sense. As it is we are still stuck with the fact that he did in fact know this church very well after being a member for 20 plus years. As a community organizer, he most certainly was aware of that church''s political positions, contribution to the community and how in general people felt about that church. I am sure he didn''t just pick out that church by looking in the yellow pages. Somebody directed him to that church which I assume came from his associations with Acorn/Ayers. If that church has always had this radical position it seems very unfair to throw the church under the bus. It would only be fair if that church has changed significantly over the years which it sounds like is not the case. So what we have here is exactly what Wright said about Barack during his ranting from the pulpit when he suggested Barack will do what is politically correct. I am not sure that Barack has dug himself out of this hole since he really isn''t denouncing them just moving on. I really feel like he is trying to sweep this controversy under the rug instead of grabbing it by the tail and having that race talk he said he would be happy to have.; Reply to this comment


by joywinnie June 1, 2008 1:37 AM EDT: "It had to have been a painful decision for him..." I guess you don''t have to practice objective journalism in a blog. But these phrases are telling. A lot different than: Obama stated it was a painful decision.; Reply to this comment


by KYJurisDoctor June 1, 2008 1:21 AM EDT: With Barak Obama''s departure from the church, we can prayerfully say: ENOUGH ALREADY, and get back to a discussion of, and finding solutions for, REAL issues that concern and affect REAL people.; Reply to this comment


by gaypastor June 1, 2008 12:58 AM EDT: Of course he quits NOW. He already shamelessly used the Black evangelical community for votes and now he doesn''t need them anymore (there aren''t a lot of Black evangelics in Puetro Rico, South Dakato or Montana). This is, after all, the man who used "the rules" to beat down a woman candidate in Illinois too (see "Obama played hardball in first Chicago campaign" on CNN''s site). It''s not like he''s really "the hope" he claims to be. Are people really that naive?; Reply to this comment


by dfar4 May 31, 2008 11:44 PM EDT: rrcampbell1-good for you for speaking out. as a ucc-er in PA, i can say that many of us admire trinity and thank God for what you do for your community and the denomination. however the hate, and anger, and racial resentment that has come from your pulpit does not fulfill the ucc''s striving that they all may be one. i pray for mr. obama that he finds another UCC church-home; Reply to this comment


by rrcampbell1 May 31, 2008 11:15 PM EDT: As a parishioner in a United Church of Christ congregation, I know our parish is always very conscientious about not making policitical endorsements or comments of any kind, let alone whose as brazen as the ones recently seen at Trinity.

Trinity''s congrgation has done lot of good work in the community. To encourage this sort of political rhetoric from the pulpit can put all of this hard work, the good work of the parish at risk - both in the public''s mind and with regard to even the tax exempt status of the congregation.

Mr. Obama is correct in resigning from this congregation and Trinity should elect a Board that is more conscientious in preserving its good name, good spiritual assets, and goodwill.; Reply to this comment


by chuckamok May 31, 2008 11:14 PM EDT: So the question remains, why didn''t he do this 20 years ago?

Being a member then helped him (stay) being a member now hurts him (leave). Simple stuff beneath the fancy rhetoric. Not a new breed of politician, just ANOTHER politician.

The Pubs will trumpet this relentlessly in attack ads in the fall.

I''ll admit I''m gonna miss all the beauts they were preparing for Hildebeast instead. Ah, whaddayagonnado?; Reply to this comment