Obama's Church

[Yurt]

Obama's church is founded on black liberation theology. What is black liberation theology?

Founder of black liberation theology
Professor of Systematic Theology at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City
Views America as an irredeemably racist nation
"What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of Black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love." -- James Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation
“This country was founded for whites and everything that has happened in it has emerged from the white perspective. What we need is the destruction of whiteness, which is the source of human misery in the world.” -- James Cone


Ordained by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, James Hal Cone is a theologian credited most notably with founding and advancing black liberation theology, which combines tenets of Christian socialism and the Black Power movement. He came into the forefront of public consciousness when Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s controversial pastor, named him in 2007 as the preeminent influence on his on theology.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2315

Do we really want a president that attends a church founded on an ideology that seeks this?

 

[Yurt]

The influence of the black liberation theology of James H. Cone appears in the political philosophy of Barack Obama as well as in the recent controversial statement about national pride made by Michelle Obama.


The spiritual role that Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ (UCC) and its just-retired pastor Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright have played in the lives of Barack and Michelle Obama is well-established, as is the Africentric theology that is the cornerstone of the church's self-proclaimed identity.


One largely unexamined element of that Africentric theology, though, is the pivotal role that black liberation theologian Dr. James H. Cone, Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary (NYC), and his 1969 book Black Theology & Black Power, have played in the life of that faith community. Examining Cone's theology may enlighten us on Barack's political philosophy and Michelle's recently controversial statement about not having been proud of her country until the favorable reception to her husband's candidacy.


The Trinity UCC website was updated early this year. Before that, Cone's book was singled out as required reading for Trinity parishioners who wished to more thoroughly understand the church's theology and mission. That highlighting was removed. Jason Byassee, of The Christian Century Magazine, wrote this about Cone and Trinity in May, 2007:


"There is no denying, however, that a strand of radical black political theology influences Trinity [UCC]. James Cone, the pioneer of black liberation theology, is a much-admired figure at Trinity. Cone told me that when he's asked where his theology is institutionally embodied, he always mentions Trinity. Cone's groundbreaking 1969 book Black Theology and Black Power announced: "The time has come for white America to be silent and listen to black people. . . . All white men are responsible for white oppression. . . . Theologically, Malcolm X was not far wrong when he called the white man 'the devil.'. . . Any advice from whites to blacks on how to deal with white oppression is automatically under suspicion as a clever device to further enslavement." Contending that the structures of a still-racist society need to be dismantled, Cone is impatient with claims that the race situation in America has improved. In a 2004 essay he wrote, "Black suffering is getting worse, not better. . . . White supremacy is so clever and evasive that we can hardly name it. It claims not to exist, even though black people are dying daily from its poison" (in Living Stones in the Household of God)."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/02/obamas_mentors_mentor.html

 

[Yurt]

The leading theorist of Black Liberation Theology is James Cone. Overtly racist, Cone’s writings posit a black Jesus who leads African-Americans as the “chosen people.” In Cone’s cosmology, whites are “the devil,” and “all white men are responsible for white oppression.” Cone makes this point without ambiguity: “This country was founded for whites and everything that has happened in it has emerged from the white perspective,” Cone has written. “What we need is the destruction of whiteness, which is the source of human misery in the world.”

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=30CD9E14-B0C9-4F8C-A0A6-A896F0F44F02

 

[Yurt]

TUCC changed this after hannity made obama's church's racism public:

WRIGHT: The black value system, which was developed by the congregation, by laypersons of the congregation, 26 years ago, very similar to the gospel (INAUDIBLE) developed by laypersons in Nicaragua during the whole liberation theology movement, 26, 28, 30 years ago, yes.

HANNITY: All right, but we're not dealing with — this is on the Web site today. Let me just inform our audience, and I want you to respond, if you can.

It says, "Commitment to God." By the way, I'm with you, and I hope you'll pray for me, Reverend. Commitment to the black community, commitment to the black family, adherence to the black work ethic. It goes on, pledge, you know, acquired skills available to the black community, strengthening and supporting black institutions, pledging allegiance to all black leadership who have embraced the black value system, personal commitment to the embracement of the black value system.

Now, Reverend, if every time we said black, if there was a church and those words were white, wouldn't we call that church racist?

WRIGHT: No, we would call it Christianity. We've been saying that since there was a white Christianity; we've been saying that ever since white Christians took part in the slave trade; we've been saying that ever since they had churches in slave castles.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256078,00.html

 

[Dogger]

Please, please PLEASE!

Someone liberate me from all of these BLT threads. Although a BLT sandwich sounds good at the moment.

 

[midcan5]

Yurt can only post negative spin about Obama, notice he never posts a positive message. Sad person a real crybaby.

 

[midcan5]

Do we really want a president that attends a church founded on an ideology that seeks this?

Yes, church is church, by the way did you ever look closely at the ideology of your church?

 

[CharlestonChad]

Geez, you convinced me Obama is a big flaming racist. I just can't believe how he slipped into the Senate with such blatent racism. Did no one know he was such a racist before last March? Crazy I tell ya!

 

[midcan5]

Geez, you convinced me Obama is a big flaming racist. I just can't believe how he slipped into the Senate with such blatent racism. Did no one know he was such a racist before last March? Crazy I tell ya!

 

[jillian]

Geez, you convinced me Obama is a big flaming racist. I just can't believe how he slipped into the Senate with such blatent racism. Did no one know he was such a racist before last March? Crazy I tell ya!

IT's interesting that you should say that. I suspect it doesn't bother me so much because a) I really don't see Obama as racist, though I do see a lot of people around him as having anger issues they really need to get over; and b) I don't really think much of any organized religion though I go to Temple, observe the big holidays and believe in G-d. But if you ask me if I buy the whole "chosen people" thing, I'd say it's whatreligious leaders tell their folk same as coaches tell their teams they're number one! It's a bonding thing and a way of dealing with group morale and psychology. All religions do it. Based only on what I've seen of him, and on the fact that everything he said in his speech on race was absolutely true, I figure he sees it similarly.

I have a lot more problem with people who tell me I'm going to hell if I don't agree with them, but that's a discussion for another thread.

 

[Yurt]

Geez, you convinced me Obama is a big flaming racist. I just can't believe how he slipped into the Senate with such blatent racism. Did no one know he was such a racist before last March? Crazy I tell ya!

yes, running for president of the United States of America is the same as running for senate....

people are entitled to their religious beliefs, however, when those religious beliefs cross over into the civic realm, such as promoting black power, or a lopsided committed to one race - is that ok with the people voting for him?

if a white person was running and had the same commitments to the white community, he would be called a racist. i just don't understand the double standard.

and dogger, if you don't like it, don't read it, its that simple. i think it is an important topic and so does obama as he says - race is not a topic we can ignore right now. so those who wish to stifle my speech are in fact ignoring obama's pleas that we discuss it.

 

[Shogun]

I have to say.. all this church talk is ironic as hell this side of the 04 election...

 

[AllieBaba]

Yes, church is church, by the way did you ever look closely at the ideology of your church?

My church certainly doesn't encourage us to destroy anyone....

 

[CharlestonChad]

My church certainly doesn't encourage us to destroy anyone....

Don't be dense. BLT doesn't talk about destroying anyone. If you read the whole quote, it is referencing an attempt to destroy whiteness, which is a gearing of society to the beneficial advantages served to a single group of people based on the color of their skin. BLT wants to destroy the inequality that has held down blacks since America stole them from Africa.

 

[AllieBaba]

"What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of Black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love." -- James Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation
“This country was founded for whites and everything that has happened in it has emerged from the white perspective. What we need is the destruction of whiteness, which is the source of human misery in the world.” -- James Cone"

The destruction of whiteness......hmmmm...

Anyway, my church doesn't embrace anything like that. We get sermons almost every weekend on how we're supposed to be good citizens, regardless of where we live, provided being a good citizen does not violate the laws of God. THat pretty much leaves out destruction of anyone....

 

[doeton]

Obama's church is founded on black liberation theology. What is black liberation theology?

Do we really want a president that attends a church founded on an ideology that seeks this?

hell yeah.

i'm really not in favor of oppression.

 

[AllieBaba]

Unless it's whites being oppressed, you mean?

 

[Yurt]

I have to say.. all this church talk is ironic as hell this side of the 04 election...

from day one obama has made it an issue by telling us all about how important his faith is...how he came to christ....his book "audicity of hope" that talks about his faith and his reverend. he is still making it an issue btw:

Obama Emphasizes Faith in Kentucky
By Shailagh Murray
Sen. Barack Obama has recycled his startling "Cross" flier to appeal to Kentucky voters.

The pamphlet has circulated in other primary states, and it always raises eyebrows for its overt appeal on religion. The words across the top read, "Faith. Hope. Change." Obama is pictured at a church pulpit, with a large illuminated cross in the background. A quote at the bottom reads, "My faith teaches me that I can sit in church and pray all I want, but I won't be fulfilling God's will unless I go out and do the Lord's work."

On the flip side is a photo of Obama in front of a stained glass window. A few paragraphs describe his work as a community organizer in Chicago, and tell of how some folks he met encouraged him to attend church one Sunday. "That day Obama felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life." The words along the side read, "Committed Christian."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/14/obama_emphasizes_faith_in_kent.html

 

[MsWikia]

No offense but you sound like a White person who is scared that this Black man is going to get into office and get revenge on White people for thousand of years of oppression on minorities??

I doubt that's the case so my next guess would be, you can't find any real dirt on Obama except that his pastor has unpopular political views, hence your view right now is pretty unpopular but I am sure that your pastor, and all of your friends agree with you on every political issue. Wow, aren't you lucky!

 

[Yurt]

No offense but you sound like a White person who is scared that this Black man is going to get into office and get revenge on White people for thousand of years of oppression on minorities??

I doubt that's the case so my next guess would be, you can't find any real dirt on Obama except that his pastor has unpopular political views, hence your view right now is pretty unpopular but I am sure that your pastor, and all of your friends agree with you on every political issue. Wow, aren't you lucky!

do you have any proof for your absurd assertions? or is it "just a feeling?" then you "doubt" that's the case....

what is wrong with discussing race and his pastor and church which is really what this is about --> his personal belief system and how that will affect his presidency, for to him religion is very important and he said "race is not a topic we can afford to ignore right now"