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.
The media has been playing this story over and over again this weekend. They’re trying to damage Obama’s campaign. Stop trying to influence people’s decision and just report the news. People can make up their own decision about the contentious statements.
Obama has tried to be honest and transparent certainly, more than Hilary. Why doesn’t she release her taxes?
Obama has publicly denounced Rev. Wright’s comments. Nothing he (Obama) has said, or done in the past would reasonably support the conclusion that he (Obama) agrees or supports or follows the statements of Rev. Wright. NOTHING!!
Stop trying to tear down hope!
If Barack Obama becomes our president,I will then believe the premise of Armageddon! The populace have to be blind deaf and dumb to elect him!
My Fellow Americans,
..On one hand the Democrat party offers up a pseudo elitist, devoted socialist. This candidate wants to incremtially introduce complete domination of the US citizenry by an all powerful government…yes Good ol’ Hillery. To show that the Democrat party is a diverse party, they offer up Barack Obama, their “thinking mans” alternative, a pseudo elitist, devoted socialist that wants to incremtially introduce complete domination of the US citizenry by an all powerful government who regularly attends “church” services run by a hate mongering kook who apparently believes the USA is no better than the muderous savage heathens that decided to kill over 3,000 Americans. These Americans commited the heinous crime of going to work one Sept day in 2001 to put food on their table and put a roof over their heads.
Yes the Democrat party is a diverse party. One can only hope the Republican party prevails on Election day ‘08. A Democrat win in ‘08 will insure 9/11/01 was not an isolated event
John McCain is my Senator and on many issues he does not represent my conservative beliefs, but the Democrat alternatives will be our countries worst nightmare.
God save the Republic,
Bill
Obama is insulting the intellegience of the American people. He has ties to radicals through
others. This is not over. In fact, it has just begun. Obama and his wife are racists. How much can they keep covering it up. Oprah is another racist. She covers it up pretty well also. You don’t go and support a church and a pastor with the views that they have and not recognize the fact that they are supporting racism. Hitler had the same influence over his movement.
Wake up America, vote for someone of the lesser 2 evils that you at least know.
The pink elephant that wanders the room, however, is that because the Obama campaign, rightfully, will not lower itself to the garbage flinging attacks by both the Clinton campaign and the conservative Republicans some Obama supporters may feel they need to fill in the gap with attacks of their own where the official campaign does not choose to do so. It is a temptation many of us have had and we applaud Senator Obama for raising us all out of that mire.
Obama can’t erase 20 to 25 years of a very close association with Mr. Wright with a simple catch-all “reject any thing that may be…. blah, blah, blah….” Obama has stated that Wright is his spiritual advisor, like a uncle, his very close friend, etc. Obama cannot not have known, after attending this church for 20 years, that Wright was spewing his venom. Yet he chose this man to perform his wedding ceremony, to baptize and christen his children. And, he has chosen to raise his children in this church. From the videos shown, it is very plain that the congregation of this church was very supportive of Wright’s message — jumping up and down, waving their arms in the air, and dancing around. And this was the congregation and church where Obama states that he is very comfortable in.
If this kind of racial discourse is really going on every Sunday in many black churches, as many of Obama’s supporters have been stating in Obama’s defense over the past 24 hours, then that explains some of the continuing racial division in the country.
Watching the story on Weekend News Saturday it came to me as an epiphany concerning Obama and Wright. Obama says he was a member of the Trinity Church since 1991, yet he only heard the inflammatory, racist and anti-American sermons of Wright after a day at work in the Congress yesterday, at which time he redressed those statements. So this presidential candidate want to be, who has been a member of the church some 17 years, was married by Wright, and had his children baptized by him, had such a hand on the political and theological pulse of his church and Wright philosophies, that he knew nothing of these highly controversial sermons and preaching’s. If Obama can’t even see what is going around him politically in an arena as small and intimate as his own church and neighbors, how in touch is he going to be as the President of the United States on domestic and international matters. This really concern me and should give pause to many others..
I believe most of us know why Michelle Obama made her statement regarding being proud of America for the first time in her life a while back, I would hypothesize that she has been listening to Wright with both ears wide open.
P. Firrantello
N. Carolina
It is with huge sadness I read the not so Rev Wrights speech tainted with words that do not reflect biblical thought, Old or New Testament in the obvious racial divisiveness in his words. He is protecting race vs. the unity ML King had as the heart of his speech. American citizens, including a great many politicians, recognize the sins of local and federal goverment that pass laws to legalize murder of the unborn, the approval of and thus ligitimizing lifestyles contrary to the Creators intent of “family,” and certainly racisism at the top of a list that could be continued.
Freedom is never free, ….our soldiers prove this with every war we are in. JFK’s famous quote made it clear we will defend our freedom…..but without the Supreme comander and Creator of the Universe, who gave HIS life for our Freedom being presented as the solution, neither our goverment, and the not so “Rev Wrights” of our land will hit the mark Jesus came for. The salvation of our soul and bringing the Truth to a lost mankind.
I do not believe one word of this denial of a denial. Pure and simple it is extreme damage control for an event which says words about what judgement Obama has and what he truely represents. Maybe he should have written a book to insulate himself like his drug use. Still it would not diminish the truth of this observation. NICE TRY
I don’t beleive the statements he has made are true. His ” I wasn’t there or never heard those sermons remind me of ” I did not has sex with that woman” comment. The pastor is still VERY close by. If he has been listening to the paster’s tapes in college he knows FULL WELL what the pastors veiws were. The ONLY CHANGE he has is for the people Pastor Wright speaks for.