Obama's Ties To Church Examined

Chicago's Trinity United Church Of Christ Promotes "Black Value System"

(AP)  A then 26-year-old Barack Obama walked down the aisle of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, knelt beneath a cross suspended from its rafters and, as he later explained it, committed himself to God after years as a religious skeptic.

In those early days at the self-described "unashamedly black" church, the future Democratic presidential candidate was moved to tears by a sermon from its activist pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., whom he has portrayed as his spiritual mentor.

Two decades later, Obama himself would be Wright's topic of the day — but not for reasons either man would have hoped.

At a recent Sunday service, following media coverage of Obama's last-minute decision not to have Wright speak at the senator's presidential announcement last month, Wright warned his flock not to believe any reports of a rift between him and the church's best-known member.

"Barack and I are fine," Wright, 65, on an out-of-state trip, said in a recorded message played to about 2,000 attendees. "The press is not to be trusted. ... Don't let somebody outside our camp divide us."

The erudite if blunt-speaking pastor also said Obama had apologized for withdrawing the invitation to speak at the Feb. 10 announcement in Springfield.

Obama had taken "some bad advice from some of his own campaign people who thought it would not be a good idea for me to be in front of the cameras on the day he announced," Wright said, adding that he and Obama had "moved on." Wright attended the announcement, but he did not speak.

His impassioned comments came after some conservatives questioned Obama's links to Trinity, which embraces what it calls a "Black Value System." Others criticized Obama for appearing to distance himself from the church and its leader.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said that's not the case.

"The senator appreciates the continued prayers of his pastor," Burton said, adding in a statement that the invitation to Wright was withdrawn because Obama wanted to "avoid having statements and beliefs being used out of context and forcing the entire church to defend itself."

Wright declined to comment.

But in an interview with PBS's "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" recorded just before Obama's February announcement, Wright said he warned the senator that their association could pose political problems, partly because of his history of supporting Palestinian causes.

Wright also told The New York Times in an interview published March 6: "When his (Obama's) enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli" with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to visit Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, "a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell."

The roughly 8,000-member church has often championed liberal causes, from gay rights to opposition to the Iraq war. It also emphasizes its African roots and asks parishioners to accept the "Black Value System," which includes tenets such as "commitment to the black family," "dedication to the pursuit of education" and one critics have seized upon - "disavowal of the pursuit of 'middleclassness."'

[us_infidel]

asks parishioners to accept the "Black Value System," which includes tenets such as "commitment to the black family," "dedication to the pursuit of education" and one critics have seized upon - "disavowal of the pursuit of 'middleclassness."'

Substitute the word "white" for black and see how far it would play. Another MSM double standard.

[us_infidel]

"I would feel uncomfortable with a church that used the word 'white' instead of 'black' when it talked about these things," she said. "It seems to me we are going backward if we're basing our churches and the help they give on skin color."

Buried on page two of this obvious "puff-piece." If this were a republican candidate, the MSM would already be called for him/her to step down.

[baybreeze2u]

Church has always been a key avenue for community in the African-American world. This is where people learned to be leaders, financiers, speakers,etc. during times when the broader community only saw us as slaves, second class citizens and other. the church has historically been a refuge from the storms rained on us by lives in the USA. You can not substitute the word "white" for black in the tenets of Senator Obama's church and build a case for double standard. The experiences are different when you move beyond worship of the one God.

[scott4261]

Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention resonated with me as a liberal Christian. To the depths of my soul, I truly believe that we should be building up the values which bring us together as Americans, rather than harping on the things which divide us. Obama's speeches and writings transcend the ethnic and religious boundaries which tend to build walls between all of us. I am smart enough to know that this church is probably responsive to the spiritual needs of its community in Chicago. And I am very aware of the positions of the United Church of Christ and I would have absolutely no reservations in electing one of its members to the presidency.

This article, like many others, concentrates too much on Obama%u2019s %u201Cblackness,%u201D which is completely irrelevant to whether or not he is fit to serve as President of the United States.

[Syndicate]

I don't care for Black supremicist and will not vote for one of their members.

[us_infidel]

during times when the broader community only saw us as slaves, second class citizens and other. Posted by baybreeze2u at 02:36 PM : Mar 20, 2007

You mean like....25 years ago.....1982? You can't have it both ways. It's either wrong or it's not. So, if it's ok for Obama's "church", then it should be ok for whites, yes?

I don't buy your "black man shuffling down the levee" argument. It's time to grow up and stop blaming present day people for things we had nothing to do with.

[jsilver2th]

Really if I had to vote today Obama would not be my first choice but picking apart his church is pretty absurd. Black Churches arose in the US because the dominate churches didn't welcome or serve their communities.

With White House religous advisors like Ted Haggard and Mitt Romney's Mormonism the people that live in glass houses shoudn't be throwing stones.

[agnim]

The bigots in the media are always doing everything to fan the flames of racism and keep this divisive scourge alive in America.

[randalds]

You mean like....25 years ago.....1982? You can't have it both ways. It's either wrong or it's not. So, if it's ok for Obama's "church", then it should be ok for whites, yes?

I don't buy your "black man shuffling down the levee" argument. It's time to grow up and stop blaming present day people for things we had nothing to do with.

Posted by US_Infidel at 03:04 PM : Mar 20, 2007

I love it when people use the "you can't have it both ways" argument. It's almost always used with a false premise or comparison (like in this one) and I promise you that when you look at their comparison and dig the dishonest or specious parts out of it, that 99.9% of the time you can indeed "have it both ways".

[bill1fj]

I don't want a white president or a black president.

I WANT A PRESIDENT THAT IS COMPENTENT AND HONEST, unlike what we have now.

[huskerarmy]

Once again the reactionary racists are drawn to a race story like moths to a flame. And once again they blatently disregard the true dynamics of political power in this country. When whites practice ehtnocentric behavior, it has as it's intent and result a detrimental effect on those who are looking to share power with them. However, when historically oppressed minorities practice ethnocentric behavior it serves to instil pride and confidence and is mostly impotent towards the intrensic power of the intrenched white majority. To pretend that the behavior is of equal moral and ethical footing, without regard to it's purpose or effect, is a wholely dishonest mechanism that has been used for decades to prepetuate the status quo.

[huskerarmy]

"MLK would be sadden by how little his folks have come.."
Undoubetly, so would your High School English teacher.

[huskerarmy]

"The bigots in the media are always doing everything to fan the flames of racism and keep this divisive scourge alive in America."
Oh yes, blame the media and minority community leaders for the racial divide... the familiar kind of refrain that is so often spoken in unadulterated congregations of lily white Republicans.

[scott4261]

I wouldn't believe eveything that you read. This is article is just meaningless, really. Obama would make a good president. So would Edwards. Edwards/Obama is what I'm hoping for.

[scott4261]

I don't think Al Gore would settle for being VP a second time around. On the other hand, I don't think anyone would say no to being Gore's VP. Gore/Edwards sounds good to me, but the point is moot because I don't think that Gore will run. Now, Bill Richardson...that's a guy who has more experience than Hillary, Obama and Edwards combined and I wouldn't bat an eye if he were to emerge as a contender in the top tier.

[blrichard]

I'm wondering whether Clinton and Obama or going to destroy one another and give Edwards an opening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czM-wRuUyyE

[scott4261]

blrichard, that's looking more and more likely.

hopetrumps, what about Edwards/Richardson? I know you have your criticisms of Richardson, but his foreign policy experience is unmatched in the fields from either party. And if he isn't on the ticket, I certainly hope he ends up in the next ptresident's cabinet.

[scott4261]

Not since Bobby Kennedy's run for the presidency in 1968 have I seen a candidate with as much genuine interest in the issue of poverty as I see in John Edwards. Since that is an issue I'm very passionate about, he has won my support.

I will vote for the next Democratic nominee, no matter who it is. But if it's Hillary Clinton, I'll have to hold my nose as I'm voting - much like I did when I voted for John Kerry in 2004. I hope the Democratic primary voters will select someone who will stand up for average Americans and quit this nonsense of trying to pick the "safest" candidate, because that is a proven strategy for disaster come election day.

[scott4261]

And expounding on the primary thought:
I am greatly concerned that too many states having early primaries will give us the nominees by the end of February. This is likely to amount to a popularity contest and not really allow for the issues to drive who gets the nominations. I have no problem whatsoever with a populous state like California setting the tone for the nominees, but front-lading too many states on February 5th is a mistake, in my judgment.

I almost wish for the old days when we had a breather from politics before the year of the election, the candidates all campaigned in that year, and then the nominees were chosen at the conventions.

[agnim]

"Oh yes, blame the media and minority community leaders for the racial divide...

Posted by huskerarmy at 05:14 PM : Mar 20, 2007"
Take it easy, buddy, just the media.

It is the racist media morons who are always hounding Obama about race and racial issues, a tactic the racist media morons do not do with white candidates!

And with the whites being the majority population in the country and the ones promoting racism for centuries, seems like the white candidates are the ones the racist media morons should be asking about THEIR WHITE RACISM, yes? LOL

[kansas1946]

As a "swing" voter, and an independent, I would vote for Obama and I would vote for Edwards. I would not vote for Hillary. As to this piece about Obama's church, I think it is much ado about nothing, and a silly fluff article. Isn't everyone getting a little tired of the "My church is more Godlier than your church" ***. Who cares what church someone belongs to or doesn't belong to. As long as they don't want to force their religious beliefs on the rest of us, they are entitiled to their beliefs.

[grazinggoat]

In front of sheeps, a politician is a sheep, in front of cows, he is a cow, and in front of pigs he is a lard. Why do some politicians have to be identified to a church, a synagog, or a temple? Politicians should declare neutrality and to a certain point agnostic, which is hard. Be declared a believer in a Creator would be more than enough. Leave the details of worshipping to the people, followers of the religious institutions. They just are institutions, with members, like unions or association of consumers, a hurd of goats, grazing...

[j0hnwi11iams]

When blacks own 99% of the country, then I will worry about black churches. It's not about association, it is about POWER.

Got it?

[us_infidel]

When blacks own 99% of the country, then I will worry about black churches. It's not about association, it is about POWER.

Got it?
Posted by j0hnwi11iams at 01:39 AM : Mar 21, 2007

Well, blacks only make up about 16% of the US population. I would argue that they already yield a disproportionate amount of power....and they want more. Get that?