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Reluctant Criticism from an Obama Supporter RE: Rev. Wright

eyesonobama.com — Criticizing Obama, especially now, at a time where Clinton, McCain and the media seem to be ganging up on him, is not an easy thing for me to do, but Obama may have dug his own hole with the Rev. Wright and while he is doing a decent job of climbing out he has still not fully recovered from the Rev. Wright fall.

Bury

Stonecipher26 86 days ago

78 diggs
digg it

Debmood, on 05/01/2008, -2/+6I am a Catholic and I have not left the church. Some say I should leave due to the scandal with the thousands of Priest fooling around with little boys. I stayed because it is my church and the only church I know. That is my personal choice and my business. When people start judging each other based on their religion, it gives me the sense that you're trampling on my right of freedom of religion.
It is my strong belief that the Clinton Klan kept this going. Rev. Wright's Billy Moyer interview was excellent. The NAACP program was good and funny. Then, when one of Hillary's strong supporters set up the Press ceremony, Rev. Wright appeared as a totally different person. I certainly hope he got paid for putting on a performance to help Hillary.
But please be reminded that this is a free country. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech is our right in this country. How dare anyone judge or question another's religion. God is the only judge we need to worry about, NOT man or woman.
- Madrigalian, on 05/01/2008, -5/+2>> "But please be reminded that this is a free country. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech is our right in this country. How dare anyone judge or question another's religion. God is the only judge we need to worry about, NOT man or woman."
  
  I am sure the ever growing radical Muslims, Wiccans, Satanists, Branch Davidians, polygamist mormons and lettuce worshiping skin heads the world over all appreciate your blind acceptance and tolerance for any old ideology dutifully packaged and labeled as a religion or belief. You're enlightened and oh so progressively liberal blind relativity of "faith" is something we should all admire.
  - JekJob, on 05/01/2008, -2/+3Hm. I'm a bit confused as to why you included Muslims in your list, as if it were not a real religion. It IS a real religion. Not all Muslims are America-hating extremists.
    - Madrigalian, on 05/01/2008, -2/+1They are all REAL religions. I included Muslims because, of them all, I find Islamic Ideology the most offensive personally and it's my list. Are you implying that Wiccans are believing in and practicing a "false" religion? I thought they were all supposed to be equal based on the right to faith?
      - actorboy, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1Freedom of religion is one of our constitutionally protected rights. Why do you hate America?
      - Madrigalian, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1You misunderstand me Sir! I am in fact totally in favor of "freedom of Religion" in so far as the religion is not a danger to me or mine. "My" religion for instance requires that when one witnesses ugly, violent, racist, intolerant, ideologies, in whatever color robes they wear, one must speak openly about it and confront it before it spreads. It's a druidism thing. /wink
      - JekJob, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Why is it offensive to you? Why do you assume all Muslims are dangerous?
      - Madrigalian, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1I didn't say all Muslims were dangerous. You are presuming to say that for me. I said I found Muslim ideology offensive. Which I do. And I am entitled to not only hold that opinion but to also express it with the full effect of derision that I believe it deserves. If it helps, I do not isolate this right to just Islam. I reserve my right to freedom of opinion and expression with regards to any religion, be it that of an apparent haven for God fearing pedophiles, Allah praising Terrorists or "typical" ghetto pastors "clinging" to their reparations, aids warfare theories and America hating racism who just happened to mentor a Presidential candidate for more than 2 decades.
      - JekJob, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1What are you ranting on about?
        
        I will not dignify you with a counter-argument. HOWEVER, your opinions, while you are entitled to them, should not be unfounded and irrational. And is that supposed to be an Obama-Wright criticism at the end of your comment? I literally can't even tell because you writing is so poor.
jforjools, on 05/01/2008, -1/+2"but despite this lack of comfort I have in regards to Obama's religion, the Senator's initial handling of Rev. Wright's remarks prove to me that Barack Obama will not put his religion before his country. Obama has continually distanced himself from Jeremiah Wright and there is no doubt that Wright does not in fact speak for Obama."

Stonie, you got this part right on.
But I'll take my first 'pass' ever on digging one of your articles, as the frequent references to 'discomfort' (even in contrast to the good logic you spelled out to oppose that discomfort) remind of the irrational fears that Barack's opponents are trying to play up.

Still, as always, I appreciate reading your thoughts.
- Stonecipher26, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3jforjools, I've noticed you digging a lot of my articles. Thank you very much for that and thank you for an intelligent reply and criticism to a piece that was difficult for me to write. You could have been angry, defensive, etc...but you weren't. I take absolutely zero offense to you not digging it, but as I mentioned in the piece, I'm done with the Rev. for now.
  - jforjools, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1Amen to that.
    Right the Wright.
JekJob, on 05/01/2008, -2/+4I, too, will pass on digging this article. I'm glad you support Obama but your discomfort, although you are absolutely entitled to it, does seem a bit irrational. Obama is allowed to love God and his church but disagree with his pastor.
Stonecipher26, on 05/01/2008, -1/+4I never said he wasn't allowed to love God, nor did I say I don't. I simply stated that an affiliation with organized religion makes me uncomfortable. So many people in this country are quick to reject any criticism of organized religion, especially Christianity, as Godless and atheist rhetoric.
- jforjools, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1I agree, it makes me extremely uncomfortable. (And I am a practicing Christian.) ...But unfortunately (as pointed out in your article), religion (particularly Christianity) has long been a "Must" for candidates to embrace to some degree. I do expect to see this change in my lifetime--as the numbers are falling for all the 'mainstream' religions in US (you know, the ones that candidates must subscribe to.)
  
  I think in Obama's case--a black man (not to mention his middle name)--absolutely has NO choice but state his religious beliefs...or he'd have never made it past the first primary. And I feel assured that Obama isn't going to mix religion with politics as so many other presidents have. ....I am more comfortable with Obama's relationship with religion that I have been with many, many other candidates. Overall, religion and politics is really, really creepy. But this is one case where I'm willing to overlook it. (And I'm completely overlooking/ignoring Wright...He clearly does not speak for Obama or for anyone besides himself.)
  
  Have patience, everyone. Someday, religion will no longer be an issue on the ballot.
  That will be the big milestone--perhaps after our first black president, our first female president, our first asian president, etc?
- JekJob, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1No I understand exactly what you meant, but I believe you misinterpreted my comment. I was not rejecting criticism of organized religion - I am an atheist, or at least agnostic. I just think this whole Wright thing is a non-issue. You're voting for Obama, not Wright. And I'm sure now that Obama has gone out of his way to distance himself from Wright, he will be nowhere near the White House when Barack is president.
okfrank, on 05/01/2008, -2/+4I dugg this because I agree that Obama is being treated far too harshly. I would say the opposite is in fact how I feel . I praise Obama for showing some loyalty and tolerance. He must have seen some good in Wright. From what I've seen some of his comments make sense. We should all know such eccentrics as Reverend Wright. Obama is trying to behave on the straight and narrow but he gets my vote for showing a little boldness and tolerance.
MindyB, on 05/01/2008, -1/+5I am sorry, I think you are being unfair and it appears that you have fallen into the trap the msm has working hard to get all to fall into.
Barack Obama is his own person and he should not be held responsible for the foibles of his former pastor. The church in question has done amazing work with the community which shows that indeed, it is a church dedicated to the service of its people, regardless of how off the rev. Wright might seem to you, the church has reached communities nobody else wants to even touch-teen parents, drug addicts, homeless people, literacy, etc.
Please remember that Barack Obama is running for the office of President of the United States and not spiritual grand poo bah of the country. Lets try to keep the focus on what is important here.
redcolumbine, on 05/01/2008, -0/+4Obama offered Wright a graceful out, and Wright chose to backstab him (with the help of the Clinton campaign, which arranged his TV appearance). I'll gladly vote for someone who gives his enemies a chance to join his side before mowing them down. Not dugg.
jontalisman, on 05/02/2008, -1/+1See what happens when you don't take the party line on Obama? You get dugg down for doing some critical thinking. A digg from me, though. Excellent article.

I hope you'll explore these thoughts more and switch your support to Clinton because if Obama couldn't see Wright for the nutter he was over the last 20 years, then how can we expect he'll have the good judgment to run this country?
- okfrank, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0That's a rather extreme way of looking at the situation. When we choose a church to attend are we predicting how the pastor reflects our own views so that down the road we might be viewed poorly upon. I said it earlier. This pastor has an axe to grind. He may have grown more and more bitter at his inability to change things. He does have a flair for drama. He grabs attention. He has the correct disposition. We should all be angry. That's why I support Obama he can stay loyal to a fruitcake and still be able to express very eloquently how he feels and what he believes. Making a choice on a pastor right or wrong has very little to do with his ability to make decisions to run the country
gtw398, on 05/03/2008, -0/+0I must say that I am surprised by what seems to be a gross misinterpretation of your article by so many readers. I did not hear you saying you don't believe in God, nor that nobody should. What I read was a very well thought out personal opinion of Senator Obama's handling of the Rev. Wright situation, and a plea for a deeper understanding of the potential damage of mixing religion and politics. Having said that, however, it is difficult to avoid....whether running for President of the U.S. or making a personal decision about our own spiritual paths, to some degree we are all spiritual beings, some of us choosing to practice a particular religion while others do not. It's a personal choice.
What I did read is that you question Senator Obama's choice to stay with Rev. Wright throughout the years. It is his personal choice, I did not hear you dispute that, I simply heard some questions raised about it. Religion, particularly the particular religion we were each raised with, tends to get into our blood, and it is difficult to get 'rid' of it, even when we really want to. Case in point, I was raised Catholic, sexually abused by a catholic priest for five years, yet still went on to raise my two children in the catholic church because it is what I knew...it was in my
blood. It had nothing to do with me being a devout catholic, it had everything to do with me trying to sort out my experience with one catholic priest vs. basing my whole religious experience on that incident. The abuse has shaped my life forever, and it is no longer the issue of one catholic priest who felt he was at liberty to sexually abuse an 8 year old girl because of his position of power....no, it is now about the institution that protected this priest, and thousands of others who they knew were doing the same thing that has made me turn to another church. It took time to sort through that, and it may be that Senator Obama needed the same time. Bishop Bruskewitz, Rev. Wright, Father Burns(the priest who sexually abused me) and others like them certainly have the freedom of speech like the rest of us, but with that freedom comes responsibility.
Thank you, Stonecipher, for having the courage to talk about something that is difficult to address and that is sure to push other's buttons in strong ways.
Keep up the good work
Debmood, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Are you people blind? Wright is working for Hillary. There is no reasonable explanation. On Bill Moyer Wright was great. During the NAACP Awards he did ok, and during the Press Club fiasco, Wright went nuts. Remember, Wright was there for Bill Clinton, in the White House, to help him through the Monica Lewinsky times. He prayed with the Clintons.
The Clintons are so corrupt and dangers, people are afraid of them. I hope Wright got his money up front because Hillary will not pay Mary and no need for Jesus to ask!
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Reluctant Criticism from an Obama Supporter RE: Rev. Wright

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