Rev. Jeremiah Wright: Obama "Still My Child"

Chicago Sun-Times:

President-elect Barack Obama made a "bad decision" by distancing himself from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his church, Wright said Sunday -- but that's OK.

"He's still my child," Wright said in a sermon in which he expressed pride in Obama's longtime association with Trinity United Church of Christ.

His talk was spiced with his trademark blend of history lesson, mimicry, singing, and -- depending on your point of view -- insults, or telling it like it is. One object of contempt seemed to be Elisabeth Hasselbeck of ABC's "The View," whom -- while not saying her name -- Wright twice referred to as a "broad," including once as "that dumb broad." Hasselbeck has criticized Wright on "The View."

Wright, speaking at Trinity on its 47th anniversary, said he was proud of "the only church that produced the first and only African-American president in the 211-year history of the United States. No other church can say that."

"The hatred of the media and the haters in politics may have caused him to distance himself from us, but the love of Christ will never allow me to distance myself from him,'' Wright said of Obama. "I can no more disown him than I can disown any other child of mine who makes [a] bad decision. He made a bad decision, but he's still my child."

Read the whole story: Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

[Furby]

The damage is done. Sorry Rev, no inauguration invite for you.

[lynettema]

Obama had to distance himself. Wright is getting dotty in his old age.

[tyger]

Surely he meant step-child since that is how he treated him.

[dphilip]

I can't say I have ever heard a christian minister cast insults and use such demeaning language from the pulipit?? Oh wait,.......it comes under the umbrella of the whole "double standard" thing doesn't it?

[MizLiz]

Well, at least there's one thing I can agree with...when he talked about the dumb broad on the view, I knew just who he meant.

[vishix]

don't insult dumb broads by comparing her to them!~

[ohiomark]

I still can't believe Obama never heard any of Rev. Wright's rac ists and un-American sermons.

This guy can't help himself. He's just dy ing to tell white people to shove it.

[springsm]

Okay ohio there you are again. You need to read more of his sermons and stop with the "I can't believe" crap. My guess is that you have never been near this church or listened to more than this two minute exerpt of one message that also was out of context. Of course being from Ohio ..you wouldn't understand anyway. And for this one Wright got it absolutely correct. JW is abit of an embarrassment sometimes...but he surely had Elizabeth pegged.

[harriettubman]

I know someone who attends Trinity and someone who visited. I was told that Wright did not preach racism but an Afrocentric-type theology of black America being responsible for their communities. Plus, he would preach about the atrocities of America's past. That's what he meant by "God should damn America."

If you people either researched your information about Wright or found out more information about the church, you wouldn't still be posting erroneous information in December 08 and this was released in the Spring of 08.

[Renegade56]

The shoe throwing incident by the Iraqi reporter along with his words broadly interpreted as "This is for the innocent women, children you have killed and children you have orphaned through your illegal war!!" at President George W. Bush vindicates Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Before you write me off as an America-hating leftwing nutcase, read carefully:

Most of us remember Reverend Wright for his famous "God Damn America" rant during one his sermons in April 2003. When you listen to the sermon thoroughly you will here Reverend Wright explain that to "damn" is to "condemn" as defined by the dictionary and as illustrated in the bible when God wants to punish a nation by "condemning" it. Reverend Wright said "...God Damn America for killing innocent people, God Damn America for treating her citizens less than humanly..."

Those of you religious persons who are conservative or liberal know this even though you may not like the way Reverend Wright expressed himself.The bible does talk about damning nations for unjust killing through war or any other means.

George W. Bush is the symbol of America to many people in the middle east.Most people around the world know that we waged an illegal war against Iraq to secure access to oil.The supreme insult of throwing a shoe at Bush by the Iraqi reporter,representing a "higher" soul, shows a condemnation of Bush's, thereby, America's actions.

[militarymomforobama]

The man has a right to his opinion. This is a free country--kept that way by those (like him) who serve. It is certainly not my place to question him.

The dum@ blonde on the View is a reality show reject. How is she qualified to question him?

[Bushwillresign]

What did the dizzy blonde say when she was called a dumb broad?

Hey, I am not a broad.

[karela]

If Reverend Wright really loved Obama more than himself, why did he make that round of interviews that so disastrously ended with his ego dance at the Press Club dinner? Obama was sticking by Wright out of love, but Wright went before the American press and on national television and made it impossible for Obama to maintain his relationship with him. But more than that, Wright disappointed and hurt Obama. That egotistical display at the Press Club dinner had nothing to do with love and everything to do with anger and the one who stood to be hurt the most by this self proclaimed "father" figure, was Obama. That's not love. It also wasn't very mature.

[HerbTee]

Reverend Wright is entitled to his opinions and he has his Constitutional rights to freedom of speech just as any one else. Of course Reverend Wright was angry at that press club spectacle and he lashed out. He's an intelligent man and I agree that he should have known better. But Obama didn't end his relationship with Reverend Wright even after that incident. It was the words of Father Pfliger in the church that was the final straw which caused Obama to quit his church. It was NOT because of Reverend Wright's rants at the press club that caused Obama to quit. Obama condemned his words, but still did not disown Reverend Wright. I certainly don't condone what Reverend Wright did, but I can certainly understand why he did it.

And how do you you personally know exactly what personal relationship Reverend Wright had with Obama that has not been over-analyzed or maligned by the MSM? One thing you people had better learn...Obama did not totally become who he is today without people like Reverend Wright who guided him and likely served as a father figure for him. So get over it already.

[FaceYourFears]

Well said.....PEBO and Rev W had a twenty yr pastor/member relationship....that bond can not be easily severed. Rev W helped shaped PBO into the man he is today, I'm sure he does see him as a son. I hope one day they'll get the chance to sit down and talk this out. They're both good and decent men!

[JRBZ]

AMEN

[monsal]

She's a bimbo.

[zippy2112]

Everyone on the view is a bimbo, but Whoopi is cool.

[steamboat]

She's a bimbo, too

[militarymomforobama]

She can't be too cool. She's on the View.

[MEPosey]

Two things for the record. I listened to the sermon in it's entirety. #1 - The Rev., Dr. Wright never called her a "broad", he called her a blond. #2 - He was in the church that he pastored for more than 40 years minding his business when the press felt compelled to stick its nose in this Sunday. He was there for the church's anniversary, not to give fodder to the media. Must have been a slow news day.

[harriettubman]

But I believe someone at that church is leaking this information. I know of no reporter who has actually sat in that church. Had they done that, their reporting would've been the truth instead of hearsay and edited clips.

[Furby]

What, sitting in a church automatically makes a person honest? Hmmm, let's hold future senate hearings in a church.

[fortheus]

Wait just a minute.No matter what you guys think about Rev.Wrights politic.,Before you start calling him names.Please remember that this man has paid the cost to express his opinion about his country.Unless you have done two tours of duty on the battlefield as medic,saving the lives of your fellow countrymen and putting your on at risk you like he did.If not you dont have the standing to criticize him.Whats truly amazing is that you have veterans supporting cowards like limbaug and hannity men who ran from the fight,but not supporting a man that should be considered a hero.Remember he did his duty when it counted.

[zippy2112]

That's right if you did not serve you do not have the right to voice your opinion.

[Liberal2]

Sometimes. Clearly you're too full of your righteous indignation that you won't consider where Wright was coming from.

Wright was right, you're not.

[debrouillard]

I wonder whether English ,like maths has become another subjects Americans are blank at.

What Forteus meant is that,if anyone deserve their right to freedom of expression,then surely those who actually fought,risk their life for it,do

[zippy2112]

Obama said he did not think Wright's comments accurately portrayed the perspective of the black church and said they "certainly do not portray accurately" his own values and beliefs.