Obama’s Pastor’s Sermon: ‘God Damn America’
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., senior pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, March 2005. (Trinity United Church of Christ/Religion News Service)
In a fiery sermon taped and available on DVD, Barack Obama’s longtime pastor and spiritual adviser can be seen and heard saying three times: “God damn America.”
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., in his taped sermons, also questioned America’s role in the spread of the AIDS virus and suggested that the United States bore some responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Confronting the content of some of Wright’s sermons, parts of which have been aired this week on FOX News, Obama on Friday moved to condemn the remarks in his firmest statement on the matter to date, after initially stopping short of a full repudiation.
“Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy,” he said in the statement. “I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.”
Obama said he never personally heard Wright preach the statements at the center of the controversy, but that he first learned of them when he launched his presidential campaign.
Click here to read the full Obama statement.
Wright’s supporters say his Afro-centric sermons accurately portray black America, and they contend his sermons are widely studied by theologians. But critics are now calling attention to his more incendiary words from the pulpit.
The pastor delivered his final sermon last month and retired as leader of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Obama has attended the church for 20 years and calls Wright his spiritual adviser.
Click here to visit the Trinity United Church of Christ’s Web site.
In a fiery sermon in April 2003, Wright said: “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes three-strike laws and wants them to sing God Bless America.
“No! No No!
“God damn America … for killing innocent people.
“God damn America for threatening citizens as less than humans.
“God damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and supreme.”
In DVD copies of his sermons available for purchase, Wright can also be seen questioning America’s role in the spreading of the HIV virus that leads to AIDS. In another speech, made in the days after 9/11, he suggested that American foreign policy invited the terror attacks.
“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki. And we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye,” Wright said.
“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because of stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own backyard. America is chickens coming home to roost.”
The pastor also said: “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.”
Amid calls to fully repudiate Wright, the Obama campaign said late Thursday it has distanced itself from certain Wright comments.
“Senator Obama has said before that he profoundly disagrees with some of the statements and positions of Reverend Wright, who has preached his last sermon as pastor at the church,” Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said. “Senator Obama deplores divisive statements whether they come from his supporters, the supporters of his opponent, talk radio, or anywhere else.”
That preceded the lengthy campaign statement issued Friday.
Last year, Obama rescinded an invitation to Wright to deliver the invocation at his announcement that he was running for president. He also issued a statement saying personal attacks have no place in politics after Wright delivered an attack on Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.
But Obama’s longtime relationship with Wright is continuing to spark controversy.
“This is not just someone that Barack Obama has a casual relationship with,” said Tom Bevan, executive editor of RealClearPolitics.com. He noted that Wright married Barack and Michelle Obama, and Wright’s words were the inspiration for the title of Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope.”
“Barack Obama has not out and out distanced himself from all of these comments … ,” Patricia Murphy, editor of CitizenJanePolitics.com, said before the campaign responded Friday. “It’s unclear if he rejects all of these statements. I would assume that he does, but I think he is going to be pushed where he needs to come out and fully explain his relationship with his pastor.”
Some of Wright’s statements have raised eyebrows at a time the Internal Revenue Service is scrutinizing tax-exempt religious organizations for alleged violations of rules barring them from participating in political campaigns.
Prior to his retirement last month, Wright delivered commentary from the pulpit in which he praised Obama, as well as remarks focusing on the racial divide between Obama and Clinton.
“There is a man here who can take this country in a new direction,” Wright said during his Jan. 13 sermon.
During a Christmas sermon, Wright tried to compare Obama’s upbringing to Jesus at the hands of the Romans.
“Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,” Wright said. “Hillary would never know that.
“Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger. Hillary has never had a people defined as a non-person.”
In a Jan. 13 sermon, Wright said:
“Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain’t! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty.”
So far the Clinton campaign has been quiet over Wright’s comments.
Wright has declined interview requests from FOX News.
FOX News’ Jeff Goldblatt contributed to this report.
gonna go down in flames for this one. Krazy man
Very uncalled for comments. Regardless of race or gender or ethnic background, the Church of God our Lord Jesus Church should not be used as a political stage…it should be used for the proclamation of the Gospel….
Obama spent 20 years in this church. Wright is disgusting. Obama shows a clear lack of judgement, and character.
How can Obama’s camp and Obama talk about racist remarks.
Obama has attended Rev. Wright’s church for more then 20 years. Obama’s
mentor, teacher, pastor is racist and filled with hate. Obama is a product
of there church. Obama has donated money to the church he even tried to
get the Rev. Wright on his campaign.
Don’t you think this pastor has had any influence on Obama for the past 20
years. Even if Obama rejects the Rev. statements Obama has had this
influence on him for more the 20 years, the Rev is Obama spiritual leader
(as stated by Obama). This is 100 times worse then any comment made by
G.F. You can just guess what will happen in the general election, Obama is
a goner…
We are about to elect the next President of the U.S.A. Is there anyone
here that can honestly say they would want to take that kind of risk.
In my opinion Obama needs to withdraw from the presidential race. How in God’s name can
people vote for a man who has for 20 years been a party to this kind of hate and racism?
Obama’s has called Rev Wright his friend, his spitual advisor, and his mentor. Obama
wrote a book and the title is from one of Wright’s sermon.
It is clear that OBama condones this hate filled race spewing beliefs.
Pastor Wright baptized Obama and his children, he married Obama & Michelle. Wright is
also on Obama’s campaign. I now know where Michelle Obama was coming from when she
said America is mean, and she is just now proud to be an American. I do not trust these
people who say one thing in public and live a different way in real life.
THere is no way Obama can explain this away. Obama needs to step down from the
presidential race and go join the Black Panthers and Farrakhan.
Do we now deny the country is ran and controlled by the rich majority group? These same people who deny this, will then claim that there is truth in Ferraro’s comments regarding Obama being successful because he is Black because they say there is a element of truth in her statement. After the Passion of the Christ, if you accept it as true, how can you deny the race of the people who killed Jesus. Although some of the comments he made were ridiculous, I don’t see anything racist. He is only appealing to his majority constituency in order to keep his church afloat and keep it paid. He played the race card, but just like Ferraro, he can not be accused of racism. Black racist would exclude Whites, they are actual Whites who belong to this church. When I hear Whites cry racism about Farrakhan and compare him to the KKK, I want them go attend one of his events and see if they are beaten, or rejected, while I try to attend a event given by the KKK. He may be a nationalist, but no racist. It’s like we forget what racism is.
Please keep pursing this. This man needs to be held accountabile for his hate remarks.
Belonging to this club since I will NOT define it as a church for 20 years, and referring over and over to Jeremiah Wright as your mentor as your uncle tells us this is what you truly believe deep down inside or you wouldn’t attend this corrupt and insane club. It is the equivalent of the KKK. OBAMA should not HOLD any govenment office!!!! Don’t dismiss or take this likely, it is not a Clinton tactic, it is real, and we have ignored it or dismissed it, now that the dem nomination is getting closer, it needs to be seriously considered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfNEfEBYIZs
How can this man even be considered a person to preach with all his hatred. It doen’t matter what race you are –no one alive today has lived back in 200 years ago. We are a changing world and one who has to continually bring up race is only causing problems for all of us struggling (no matter what your race is) people. It makes me tend to wonder whose side is “HE” really on. Sounds to me like he is full of hatred for ALL AMERICANS!!!!!! Can he really consider himself an AMERICAN???? All people of all races are struggling today!! We are all trying to get along and bless him when he has to meet “HIS” maker!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe no one is bringing this to media attention. REVERSE DISCRIMINATION, AMERICA HATER, PASTOR FOR 20 YEARS???? COME ON….NOT TO SAY THE PERSONAL COMMENTS HE MADE ABOUT THE OTHER POLITICAL CANDIDATE!!!! How come nothing is being said about this!!! This is absolutely an injustice in journalism!!! that one candidate can get away with this hate spewing supporter by his side for 20 years and nothing being covered on it or being said. I would not want the leader of my country in any way shape or form being involved in any form of reverse discrimination, white hating, etc…which apparently that is the way he has been ministered to in the past 20 years and he has even said he has supported his church and minister in the past. Go Figure, not a leader for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BE FAIR COVER THE STORIES APPROPRIATELY!!!!!!!!!!! WHITES HAVE SUFFERED TO FROM DISCRIMINATION!!!!! JUST LOOK AT THE NEWS!!!