RSS Feed
Religious Leaders Must Avoid Partisan Entanglements
The Question: How should Barack Obama have responded to inflammatory remarks made by his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright? Are you responsible for what your spiritual leader says from the pulpit?
Senator Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia Tuesday provided a model of civility not just for a sensitive handling of racial issues, but also for his handling of potentially divisive religious issues. He gave us an important reminder that we do not live in a static society. Senator Obama today reminded us that change is possible, that we can begin to bridge the racial and religious divides, but only if we all make the effort.
Reports about comments made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright over the past few years have stirred up strong feelings about the role of race and religion in this country. I agree with Senator Obama when he said that the comments ‘expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country.’ Senator Obama found the right balance of criticizing when he thought Rev. Wright got it wrong, but understanding the underlying perspective that those comments represent.
What I did not hear in Senator Obama’s remarks, but still needs significant emphasis is a clear statement that religious leaders should avoid partisan entanglements within houses of worship. Clergy must be free to speak about important issues of the day, and they should provide moral guidance to their congregations, but they lose credibility when they tie themselves to a specific candidate.
By
Welton Gaddy
|
March 20, 2008; 7:03 AM ET
Share This: 
Technorati
| Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
Previous: Not Standing By His Man |
Next: How to Hate Your Parents and Country
Posted by: Soja John Thaikattil, Sydney, Australia | March 23, 2008 12:34 AM
Report Offensive Comment
what You shall find in MAnisa is a forest, but You may heal the History wherever You are seated.
Posted by: rafamdergem | March 22, 2008 12:16 PM
Report Offensive Comment
"in MAnisa were the students of St John and St Paul. Manisa is from "MAN ISAAC", "man jesus", this city is known with mental healing through water flow, relations were healed here, providing health and harmony with magnetics"
Then this is a good thing.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 21, 2008 9:15 AM
Report Offensive Comment
V Racer: "Obama is a liar. His spiritual advisor is a racist and hates America. His suspect behavior and possible beliefs are but two or many reasons to reject him."
I agree. How is it that Americans think that hundreds of years of hatred and deep-seated racism of blacks against whites based on unforgiveness is going to be "resolved" because of one man is total ignorance to me.
Can one man change the hearts of all racist blacks? No
Can one man change the unforgiveness that blacks harbor and pass on from generation to generation? No.
Can one man that is a liar, racist, has a background of criminal behavior, has criminal friends, and has long-term friends that are racist "change" America? No
Only fools would put trust in a person like this.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 21, 2008 9:13 AM
Report Offensive Comment
volute :
A spiral turn, as in certain shells.
golden ratio, fibonacci series
wollen : to will
Corinthia : letters of St Paul
Corinthia : city of ancient Greece,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manisa
in MAnisa were the students of St John and St Paul. Manisa is from "MAN ISAAC", "man jesus", this city is known with mental healing through water flow, relations were healed here, providing health and harmony with magnetics.
Posted by: haveyoueverbeento@yahoo.com | March 21, 2008 9:02 AM
Report Offensive Comment
and i think this language and the terms to carry these cases were lost under Sevolution, while sewing the solution into.
Posted by: haveyoueverbeento@yahoo.com | March 21, 2008 8:35 AM
Report Offensive Comment
and i dont know about the terms verbalized for moon-sun-earth alignments and the drums played but if men in forrest boil man with vegetables, i think this means that the natives intended to teach their beliefs to the visitors. and the drums could be for intensing the energy in this alignment, maybe with making love which irritated the visitors.
Posted by: haveyoueverbeento@yahoo.com | March 21, 2008 8:27 AM
Report Offensive Comment
what i wrote under Albert Mohler, in Character and Leadership article that moderators deleted later, are from the words that i had heard and it had stayed till i verbalized out here, under pressure.
Posted by: rafamdergem | March 21, 2008 8:22 AM
Report Offensive Comment
"what is the difference, what did change?"
wisdom? presidents? governments? consciousness?
the Sun moved on its route, it moves too,
and the Earth didnt go astray but went to East Way.
there should have been eclipses, lunar and solar eclipses each day, for the orbit of the Moon is fixed around the Earth and the Earth whirls
Posted by: haveyoueverbeento@yahoo.com | March 21, 2008 2:56 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Do not sow the seeds of hatred. Lest they consume thou.
Obama made an honest and non-political effort. It could have been easy to dump the pastor and look clean.
I agree that pastors (all of them) should stay away. They can teach principles but not get into politics.
I DO NOT SEE this happening, I just hope.
Posted by: Dr Charles | March 20, 2008 4:36 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Obama is a liar. His spiritual advisor is a racist and hates America. His suspect behavior and possible beliefs are but two or many reasons to reject him.
Posted by: V Racer | March 20, 2008 1:08 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
Dear Rev Gaddy
I wish you a wonderful Easter 2008!
Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia