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Moving past the hyper-abused sound byte, I listened to Reverend Wright’s entire “God Damn America” sermon as it has been titled by pop-media. For the record, when he implied that America’s foreign policy was to blame for 9/11, claiming, “America’s chickens are coming home to roust,” the reverend was actually quoting Ed Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraqi during an interview with Fox News in 2000. But the ‘chickens’ in the media would fail to have such a socially electrifying story if they included that tidbit. Prefacing his remarks as a "faith footnote," Write preached, I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. He was on Fox News. This is a white man and he was upsetting the Fox News commentators to no end. He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, that what Malcolm X said when he got silenced by Elijah Muhammad was in fact true: America's chickens are coming home to roost."
More importantly, are we forgetting that to call into question the policies and practices of one's government is a very American principle? It is – if you believe in the most fundamental principles laid-out by our Founding Fathers. And, to persecute the outspoken objectors of our government’s practices is un-American and un-patriotic!
The public barrage of ridicule aimed at passionate activists like Rev. Wright who speak out against the injustices of their nation, is a principle rooted in fascism not Democracy. Why to do so, undermines the expressly detailed right of the First Amendment, as set forth by our Founders.
Granted, Wright's language was strong. But if one listens to the entire homily, they would know he quoted all historic facts. He notes how our government unjustly treated Asian-Americans post WWII by relocating over one-hundred-thousand men, women and children (mostly American citizens) to remote “concentration camps”, as they were refereed to by Franklin D. Roosevelt. No one bashed Ronald Regan when he mirrored Reverend Wright’s condemnation of our government at this, stating that the motivation for these camps was based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership" (Ronald Regan).
Wright also preached facts about our past, imperialistic acts toward our Native American brothers and sisters and facts about how we have treated African-Americans, an all too familiar image of our past. And let's not forget the plight of the women's suffrage movement either. When I say we - I mean a government consisting mainly of white men, of which I myself am one! Who can argue the Reverend’s outcry that our government is and always has been controlled by “rich, white, people”?
Let’s not forget, had not brave voices endured public scorn, little progress would have been made toward equality. It's ironic that many, who have been bashing Rev. Wright, owe the very liberation they enjoy today to voices just like him, voices like Dr. King and brave women suffragists who publicly proclaimed in the streets,
“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union!” ~ Susan B. Anthony
To denigrate Wright, is to denigrate and dismiss the suffering and fight of those before us who dedicated their lives so that every minority might have equal rights. To condemn him, is to betray those to whom you owe your very own liberation! I hear racial and sexist rhetoric every day. We have a long ways to go and to dismiss a nationally respected preacher for passionately pointing that out – is pure, ignorant deflection.
Wright's sermon is truly a prelude for reconciliation; for it calls to light the very American principle of "equality", which is a necessary step in overcoming our shortcomings concerning the principle "that all men (and women) are created equal". Shortcomings America still possess, despite great progress made! When a certain white Governor similarly pointed out the current racism alive in his state he said, “You have a lot of white conservatives in Pennsylvania that just will not vote for a black man.” And instead of public ridicule, Fast Eddie Rendell enjoys cheers and praise everywhere he goes! But a black preacher, friend of a (half) black presidential candidate gets 1000 lashings.
My point is if Rev. Wright were a fat, white protestant preacher from the south, his sermon would get mild attention. A white person is a hero if he points out white supremacy in our country, but a black man is a racist for the same act! – As if one must be a member of some group in order to condemn their injustices – but if a nonmember speaks the same truth, it’s invalid and he is scorned. Truth is Truth!
To batter Wright is to batter all the others and marginalize those voices such as, Thomas Jefferson, who said, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive!”
And Abraham Lincoln, who declared, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
These great American shapers recognized the need for us to speak out against our government when it falls short of its own ideals, lest we loose sight of those very ideals which makes America, America - and therefore great! This need and right, moreover, becomes our patriotic obligation if She is to stay that way. This act of speaking out does imply a hatred for one’s country; much to the contrary, it implies a real desire to preserve what one loves about HER!
Well most people know now that faux news just looped up a part of his sermon and played it over and over and formed most peoples opnions and linked him to Obama, but watching the entire sermon in context makes you look at it different. Now the problems comes for people who's mind has been prejudiced by fox news to already have a opnion of Rev Wright. He said things that a lot of people black and white have said before, it was just the Obama connection that drove the bloggers and posters crazy
"A lie can make it half way around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes"
But if there is indeed nothing wrong with Reverend Wright's sermons... then why did Obama publicly denounce those Wright statements? Instead, Obama should have stated all that you just said and defended and supported Wright. If what you posted is true, then Obama is totally in the wrong for denouncing Wright. Correct?
So to recap. Either Wright has misunderstood and Obama was wrong to denounce him. Or Wright is not being misunderstood and Obama was wrong to have had him for his moral compass and to have him as his pastor for 20 years.
I suspect that Wright has not been misunderstood as Obama has been distancing himself from Wright since a year ago when he told Wright that he could not speak at Obama's announcement of his intention to run for president.
Moving past the hyper-abused sound byte, I listened to Reverend Wright’s entire “God Damn America†sermon as it has been titled by pop-media. For the record, when he implied that America’s foreign policy was to blame for 9/11, claiming, “America’s chickens are coming home to roust,†the reverend was actually quoting Ed Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraqi during an interview with Fox News in 2000. But the ‘chickens’ in the media would fail to have such a socially electrifying story if they included that tidbit. Prefacing his remarks as a "faith footnote," Write preached, I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. He was on Fox News. This is a white man and he was upsetting the Fox News commentators to no end. He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, that what Malcolm X said when he got silenced by Elijah Muhammad was in fact true: America's chickens are coming home to roost."
More importantly, are we forgetting that to call into question the policies and practices of one's government is a very American principle? It is – if you believe in the most fundamental principles laid-out by our Founding Fathers. And, to persecute the outspoken objectors of our government’s practices is un-American and un-patriotic!
The public barrage of ridicule aimed at passionate activists like Rev. Wright who speak out against the injustices of their nation, is a principle rooted in fascism not Democracy. Why to do so, undermines the expressly detailed right of the First Amendment, as set forth by our Founders.
Granted, Wright's language was strong. But if one listens to the entire homily, they would know he quoted all historic facts. He notes how our government unjustly treated Asian-Americans post WWII by relocating over one-hundred-thousand men, women and children (mostly American citizens) to remote “concentration campsâ€, as they were refereed to by Franklin D. Roosevelt. No one bashed Ronald Regan when he mirrored Reverend Wright’s condemnation of our government at this, stating that the motivation for these camps was based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership" (Ronald Regan).
Wright also preached facts about our past, imperialistic acts toward our Native American brothers and sisters and facts about how we have treated African-Americans, an all too familiar image of our past. And let's not forget the plight of the women's suffrage movement either. When I say we - I mean a government consisting mainly of white men, of which I myself am one! Who can argue the Reverend’s outcry that our government is and always has been controlled by “rich, white, people�
Let’s not forget, had not brave voices endured public scorn, little progress would have been made toward equality. It's ironic that many, who have been bashing Rev. Wright, owe the very liberation they enjoy today to voices just like him, voices like Dr. King and brave women suffragists who publicly proclaimed in the streets,
“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union!†~ Susan B. Anthony
To denigrate Wright, is to denigrate and dismiss the suffering and fight of those before us who dedicated their lives so that every minority might have equal rights. To condemn him, is to betray those to whom you owe your very own liberation! I hear racial and sexist rhetoric every day. We have a long ways to go and to dismiss a nationally respected preacher for passionately pointing that out – is pure, ignorant deflection.
Wright's sermon is truly a prelude for reconciliation; for it calls to light the very American principle of "equality", which is a necessary step in overcoming our shortcomings concerning the principle "that all men (and women) are created equal". Shortcomings America still possess, despite great progress made! When a certain white Governor similarly pointed out the current racism alive in his state he said, “You have a lot of white conservatives in Pennsylvania that just will not vote for a black man.†And instead of public ridicule, Fast Eddie Rendell enjoys cheers and praise everywhere he goes! But a black preacher, friend of a (half) black presidential candidate gets 1000 lashings.
My point is if Rev. Wright were a fat, white protestant preacher from the south, his sermon would get mild attention. A white person is a hero if he points out white supremacy in our country, but a black man is a racist for the same act! – As if one must be a member of some group in order to condemn their injustices – but if a nonmember speaks the same truth, it’s invalid and he is scorned. Truth is Truth!
To batter Wright is to batter all the others and marginalize those voices such as, Thomas Jefferson, who said, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive!â€
And Abraham Lincoln, who declared, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
These great American shapers recognized the need for us to speak out against our government when it falls short of its own ideals, lest we loose sight of those very ideals which makes America, America - and therefore great! This need and right, moreover, becomes our patriotic obligation if She is to stay that way. This act of speaking out does imply a hatred for one’s country; much to the contrary, it implies a real desire to preserve what one loves about HER!
Wonderful and insightful. Very rare on this thread. I appreciate your knowledge and research that you have conducted pertaining to this pastor's sermons. It is always a pleasure to hear from someone on this forum who has a mature and wise analysis of the current topics that we attempt to discuss philosophically on this forum. You may not get many replies for many people on this thread are not into truth searching or fact-finding, nor do they have the mental capacity to do so. Many cannot allow their minds to seek a higher level of thinking, unfortunately.
When I post they seldom respond for they know that many things I speak to are the truth and I am pleased with their non-response for it tells me that they are examining themselves or they have deleted my responses, which by all means is fine with me. They may not admit their genuine reactions to your post, but they are thinking whether negatively or positively. No replies or very few replies means you have provoked something that is being awakened for their good or it is being ignored because of rampant ignorance and little minds that are foreclosed. A foreclosed identity that may never develop into a healthy identity due to other circumstances that happened during their birth, childhood, or adolescent years. This is why it is sometimes useless to discuss anything with some of these posters.
Well sadly, while running for president in this Country it would be self destruction to say agreed with Wright's radioactive statements. It was good political judgement I would say; he did denounce the statements and is still getting bashed over it. That is the truth - no?
And you know why you cannot be President and declare that racism is alive and well in America -BECAUSE IT'S TRUE.
You know the worst thing you can call a racist? A RACIST!
The fact that Obama gave an upfront, compelling speech, on racism in this country and would not denounce the man, speaks loud and clear.
I am curious how you see it, or were you just trying to have me contradict myself on my defense of Ronald Regan, Susan B. Anthony, Jefferson and Lincoln...
Last edited by Amanda4hill; 04-07-2008 at 09:20 PM..
Wonderful and insightful. Very rare on this thread. I appreciate your knowledge and research that you have conducted pertaining to this pastor's sermons. It is always a pleasure to hear from someone on this forum who has a mature and wise analysis of the current topics that we attempt to discuss philosophically on this forum. You may not get many replies for many people on this thread are not into truth searching or fact-finding, nor do they have the mental capacity to do so. Many cannot allow their minds to seek a higher level of thinking, unfortunately.
When I post they seldom respond for they know that many things I speak to are the truth and I am pleased with their non-response for it tells me that they are examining themselves or they have deleted my responses, which by all means is fine with me. They may not admit their genuine reactions to your post, but they are thinking whether negatively or positively. No replies or very few replies means you have provoked something that is being awakened for their good or it is being ignored because of rampant ignorance and little minds that are foreclosed. A foreclosed identity that may never develop into a healthy identity due to other circumstances that happened during their birth, childhood, or adolescent years. This is why it is sometimes useless to discuss anything with some of these posters.
Heaveno - This feedback makes very good sense and I appreciate you taking the time. Thank you.
Jerimiah Wright blasphemed. He used filthy vulgarity as well as racial and sexual terms in denegrating the altar of a holy sanctuary. He preached hate instead of following his calling and teaching the love of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ.
The OP has listened to ONE sermon. I have listened to 6 and I have a video tape purchased from the Trinity Church of Christ.
The man is an agent of the devil and not a minister of Christinity. In some cases Jerimiah Wright is quoting someone else but instead of using their language he inserts his own which is usually vulgar. Obama himself has been quoted as saying "sometimes we get a little bawdy at Trinity Church of Christ".
Here are some things you may have missed from some of Wright's speeches. I would like to emphasize they are not sermons. They are speeches, often political in nature and often off color and vulgar. Let me remind you also these speeches from the pulpit of Trinity Church of Christ were made in front of men, women and children. Would you want your children exposed to this hate, filth and vulgarity?
1. Wright yells "not God Bless America but God Damn America"
2. Wright titles a speech and says repeatedly "Hillary ain't never been called a N igger"
3. Wright screams repeatedly "in the US of KKK", In the US of KKK A"
4. In perhaps the vilest and most deplorable speech Wright says "This is what Bill and Monica did in the Oval office."Behind the pulpit he moves his hips in a suggestive humping and demonstrates the act of fellatio with his hand and mouth.
These four are documented in several places on the Web but there are many others. There is no defense of Wright's actions. His supporters always say "Oh, he was quoting someone else" or "That's a soundbite. It was taken out of context". None of these "EXCUSES" are satisfactory to explain Wright's use of vulgarity, sexist and racist remarks from a Christian pulpit. Those that try to use them obviously don't understand the sanctity of a holy church.
Even Obama himself has said that he doesn't always approve of Wright's behavior and words.
Jerimiah Wright blasphemed. He used filthy vulgarity as well as racial and sexual terms in denegrating the altar of a holy sanctuary. He preached hate instead of following his calling and teaching the love of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ.
The OP has listened to ONE sermon. I have listened to 6 and I have a video tape purchased from the Trinity Church of Christ.
The man is an agent of the devil and not a minister of Christinity. In some cases Jerimiah Wright is quoting someone else but instead of using their language he inserts his own which is usually vulgar. Obama himself has been quoted as saying "sometimes we get a little bawdy at Trinity Church of Christ".
Here are some things you may have missed from some of Wright's speeches. I would like to emphasize they are not sermons. They are speeches, often political in nature and often off color and vulgar. Let me remind you also these speeches from the pulpit of Trinity Church of Christ were made in front of men, women and children. Would you want your children exposed to this hate, filth and vulgarity?
1. Wright yells "not God Bless America but God Damn America"
2. Wright titles a speech and says repeatedly "Hillary ain't never been called a N igger"
3. Wright screams repeatedly "in the US of KKK", In the US of KKK A"
4. In perhaps the vilest and most deplorable speech Wright says "This is what Bill and Monica did in the Oval office."Behind the pulpit he moves his hips in a suggestive humping and demonstrates the act of fellatio with his hand and mouth.
These four are documented in several places on the Web but there are many others. There is no defense of Wright's actions. His supporters always say "Oh, he was quoting someone else" or "That's a soundbite. It was taken out of context". None of these "EXCUSES" are satisfactory to explain Wright's use of vulgarity, sexist and racist remarks from a Christian pulpit. Those that try to use them obviously don't understand the sanctity of a holy church.
Even Obama himself has said that he doesn't always approve of Wright's behavior and words.
Good luck. Even Obama thought these statements were ludicrous but people on this bored seem to have lost touch with reality somewhere.
Good luck. Even Obama thought these statements were ludicrous but people on this bored seem to have lost touch with reality somewhere.
Here is the reality. Obama said He didn't always agree with Jerimiah Wright. therefore he is cognisant of the misuse of Wright's position and his abuse of language.
Anyone who attempts to defend Wright doesn't understand the calling of a Christian minister! Wright's actions are inexcusable!
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Ummm...this is why
