I'm sorry there aren't any links from prominent news organizations. I don't think the news has leaked to the web yet.

Obama Resigns Church Membership

I think we can pretty much predict how the response will play out.

"Yeah, even though I said he needs to resign from his church many times before, now that he's done it, it is obviously a political move that shows he will do anything to win."

"Obviously he's only doing this for political reasons. If he had any real judgment, he'd have left the church long ago."

"Even though he's now done pretty much exactly what we've all said he should do (denounce Rev. Wright, resign from his church), he's still an anti-American hate monger who shares the racist views of those with whom he associates."

__________________
"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

As a presidential candidate, we can look at Obama's decision making process. Why would Obama wait until the 11th hour to make this type of decison? In the interest of keeping the black vote, he has not chosen which side of the road to stand on, so he has been run over by standing in the middle.
He should have washed his hands of this "church" years before a run for the white house. Beyond that, I cannot understand how this "church" can retain it's tax exemtion. It is obvious that politcal endorsements are an interegal part of their Sunday program.

__________________
Are you a spineless slave to political correctness?

You are likely correct that those will be the responses of some in the public but likely they will come only from confirmed McCain supporters working that angle.

It is politically expedient for him to leave it, though, for the undecided. Obama must be cringing that Wright and then Flueger (a Catholic priest) said such comments but c'est la vie--time to leave the problem behind, literally and figuratively speaking.

It's also the right thing to do. When McCain decided to dump Hagee and renounce any other RRs who said outlandish things, it helped get those toxic types off the radar and getting mud splattered on him. Likewise, Obama did well by renouncing Farrakhan, etc, before McCain did his thing, but Trinity bit him in the arse, and I think he didn't expect it that Wright and others looked to get their own limelights out of it. Regardless, it's time to move on given its radioactiveness to the general public opinion.

I'll always ask this forever because I'll never expect politics and religion to not be in bed together as much as it can, but it will be a definite prayer answered for me the day I see all these reverends and churches paying some taxes every time they open their political mouths on the pulpits. The last POTUS election was ridiculous with it, and it's time to put the dog down as much as possible insofar as church politicising.

__________________
Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

This just shows Obama for the opportunistic, pandering plain old politician he is. I strongly suspect the truth of the matter is his long-time association with Trinity and its race-baiting message had nothing to do with his deep and abiding faith as he has tried to portray it, but everything to do with it being the largest and most politically powerful congregation in his political sphere.

__________________
"It's a good feeling to shoot a bad guy. Something you democrats would never understand. Americans are homesteaders, we want a safe home, keep the money we make, and shoot bad guys!"

----Denny Crane

I don't actually disagree with you. I suspect Obama's heartfelt connection to his church is minuscule at best. I think he joined this congregation years ago as a way to connect with the people around him, and he's since been a casual churchgoer with little-to-no participation to his name. I suspect he's not quite as religious as he suggests, but he knows that the American people would be quicker to vote for a murderer than an agnostic. Do I think he's lying? Yeah, I do a little bit. Does it bother me? Not in the least.

__________________
"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

I don't give a fuck. Next?

There seems to be a strange contradiction, not necessarily from your post, but from the mentality that stems from Obama's opponents. If he leaves the church now, many will say he is doing it for political reasons and that he shouldn't be commended for doing something for political reasons. On the other hand, they'll argue that he should have left years ago because he should have foreseen that this church would be politically damaging, hence, left for political reasons.

The point remains that Obama has, now, both denounced the remarks of his pastor and resigned from his Church. At this point, this is absolutely nothing more he can do. The people who aren't going to vote for him because of religion-related reasons should say as such, so the rest of us can stop bothering to reason with them. If someone had qualms about Obama's religious affiliations before he resigned, and they still have problems with it after he resigned, then they're never going to change their mind.

__________________
"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

Me, either.

My only issue with any of this noise was that Wright was appointed to a position in Obama's campaign. Obama fired him, which resolved it for me.

Matt

__________________
De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

It is his only choice. The only worse thing he could do was stick with them...like he was doing before now.
The man was certainly between a rock and a hard place, on one hand - quiting the church will upset blacks (not all of them, but enough to make a general statement) on the other hand the longer he stayed the more he upsets the rest of the country.
Before Pfleger - Obama, I believe was hoping it could die down and he wouldn't have to quit - like any other politician - he wanted the cake and eat it too.

It is time we examine and measure McCain and Obama for what they are, not what they claim to be - or what the media tells us they are....it is time to get to things that matter the most - namely - the economy.

He either left the church because he was afraid it would hurt him in the general election, or he left because he felt that the church no longer represented his views.

I strongly suspect it's the former.

So, yes, the OP has correctly predicted the response to Obama leaving. But the OP's ability to predict the response in no way suggests that the response is, in any way, invalid...

My parents (and I, later) have attended Catholic churches their entire lives (well, not quite true, my Dad has, my mom only for the last 25 years or so). To suggest that Catholic doctrine actually represents what my parents and I think about religion is laughable.

__________________
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

Why do you attend church if you disagree with what's taught in church?

That seems like an enormous waste of time...

It wasn't in my experience. I attended Quaker and Catholic meetings/churches and schools and ducked my head on occasion elsewhere for curiousity or other reasons.

I got much out of all of them by just listening and observing, adopting what I felt was useful and right, understanding but disagreeing with others things that I felt were misguided that in turn also served to develop my beliefs, etc.

I found that the learning and development process--much like here on this site--is the exploring and examination of ideas. Other things were also very positive, such as participation and attendances at church sponsored community services, schools, sports, etc, and I really valued that additional exposure and opportunities then and now having benefited from it all. For all the crap and controversy that can come with religion, it also can and does get a lot of things right for personal and societal benefit.

__________________
Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

No F'n kidding? YOu want to move on?

Obama is either a total fucking idiot that is easily misled, or just another liar politician. Take your pick, there is no third choice.

__________________
"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it." -- Barack Obama

Yeah - raising taxes will be grreeeat for the economy.... NOT!

__________________

"We cannot continue to rely on our military .... We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Barack Obama

"My age group was pressured into joining although it was allegedly voluntary. But later on it was compulsory. No one could say no."
Hitler youth, Willi Demf, born 1920