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Originally Posted by mudwhistle
Obama had 20 years to denounce the teachings of Rev. Wright and chose not to.
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Before making this forum more "muddy," give ear to one reasonable voice:
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When Senator Obama's preacher thundered about racism and injustice Obama suffered smear-by-association. But when my late father -- Religious Right leader Francis Schaeffer -- denounced America and even called for the violent overthrow of the US government, he was invited to lunch with presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush, Sr.
Every Sunday thousands of right wing white preachers (following in my father's footsteps) rail against America's sins from tens of thousands of pulpits. They tell us that America is complicit in the "murder of the unborn," has become "Sodom" by coddling gays, and that our public schools are sinful places full of evolutionists and sex educators hell-bent on corrupting children. They say, as my dad often did, that we are, "under the judgment of God." They call America evil and warn of immanent destruction. By comparison Obama's minister's shouted "controversial" comments were mild. All he said was that God should damn America for our racism and violence and that no one had ever used the N-word about Hillary Clinton.
Dad and I were amongst the founders of the Religious right. In the 1970s and 1980s, while Dad and I crisscrossed America denouncing our nation's sins instead of getting in trouble we became darlings of the Republican Party. (This was while I was my father's sidekick before I dropped out of the evangelical movement altogether.) We were rewarded for our "stand" by people such as Congressman Jack Kemp, the Fords, Reagan and the Bush family. The top Republican leadership depended on preachers and agitators like us to energize their rank and file. No one called us un-American.
Frank Schaeffer: Obama's Minister Committed "Treason" But When My Father Said the Same Thing He Was a Republican Hero - Politics on The Huffington Post
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Finally, we can silence the hypocrites, and end the witch hunt.
Our nation as generous as it is, is also a very self-serving, manipulating nation. We don't do too much without an ulterior motive. Then we attempt to convince the masses that our motives are true and for the good of the people.
We NEED the Rev. Wrights, and men like this father to stand on the wall, and point out the injustices. It may not be HOW the people WANT to hear it...But it is the truth none the less. Before Senator Obama, the Rev. Wrights and your father were some of the only voices we have had in the wilderness, decrying injustices inflicted on those who've lost their voice or the vision to see where we really are.
I do believe, that Senator Obama is handling this correctly, and this will finally rub off an old scab that has been irritating our nation for years. It's been picked at enough. Now is time for open dialogue and healing. I firmly believe Senator Obama is the man to carry that message of reconcilliation and bridge building.