The thing that gets my goat is that, although not eloquent in his manner, a lot of what Rev Wright has to say is true. Maybe he gets a little carried away, but White men did slaughter the Native Americans and steal their land, white men did kidnap and enslave Black people, white American men did nuke two Japanese cities, white American men have entered into Middle Eastern lands unwelcomed to start an unjust war, and although Bill Clinton was deemed the first black President, I doubt either he or Hilary have been called the N word. I'm not an anti-American radical, but I am smart enough to know there have been injustices in the past that we tend to want to deny.
As white people, we think we can sit here and judge blacks for the way the feel after having been treated so badly, and we say they have no right to be offended by white man's behavior to the point of radical chatter, but until we've walked a mile in their shoes, we have no right to judge. We see MLK as a hero of civil rights, but we see the Rev Wright as hating America when he speaks truth to power.
Yes, the Rev is a little radical in his speech, not as eloquent as either Barak or MLK, and a lot older than Obama, having lived through some of the worst racial era. Maybe, just maybe, Obama hears and feels the pain of the elders of the Black race, but sees a better way to go about dealing with the racial divide and the unfairness to the poor, black and white and every other color. His speeches are all about getting rid of all the divides that hinder this country. He inspires people to actually want something better. Maybe he thinks he can do some good, and maybe he models himself more like MLK than Wright. And who knows, he may have even expresed to the Rev that there is a better way to go about the changes. Obama isn't a spewer of hate, or at least I've never seen a clip to that effect.
Have you ever seen seen Obama make a radical speech like the Rev? NO
Is his book "Audacity of Hope" a radical book? NO.
The accusations against him are ridiculous.
He, in fact, is the least radical of all the candidates. First Fox said he needs to toughen up because he's so layed back he refused to enter Hilary's slug fest. Now they are saying he's a radical because his Pastor came from another era where the bitterness was spawned. Obama doesn't even have temper fits like McCain. He goes about his work peacefully, and isn't that what we all want?
In his day, Jesus was seen as a radical, because he saw the pain of the poor and oppressed, and spoke out for change. He kept company with, what the system of those days considered to be, the worst of the worst. They crucified him, when all he taught was Love one another. Until we learn to walk hand in hand for the betterment of our world, division will eat us alive. We can keep crucifying those who wish to help us help ourselves, and we will remain in these war-torn situations. Or, we can just say NO to the system, and say, "Yes, We Can." Empowerment is a wonderful thing, and I believe that's what Obama wants for us. Power to the People.
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For years the old theology was to endure hardship and injustice, to be an obedient slave on the plantation or to a good Negro in the Jim Crowe south and you'll go to heaven when you die. Liberation theology say NO to this mindset.
Good article, Rosa.
Bottom line of the points he made:
1. America pays for their foreign policy dealings. Yes, we armed and help build Al Qaeda from the ground up to fight the soviets in Afghanistan. Then the chicken came home to roost. Anybody ignorant about the CIA helping those guys fight the soviets although not known as Al Qaeda then?
2. America ignore it's poor and they have very little to be proud of.
Those are the main things I get from the 30 seconds clips of a Rev. who gave sermons for 36 years.
Rosa, you make good points on how a Barack, whether he heard these exact clips or not in church or not, knows what these people feel, therefore has the ability to deal with "the racial divide and the unfairness to the poor, black and white and every other color." Barack by all account did not grow up poor. He went to Columbia and Harvard. He's taken a look at America from different angles unlike many politicians and is uniquely positioned to deal with such problems.
This is a serious problem and we will never be the best country we can be until we address it.
When you read Obama's story, you understand that he was lost at one point in his life, not knowing who he really was. Once he figured it out, he set about a plan. I could relate to this on some level, because of the trauma in my life, but once I understood, I too saw the plan, and began to stand up and speak truth. It makes me wonder how many people, that have begun to condemn him, have actually read his books.
Spencer, Love your enemy - that's a hard saying. For some, it's hard enough to love your neighbor. That Obama is willing to have dialogue with the enemy says a lot about him. And he's right about changing the mindset of war and fear based governing. Another President, not sure which one, said "Know the enemy." How can you deal effectuvely with someone you don't know? Do some heads of state fear us because they perceive us as a threat? I say that may be the case, considering what we have done in the past to Native Americans, Africans, and Japanese.
Jared, that's true, we did train Bin Laden and his cohorts and gave them weaponry. Now, we are doing the same in Iraq. On some level, this reminds of another hard saying, Take the log out of your own eye before you try to take a splinter out of your neighbor's eye. We have so many problems right here in the good ol U S of A, and yet we are out there trying to change the rest of the world. We aren't a perfect nation, and shouldn't be asking other nations to be like us. It makes perfect sense to lead by example, not force. I'll try to get over there and read that. Thanks.
To those who question Barack Obama's allegiance to our country, I respectfully offer this -- Barack Obama is the most patriotic of all the candidates.
He is reminding all of us of our nation's founding principles, inspiring us to turn from the negative practices of the past and make our country be the best it can be. He has some of the same, rare qualities of my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. He loves the constitution, and spent a good part of his life studying it, teaching it, and putting it into practice helping the poor.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to produce a documentary about another period in history where blacks freedom fighters and whites came together for a common purpose -- in the years leading up to the Civil War on the Underground Railroad. A renowned professor from George Washington University was one of the many historians who helped us understand the complex issues of race that are still with us today. He helped me to understand why African Americans in this country are angry, and should be.
James Oliver Horton is a wonderful and eloquent speaker, and probably a little more judicious in choosing his words, but his message is similar.
If you don't mind, I will share one of the pieces from his interview, which to me is a call to action, whether you are black, red, white or blue. If you are willing to open your hearts and your minds, we still have a chance to make our country a place we can be proud of, and a shining example to the world.
"You know, America has some wonderful principles. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. These are the magic words of American history and the American nation. We are a nation with ideals that ought to be the envy of human kind. We are a tremendously impressive nation in terms of what we want to be. But, the fact of life is that from the beginning, we haven't been what we said we were. We haven't been what we want to be. The abolition of slavery was a step towards becoming what America said it wanted to be. It seems to me that every citizen has a responsibility, and the responsibility is to live up to the highest ideals of your nation, and to do everything in your power to see that that nation lives up to its highest ideals. You don't have the luxury of being apathetic when it comes to pressing your nation towards its highest ideals. That's what being a citizen in a Democratic society means."
James Oliver Horton, Ph.D.
George Washington University
Historian, Author, Pulitzer Prize Nominee
Yes, but I'm unwilling to spend my life making reparations for what has been done historically, just because I'm white. The kind of preaching that the Pastor did is separatist and racial and has no place in a Christian Church. We have to agree to disagree on this one, Rosa.
I neither think Obama is an experienced enough politician to be able to effectively implement any of the effective changes that he says he wants to make, nor do I consider his affiliation over the years with that Pastor who is also very much a follower of Louis Farrakhan, to be the kind of association to respect and admire in a leader of the USA.
"When you look at the abolitionist movement and you look at both people who are pressing to rid America of its most obvious contradiction -- human bondage in the land of human freedom -- those people were some of the most patriotic people you could imagine. They took their responsibilities as citizens seriously, and as far as blacks were concerned, they took their responsibilities as citizens seriously even when the Supreme Court said they weren't citizens.
"They loved the country, and they wanted the country to be what it could be, and they realized that it would never be that if they did not step forward to risk everything to make America be what it said it was."
James Oliver Horton, Ph.D.
(I wish you could hear the emphasis and emotion in his voice).
I see the Rev. as teaching hate. How does anyone ever overcome the bad things done to them or their ancestors, when someone in power keeps rehashing and bringing up bad memories again and again.
The ones who were slaves are gone and the ones who enslaved them are gone. These tribes in Africa are the ones who sold the slaves to the white man. A lot of people fought and died in the Civil War who did not believe in slavery. Many were white men, who wanted slaves freed as in the North, they didnt own plantations and didnt need slaves to run them for them. Some white people never had or owned slaves.
Yes, we did bomb Japan, had we not WWII would not of ended and many more lives would have been lost. SOmething had to be done before all of the Jewish population was murdered. The Jews paid a high cost for this war and did not do anything to Hitler or his henchmen to deserve any of this.
Yes, the white man did take this land away from the Indians, this is so wrong, but anyone who lives in the USA is living on the land that belonged to the Indians so we all, no matter what color we are, living on land that rightfully belonged to the Indians.
I see birds of a feather flock together. Obama went to this church for how long? 20 years I believe, I think it is safe to say, that at one point or another the Rev. Wright made some of his radical , hate filled , racist speeches. Since, Obama stayed with the church and his teachings, is associated with some unsavory people of this past, his wife says, for the first time she is proud to be an American, etc. Obamas father being who is was. I think we all should watch very closely as to who we are voting for.
Sue Honey, you know I love you. The sins of our forefathers have never been healed, and until we heal them, the bitterness will tend to show it's ugly face. People like Obama can help people like Wright, not by walking away from them, but through leading by example. Jesus said, This is the way, follow me, walk in it. I have always loved the verse in Jeremiah that says: Stand at the crossroads, and look to see the good path, and walk in it. I think we are standing at threshold of a new era. Do we really want old politics as usual, or do WE the People want to take back our power. No one else is asking us to empower ourselves, except Obama. Hilary's candidacy is about her career, she's been planning this forever. McCain is with the fear-based government we need to move away from. I do not believe we are the police of the world, and another occupation in another country is not what we need to heal the wounds.
Vickey you have a friend to me always, and you know me. With respect, I have to say that it depends on how you see the world. Everything in my great American dream was stolen from me, my home, my business, the lives of several family memebers. I was sooooo bitter for a long time. Most of my connections here will tell you that one person on Gather redirected my thoughts, one person! Her name was Carolion Grailbear, and she is no longer on Gather, but she planted a seed in me that helped me heal. As I told Sue, when people walk away, they can't help others see the truth. Maybe Obama felt that way. The person who leads you to truth, to Christ, is an important person in your life, whether he is perfect or not. I heard the old saying: If you think there is a perfect church, join it, and it won't be perfect anymore. I think it was Billy Graham who said that. The point is none of us are perfect in all our ways. Close out the rhetoric, Vickey and listen to your own heart. That's where the truth will come to meet you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/13YRNLKHC7BET
Here is more info from Wkipedia.
Black theology or Black liberation theology is a Christian theology of liberation. The field of black liberation theology received its name in the 1960s and includes in its history Pan Africanists from earlier centuries who used the teachings of Christianity and/or the vehicle of the black church as foundational to their efforts for securing a self-determining existence for Africans at home and/or abroad.
Black liberation theology is theology from the perspective of an oppressed people. It seeks to interpret the gospel of Jesus against the backdrop of historical and contemporary racism. The message of black theology is that the African American struggle for liberation is consistent with the gospel--every theological statement must be consistent with, and perpetuate, the goals of liberation.
The theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage—social, political, economic and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination.
Methodist James Cone is still considered its leading theologian, though now there are many scholars who have contributed a great deal to the field. One of its major concerns is with the perceived historic and present racism in "Western civilizations" (especially within Christendom) and the ways in which Jesus urged his disciples to seek freedom for all people.
As with all liberation theologies, black theology focuses on those who are perceived as oppressed and/or poor. Through its intentionally particular lens, black theology seeks to contribute to the liberation of black peoples.
Jeremiah Wright has attracted attention in the 2008 election due to his fiery rhetoric concering Barack Obama which he has stated is based on black liberation theology.[1]
His pandering to groups and telling one group one thing while telling another group the opposite (case in point his stand on NAFTA, for one) is not something I can dismiss so easily. Idealism is great but without reality, it's just a pipe dream for which the reality might end up being a huge cloud of smoke.
Sue, that's the point, not to put your trust in man, but empower yourself. The government can't solve our problems for us, we the people have to do that. That's Obamas message. We got lazy as a nation, and allowed the government to take control, which was never meant to be. As for experience in DC, that's the problem. Our Congress, the experienced lot, just writes up a bunch of bills with earmarks for the corporate world, and pander to lobbyists. Is THAT what you want to hold on to? They are out of control, the whole bunch, we actually need some fresh faces. Unless you have a dream to begin with, you suffocate in the same old stuff. Reality is what you make it. We can say "NO, we can't" and we'll just sinking further into the pit of despair. I don't know where you are in life, I live in poverty, and I'm looking for hope, but I know I can't get out until ALL AMERICA says, "Yes, we can."
Peter, I loved your comment, you said what I am thinking so very well. I understand this. My son, who is white, married a white woman with a child who has a black father. Thius young man had a great heart, but his identity was lost to him, and much like Obama did, he is going through crisis as we speak. It's hard for people to understand unless they have lived through an experience. It requires allowing yourself to enter another person's hell in order to fully feel it, which most aren't willing.
BARACK OBAMA, Democratic National Convention. July 27, 2004
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- or at least, most of the time.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2005
We should be more modest in our belief that we can impose democracy on a country through military force. In the past, it has been movements for freedom from within tyrannical regimes that have led to flourishing democracies; movements that continue today. This doesn't mean abandoning our values and ideals; wherever we can, it's in our interest to help foster democracy through the diplomatic and economic resources at our disposal. But even as we provide such help, we should be clear that the institutions of democracy – free markets, a free press, a strong civil society – cannot be built overnight, and they cannot be built at the end of a barrel of a gun. And so we must realize that the freedoms FDR once spoke of – especially freedom from want and freedom from fear – do not just come from deposing a tyrant and handing out ballots; they are only realized once the personal and material security of a people is ensured as well.
BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Sep. 1, 2006
America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 5, 2008
I was drawn to the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change. Out of necessity, the black church had to minister to the whole person. Out of necessity, the black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation from collective salvation. It had to serve as the center of the community's political, economic, and social as well as spiritual life; it understood in an intimate way the biblical call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and challenge powers and principalities. In the history of these struggles, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world.
THIS IS IT.
Brainwashed, brain dead? America the Beautiful. God Bless America. Do you get an F when you write a controversial essay? What's going on here? Are they that stupid?
Jared, In Buddhism they say it's called karma, and then Christ said you reap what you sow. Wright says the chickens are coming home to roost. America is not completely innocent, and the Civil War was only the beginning to making it right. It's not that they are stupid, they are in denial. We may not be seeing men in White hoods hanging blacks from trees, but there is still racial injustice in our country, passed down from generation to generation.
Obama @ the DNC July 2004:
Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.
It's all true Sue.
For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.
A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper -- that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
John Lennon
Lyrics found at www.mp3lyrics.org/jG
We're building this pyramid brick by brick. Hope your brick sits next to mine, because you are one of my most cherished friends, Sue.
LOL, half baked cookies, that was a good one. Ya know Priscilla, what we really need is for everyone to be able to see both sides of an issue, have an open mind, and at least try to be understanding of others.
Bruce maybe I should send a copy to FoxNews, but it would take a lot to humble them. People can say Obama is an empty vessel all they want, but he talks a lot about us empowering ourselves, and reading about his community work in Chicago, I csan see that he talked about it even then.
I'm not saying the man doesn't have issues. What I am saying is that our responsibility is not judgment, but love. This man isn't threatening anyone, he's crying out in the name of injustice. It's something a lot of white folks don't understand and have no tolerance for because they haven't experienced it. Obama's heart is in the right place.
Germany surrendered BEFORE we dropped the A-Bomb on Japan.