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.
Please explain why the media has no shortage of video wherein,your adopted “uncle” (so to speak)
has no shortage of castigating in vile language the United States as having caused the spread of aids among the African-American population caused the greatest prison inmates in the U.S. to be Afro,-Americans and oyher reprehensible afflictations e,g, unwed women with children families. Yet the media & Obama have poduced np video of the good deeds Uncle wright has done for Afro.-Americans. It is obvious that the announcement by Obama that Rev. Wright is shortlly going to retire hi Church Ministry came ONLY after his videos were widely distributed as a face saving & NOT any apology for the reverend’s accusations against the United States. Obama says Uncle Weight who claims he never was in Church at the time Min.Wrighht made his diatribes. Why doesn’t he produce any, even one, video of of the typical nature when Obama happened yo be present in Church.
Gerald Katz
I find it impossible to believe that b.h.o. never heard any of the sewage his lifelong friend and menter preached in his sermons.Does he really think all americans live under a rock!!!I attend my place of worship to recieve a blessing.I cant believe he sat and listened to Rev.wright which it sounds as if he did!!! And HE did not get up and walk out .
i strongly advice senator obama to break this racial controversies most especially african american to be able to win the general election.
Yes, the recent release of Jeremiah Wright’s sermons has changed my opinion about voting for Barack Obama as the Democratic Presidential nominee. For the first time I don’t care whether or not he wins if he must shed his spirituality and dilute his soul to neutralize the stench and sting of truth that so many White Americans refuse to acknowledge.
If the media stops framing Reverend Wright’s clips with negative viewpoints such as anti-American and hate-filled, an intelligent and spiritually evolved person can feel that the essence of what Reverend Wright is saying is that in order for America to continue to grow, evolve and prosper as a respected and loved world leader of equality, grace and liberty; she must atone for her sins. We as Americans cannot be in denial about the institutional affects of the annihilation of Native Americans, slavery, and Jim Crow laws. This country was founded on the destruction of the humanity of many minorities. Some of the people who wrote the constitution owned slaves while writing that all humans are equal. The hypocrisy and denial of how racism is destroying the integrity of working class and poor American blacks, whites, Latinos, Arabs and Asians is the seam that is dividing and will eventually shred the Democratic Party.
I think it is interesting that an overwhelming majority of newscasters are white reporters accusing Rev. Jeremiah Wright of being a separatist and teaching division. The hypocrisy amazes me because when black people move into predominately white neighborhoods white people move out. If you look in most cafeterias in racially mixed schools the students divide themselves racially. Just recently the Jena 6 case showed that some of the white students did not want black students to sit under a tree with them.
I think that Senator Barack Obama was influenced by Rev. Wright—this is why he said that he would sit down and discuss the issues with his enemies. Maybe he understands that we as Americans should treat others the way we want to be treated. Maybe he learned that the racism that built this country cannot keep it standing. Maybe he learned that he must discover and utilize more humane methods of fighting our enemies than killing innocent women and children.
Both the title of Obama’s second book, The Audacity of Hope, and the theme for his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 come from Wright’s sermons. “If you want to understand where Barack gets his feeling and rhetoric from,” says the Rev. Jim Wallis, a leader of the religious left, “just look at Jeremiah Wright.”
A videotape of one sermon captures Wright using a harsh racial epithet to argue that Clinton could not understand the struggles of African Americans.
“Barack knows what it means, living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,” Wright said on Christmas Day of last year. “Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain’t never been called a [N-word]!”
In another sermon, delivered five days after the 9/11 attacks, Wright seems to imply that the United States had brought the terrorist violence on itself.
“We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York, and we never batted an eye,” Wright says. “We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is brought right back in our own front yards.”
In a later sermon, Wright revisits the theme, declaring: “No, no, no, not God bless America — God damn America!”
All this and Obama says he never heard one word of these sermons or about these sermons until recently. I don’t know about the church you go to but if my preacher made such comments they would have been the talk of the congregation. So where was Obama during all these sermons and you mean he never once heard from any fellow church member about these sermons? That seems to strain credibility!!!!!
“Uh… yeah! Yeah! I never heard that sort of stuff in his sermons! I didn’t really know him all that well. All he did was convert me to Christianity (of a sorts), marry me, and baptize my kids. How was I to know he was a raging anti-American, anti-semitic bigot? I might have dozed off during his sermons, or I wasn’t there when he said these things.”
Yeah! Right! Does anyone seriously doubt that Saint Obama not only has heard these hateful diatribes but, contrary to his official campaign posititions and his Miss America platitudes, actually believes them?
All you doubters of Obama and his pastor, get in touch with me. I’ve got some swamp land in Florida for sale, as well as a nice, hardly used bridge in Brooklyn. I’m ready to deal!
The minister may change but the message will be the same because they have been taught the same script for twenty years.
For the last 2 month’s I have read and heard Obama and his Followers say because he is young he will associate with outstanding people, he will consult with and work very hard using his god given talents. Maybe it’s time to check this, State Senator Obama’s activities involving the time he was chairman of the Illinois Senate’s Health committee, from the New York Times: “Mr. Rezko’s Lawyers introduced the e-mail message in an effort to show that a wide range of the state political leaders and not just Mr. Rezko were involved in decisions involving the Health Board.” “Three Rezko associates who sat on the Hospital Board made substantial donations to Mr. Blogojevich and Mr. Obama in 2003 and 2004.” Rezko again: Obama found another $100,000.00 that Mr. Rezko gave him, is there more? Obama’s House: Rezko paid $300,000.00 for a lot but it was only worth from $40,000.00 to $300,000.00, depending on different sources, how much is the appraised value of the lot. Why did he pay 1 million $600,000.00 for a house that was selling for 1 million $900,000.00? Why would his adviser on trade tell Canada that, what he said in a debate about NAFTA was not what he would do if he was elected? Why would his Adviser go to England and say do not to take what Obama says about Iraq serious, because he will change after the election? Why would Obama belong to and fund with donations a church that has a very angry minister for over 20 years and continues to day? Why does Obama and his followers always say racist when some one questions him or points out he said something not quite true? Why would Obama not be very proud of getting 92% of the black vote in Mississippi? The questions are many the time is short maybe I can read or hear an honesty answer. On a different but related subject, on CNN I heard a black person say what Rev. Wright said in the videos is repeated in every black church every Sunday in America, could that be true, I pray not.
it seems to me that senator obama is saying that the reverand didnt start his inflamatory
remarks untill obamas campain started.that is hard to belive.hate for this country seems to have
rubbed off on obamas wife but not on obama.haRD TO BELIVE
Does Barack Obama really expect voters to believe that in 20 yrs. of membership in this church
that this is the first time he is learning of his ministers rantings. Give me a break