DISQUS

icebergslim · 1 year ago

Obama is right to go after this group.

My mother is hard on the seperation of church and state, constantly states this is how Bush misrepresented this group.

But we must step back.

Many black churches in 2004 had GOP folk, come to their churches and help them fill out the forms to get grant monies. These churches got their folk out to vote for Bush. And in OH, it was key.

I remember a friend of mine's from Milwaukee whose preacher was actually preaching BUSH, in a round about way. I did not believe it, but drove up there and yep, there he was in the pulpit praising GWB. Of course, he got grant money.

This move, I believe is sincere and political. Many organizations that need funding could use these DC dollars, especially many minority organizations.

Oh, and remember David Kuo? The one who outted Bush Admin on their deception to the Evangelical Community? He proofread Obama's speech and praised it, before he spoke today.

He can put a dent in the evangelical vote, against McCain.

TruthSeeker · 1 year ago

Ah, the magic and wonder of religion!

GreenLadyHere · 1 year ago

THANK YOU! THANK YOU for this article of support -Rikyrah; and for the comment - Ice. Both were so helpful to me. I am relatively "new" to this blogging thing- just started this year - [I'm a little over -eh-hem - well, let's just say that I qualify for Medicare :>)] and, today, I was soooo down because I thought people were just getting on Mr. Obama tooooo much. And I thought that I was beginning to loose my perspective of this whole general election. I didn't like that feeling. I know - I "need some help". :>) But, I'm back up again and I promise not to loose FAITH and or HEART! FIRED UP!!! READY TO GO!!

TruthSeeker · 1 year ago

Maybe O can halt the steady death march toward American theocracy.

However, to see a rational, educated man talk about some religious concepts, causes cognitive dissonance. I wonder, that if Obama believes religious ideology should submit to a Master of argument and enquiry before being enshrined as public policy; then, why is this same religious belief fit for his own consumption? Why have these beliefs escaped his personal, rational filter? ....or have they?

Is religion the faked orgasm of the rational-minded? Perhaps it is easier to go through the motions than it is to explain detachment to those we love.

RonnieB · 1 year ago

Your criticism of religion is appreciated ... and not altogether untrue. But faith and spirituality are deeply singular and personal things. Faith can inspire a person to lead a people toward peace and prosperity, whereas religious adherents can and do create war and poverty to achieve their own ends.

Perhaps O can indeed inspire people toward faith ... and away from religion.

CraigHickman · 1 year ago

A distinction with a difference.

Thanks, RonnieB

TruthSeeker · 1 year ago

Religious faith is the null object of the masses. You can project whatever you want onto it and it will respond...faithfully. Does the paedophile and the preacher worship the same god?

blksista · 1 year ago

All I am saying is, don't let the haters get the money.

And no, the churches and the mosques (for example) do not always have a pulse on what is happening. Will he give money to say, Common Ground Collective, or ACORN? I mean, let's get real. Some organizations spring up not because of religious conviction, but because government and even charities aren't doing--or outright refusing to do--the job.

Jonzee · 1 year ago

ACORN and Common Ground Collective are seen as best practice--not all of ACORNS chapters are...but I digress.

It's clear he does not think that non-profits with religious affiliations will over take, folks like Catholic Charities or Abyssinian Development Corporation.

evita · 1 year ago

For the entire campaign Obama has been saying he wants to unite the country. Bring people together. Now he extends an invitation to what mainstream has pigeon holed into the RIGHT and now they say he is courting them only for votes. I think he is doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

For many people the issue with religious organizations is not the help, its the proselytizing. Remove that and unfair hiring to the mix and you DO have the opportunity to mobilize lots of people to get up and do some good work. If the work gets done in a way that doesn't require participants or recipients to buy in to a particular perspective, then GET IT DONE!

This is CLEAR example of who Obama will bring people together as POTUS.

Remember ya'll that it cannot be "our way or the high way" in such a diverse land as the US. I think Obama is on the right track and I am NO CHRISTIAN.

Hallelujah Holla Back!

AnthonyMason2k6 · 1 year ago

Damn! I didnt see it that way, but thanks for bringing me into the light. BO did say that he was going to bring people together! Cant be mad at him for doing what he said he was going to do.

CraigHickman · 1 year ago

For the entire campaign Obama has been saying he wants to unite the country. Bring people together. Now he extends an invitation to what mainstream has pigeon holed into the RIGHT and now they say he is courting them only for votes. I think he is doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

::

Couldn't agree more.

RonnieB · 1 year ago

I'm glad that a prominent Democrat finally took advantage of the opportunity to speak on issues of faith and values, beyond the tired meme of sex and abortion.

Will Barack single-handedly wrestle the issue away from the holier-than-thou Right? Not likely. They're busy revising our caricature: where we were once godless hethens, we're now racist, white-hating Black theologians.

Still, props to Barack for doing what neither Harry Reid nor Nancy Pelosi would ever do.

Nardwilly · 1 year ago

Some secularist beleive faith is for the ignorant and unsophisticated. I believe uin the saving Grace of the baby jesus, but I also understand my denomination or theology is my interpertaion of the Godhead. I am tolerant of others. I practice a religion of love and service. I believe all have sinned and come short of the glory and comparing relative value of sin with God is like compaing the distance from New York. and Los Angeles to the distance from earth to the sun. All of us sinners are so far from a perfect God, our individual sins are immaterial.

Sorry about the lesson, I lost track of my thoughts.

Many Christians practice a religion of inclusion and love, not exclusion. Abortion and homosexuality are insignificant to many Christians, serving the needy, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, and healing the sick is what we are called to do.

bigassbelle · 1 year ago

Jesus was about helping those less fortunate. Helping those in need. Helping those least amongst us.. . .

that is the "old" religion. more typically today, churches preach the "gospel of prosperity," which amazingly seems to come with an attitude of condenscension toward those less fortunate.

the get-rich-thru-prayer school started with oral roberts in the '70s and was quickly adopted by hucksters of every ilk, who recognized the potential boon to their personal fortunes made possible by taking this approach.

ironically, back in the day of the do good for the less fortunate churches' reign, i didn't hear much of the hate-based rhetoric that seems to fuel the religious right today.

i believe inside every true christian is a spiritual being aware of the truth, and the truth is that love is the thing that makes everything good possible in this world and that was the message in the bible. all of the rest is just manipulative bullshit.

The_Black_Snob · 1 year ago

I'm fine with him wanting to tweak faith-based initiatives (even though I am strongly for a separation of church and state, mainly because too close relations ruins both). I'm more concerned with this move in conjunction with his changes on FISA (immunity for the Telecomm's that broke the law) and some additional moves to the right on issues. While I understand the move to the center in order to make yourself more electable, I don't think these actions necessarily helped past Democratic candidates like John Kerry and Al Gore.

There needs to be clear distinctions between the two party candidates otherwise you end up in Ralph Nader's "Never Neverland" where the two parties become indistinguishable with the exception of a few issues like abortion and maybe social justice separating the two.

CraigHickman · 1 year ago

I'm a secularist and I don't have a problem with this. It's who he is. It's how he started community organizing, through churches.

And the Separation of Church and State is mythology in my mind. Folks swear into public office on the Bible, In God We Trust is on our currency, and no atheist could ever be elected president.

Barack's never had a problem with faith-based community organizing and if he didn't introduce something like this, I'd have been more surprised.

Anderkoo · 1 year ago

Late to the party here, but as someone strongly committed to secularism, and married to an evangelical faith-based organizer, I not only have no objections to but support this move. I agree with several of the previous comments that the media are incorrectly interpreting this as a move to the "right." The "right" does not equal religion and the "left" secularity. Some of the craziest, left-wing, outright communist groups have been religious, e.g. liberation theology Catholics.

I do believe that Obama can unite this country, but I'm naive enough to think that unity will last. But I do think that the next time the country divides, it won't be along the current fault lines, and by gosh I want the religious majority to be on MY side next time when it comes to the environment, poverty, fair labor...