Reply #146: What in heavens name is wrong

[jbnow]

with people who act like hearing a few snips repeated over and over represent decades of sermons?

I am glad Obama said more in defense of the church and hope that we will be hearing more from many. Does the media think him saying it isn't a crackpot church is a controversial thing to say? Good, let them investigate this church thoroughly.
The clips the media repeated did sound racist and anti-American. Kudos to them for a gotcha on Obama. They demeaned the life work of a Pastor. The HistoryMakers describe some of Rev. Dr. Wright's history here including his 3 Presidential Commendations.

They demeaned a church that was one of the only ones that refused to move to the suburbs, that has an amazing number of outreach programs and trashed a congregation that worship and serve there. They get threats and hate mail, the divinity school set to honor Rev Wright had to move the location for security reasons due to threats and they handily trashed a candidate as someone who listens to hate speech- all on the basis of a few minutes of words they found in hours of sermons. Hate? Racist?

The problem has never been Wright nor Obama listening to Wright nor the church...
It is the media intentionally distorting and misrepresenting knowing they will fuel hate and widen divisions.

"America's Chickens are coming home to roost" We all saw that rant that we kept hearing "that was just days after 9/11" and "oh my God he was saying they deserved to die" and horrors.
The clip is from this sermon
Wright talks about how he was caught far from home with no flights and wondering about what our response should be after reading a horrible verse in a psalm about bashing the heads of children of your enemies and he heard Ambassador Edward Peck,Former Chief of Mission in Iraq (on Fox news ironically) and Ambassador Peck said it was "America's Chickens are coming home to roost"
Then after his rant we all heard he points out

The ambassador said that the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we have, but they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them, and we need to come to grips with that.

He talks about the horror of what happened...the issue of violence begetting violence and how each of us need to look at our own relationship with God. It's still got those words in it that offend but it sure isn't what was presented.
His sermons are not offensive unless you work to excerpt a few lines from a few sermons and play them constantly.

The full text of Jeremiah Wright's "Audacity To Hope" sermon in 1990 is here:
That's the speech Obama got book title from and you understand why TV pundits mention that in hushed tones. Yes, how horrid for Obama to pretend to be a person of unity when he can be inspired bt a sermon that says things as bad as:

"The real lesson Hannah gives us from this chapter—the most important word God would have us hear—is how to hope when the love of God is not plainly evident. It's easy to hope when there are evidences all around of how good God is. But to have the audacity to hope when that love is not evident—you don't know where that somewhere is that my grandmother sang about, or if there will ever be that brighter day—that is a true test of a Hannah-type faith. To take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope—make music and praise God on and with whatever it is you've got left, even though you can't see what God is going to do"

and end with words as hateful as

"And that's why I say to you, hope is what saves us. Keep on hoping; keep on praying. God does hear and answer prayer"

A reporter on a Sunday show said that most reporters he knew had been poring through every speech and haven't been able to find more similar comments though certainly there will be a few in the great number to go through. It made me wonder why they don't feel a responsibility to report on what they have heard after destroying the reputation of the man and his whole church, let alone a presidential candidate. They are looking for things to attack with only and not simply the truth, any balance?
On almost every show thus week someone on the panel had even been to the church or knew someone close to them that did that said the clips did not represent him, the hosts seemed surprised. One said her brother reports that they are more conservative than most churches, focusing on self responsibility and family. Some said a lot more should come out about the church because the impression given was so far off.

I understand the truth would spoil the fun of being able to make cutting, false comments-but Truth is a good thing for heaven's sake?