Friday, April 25, 2008

Rev. Jeremiah Wright

A lot has been said in the media about Barack Obama's pastor the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his firey sermons. Not nearly as much attention has been paid to John McCaine's pastor Hagee. You may have heard that Hagee is anti Catholic.
Calling Pastor John Hagee a "bigot," the conservative Catholic League is calling for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to denounce/renounce/reject his endorsement.
Here is some information about Jeremiah Wright that I didn't know. I didn't write this and am not sure who the author is, so feel free to correct anything you might find that isn't true.

Subject: Black History Fact and Palast on Bush in N.O. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:59:17 -Subject: A Little Known Black History Fact. In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines. In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.) The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation. What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated. While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections. Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country? After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities. This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. He Earned the right to speak, just in case you may think that being an American is not enough! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright
Why is it that if you are a Republican, you don't have to worry about your patriotism being called into question, but if you are of another political party you are held to a different standard?


1 comment:

Greg Sebourn said...

Khalil Gibran published the original version of the saying "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," in his 1925 work titled "The New Frontier", Thirty-six years before President Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address.

Rule Number One: Don't mix religion and politics.

Rev. Wright is so WRONG on several subjects. However, he echoes the sentiments of many "disenfranchised" people which should cause alarm in the hearts and minds of all people. The real culprit is the media and their financial agenda. The media bends and distorts facts. In many cases, journalists completely FABRICATE the story so that they get awards, raises, ratings, respect, and MONEY! Since Rev. Wright's sermons have been taken out of context, we should examine them in their entirety. After doing this, if you still feel Rev. Wright is WRONG (as I do), don't go to his church.

Also, I thought Clergy and churches were not supposed to side with politicians and political parties for tax reasons.?.?.?

The real story here is how the Marine Corps shaped this man's future. In many cases, the military experience does for our young men what most universities suppress: it instills a sense of patriotic citizenship and duty. The fact that he served or didn't serve says nothing about the legitimacy of his comments, which usually seem emotional and void of sound reason. ALL protestant religions think lowly of the Roman Catholic Church; after all, they are PROTESTANT. That is they were founded out of protesting the Roman Catholic Church. Rev. Wright, Baker, Swaggert, and all PROTESTANT Christian churches believe Catholics are not Christian. Many believe that Catholicism is an occult. Perhaps they do not realize that the Holy Roman Catholic Church is the same church founded by Peter the Apostle, thereby making it the oldest. Didn’t Jesus ask Peter to do this???

When you mix religion and politics, you end up with a mess. Politics is the art of lying for the benefit of a few at the expense of the masses in the name of good. Religion is the methods employed to support and transmit ones belief in an intangible Deity(ies). Both have cost more lives in wars than any other aspect of philosophy. Go figure!