RAW DATA: Obama’s Statement Condemning His Pastor’s Controversial Sermons
The following statement was released by the Barack Obama campaign Friday in response to criticism over sermons delivered by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.:
On My Faith and My Church
The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He’s drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.
Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. 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.
Because these particular statements by Rev. Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.
As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It’s a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.
Let me repeat what I’ve said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.
With Rev. Wright’s retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good. And while Rev. Wright’s statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States.
So let me get this straight. You join a church over 20 years ago, get married in it, have your children baptized in it and only now speak out against the racist hate monger of a pastor? Why did you wait until it was hurting your political aspirations? Is it maybe because you agree with what was said by this hatefilled racist? Why did you make him apart of your campaign if you only used him as a religious advisor? What about seperation of church and state? I cannot stand the hypocracy of these self righteous Democrats! Hey Barry, don’t hurt yourself getting down from that high horse.
I actually was thinking of voting for this guy, until I saw the statements of his “inspirational” pastor. He attended these sermons for 20 years, and never heard remarks like this? Right!! You know damn well that he has sat through many similar dranged rants from that pig. This fake pastor is no more a spiritual leader than David Duke is. No wonder Obama has speant her whole adult life being ashamed of her country. The irreverant Wright obviously has much influence over the Obamas, and I’ll be damned if I want someone that weak to run the country. I’m sure he shares many of the views of his pastor. He needs to condemn this pastor as a fraudulent, disgusting bigot. Notice that he now condemns the words but not the person.
Obama’s done. I’m a white man and I don’t like the attacks that Obama’s pastor makes at me.
Obama cannot shuck this off. He has listened to this hate-speech for 20 years and wants me to believe that he does not agree with his pastor’s positions. Laughable. Obama’s been caught with his pants down about his true beliefs about me and all other white people.
Goodbye, Obama.
Dana Nickell
It is difficult to believe that he only became this pastor we heard in the last few months. I think Obama just got caught. Is he ashamed of his white heritage? I think Obama is trying to Okey-doke the white community
Senator Obama’s denunciation of Rev. Wright’s remarks sound good. However, they would have sounded a whole lot better had he made them BEFORE he became a Presidential candidate. I find it very difficult to believe that Rev. Wright, a very controversial figure for many, many years, recently adopted those painful views he so violently preaches in the sweet name of Jesus! And, it is equally as difficult to believe that Senator Obama is hearing them for the first time. One of two possibilities attain: 1) Either Senator Obama is being disingenuous because he now knows that such affinity with Rev. Wright would be very hurtful to his campaign; or 2) Senator Obama doesn’t go to church very often.
will obama you no the old saying bird’s of a feather stay together i wouldn’t vote for you if you were the only one in this race,
Michelle Obama’s words now ring true to her vision of America and now we understand under the tutor of her pastor she has eaten from a rotten tree that has her words laden with hatred towards half of her husband’s own geneology being half white. What kind of president would Barak be considering this? I have always fought against hatred in all races and don’t want to throw stones, but I ask people to consider before they blindly coranate this family to the house that the president calls home. I look forward to a true peace loving president that is of any color.
How come Obama’s campaign and surrogates cry racism when their critics criticize them but there is no mention of racism when Obama’s spiritual advisor and Obama’s campaign national leader of African American Spiritual Issues is preachin racist bigotry from the pulpit of Obama’s church? How come Obama has not fired the man from the campaign? Why is he not pressed harder on this when he has said that anyone who says divisive things will not be kept on his campaign team? Does he not think the comments of Reverend Wright are divisive? How come Obama seems to claim that every sermon he heard over his 20 years was love based and positive when there are numerous sermons that are clearly hateful, racist and bigoted? Doesn’t it seem unlikely that these words or similar words were preached at various times during the last 20 years? If Obama is serious about uniting, then he should denounce not just a few speeches of Reverend Wright but rather he should say that the speeches in question are clearly racist and bigoted and divisive and ask Reverend Wright to apologize publicly. Then, if the reverend refuses, Obama should renounce the reverend publicly. Anything less is clear proof that Obama is like any other politician and Obama is just selling the people what he thinks they want in order to get elected.
Deny, deny, deny, but birds of a feather cuss our great country together. First wife, then pastor, now tell us where your heart is ? Credibilty just went straight to zero. This man, white, black, blue or green, simply cannot be trusted. That’s not race, that’s fact.
I am a Republican that voted for you in the Texas primary. I (along with everyone I know) am utterly appalled by your pastor’s racist, leftist, hateful rants. God Damn America? Our government imports drugs to give to blacks as we build bigger prisons to house them an enact our 3 strikes law? We created the AIDs virus? This guy is full of hate and I absolutely do not understand how Obama was a member of this church for 20 years. No way Obama didn’t know what this guy stood for. Talk about racist! And I believe it’s getting worse - more tapes of the pastor coming out.
I now believe Obama’s wife meant exactly what she said when she stated that this was the first time in her adult life that she was proud of American.
Do you believe America will have a president that has such close advisors/friends/counselors that hate America and promote hate?
I have never believed in guilt by association but this one goes way beyond that. I follow my pastor’s teachings and if he would ever rant against America, blacks, gays, etc. I would be the first one out the door.
So much for hope…………………….
Who’s the real Obama?