Pastor Drops out of Obama inauguration over Gay comments

The pastor picked to give the inauguration benediction is out. Louis Giglio withdrew when some comments he made some 20 years ago were posted on ThinkProgess - a politically liberal website. The pastor of Atlanta's Passion City Church said gay relationships are sinful, an abomination and he warned his congregation about the “aggressive agenda” for acceptance of the “homosexual lifestyle.” The Presidential Inaugural Committee picked Giglio for his efforts related to human trafficking, but withdrew its support of him over the remarks and gay advocacy groups urged the committee to pick someone else. Read Giglio's comments about why he pulled out here.

Obama Shirt

Custon t-shirt and clothing seller Zazzle has taken down shirts that were being sold that say, Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8. The t-shirt sounds innocent enough until you look up the verse.

"May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership."

The online company says it has a policy not to sell merchandise that threatens the president.

Obama's Islam Speech

Here are some exerpts from President Obama's speech today at Cairo University in Egypt:

The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations.

I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.

As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam -- at places like Al-Azhar -- that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment.

I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.

So let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations -- to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. In Ankara, I made clear that America is not -- and never will be -- at war with Islam.

The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as -- it is as if he has killed all mankind. And the Holy Koran also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism -- it is an important part of promoting peace.

Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive, but it's being challenged in many different ways.

The full transcript can be read here.

An Obama BBQ

A Tucson church held an Obama-Inspired BBQ for the Homeless. KGUN-TV reports.

Priest Stepping Down

A Chicago priest is being given a leave of absence following his comments about Hillary Clinton at Barak Obama’s former church. Cardinal Francis George says Michael Pfleger will be given time to "reflect on his recent statements". During the sermon he said, "America is the greatest sin against God." Pfleger says that was a slip of the tongue and he meant to say "Racism is the greatest sin against God" . More on his sermon.

Huckabee Denies Report

Mike Huckabee says a column by Bob Novak is “total and absolute nonsense.” Novak claims an anonymous source involved in “Christian politics” told him that Huckabee had “embraced the concept that an Obama presidency might be what the American people deserve. That fits what has largely been a fringe position among evangelicals: that the pain of an Obama presidency is in keeping with the Bible's prophecy.”

Obama's Pledge to Isreal

"America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable. I pledge to you that I will do whatever I can in whatever capacity to not only ensure Israel's security, but also to ensure that the people of Israel may thrive and prosper and build on the enormous promise that was made 60 years ago." - Barak Obama

The Wright Effect

Half the people voting in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries today said Barak Obama’s former pastor was an important factor in their decisions, according to exit polls. About 70% of those who said it was important in Indiana also said they were voting for Hillary Clinton. Whites and blacks were about as likely to call the situation important. But whites were much more likely to vote for Clinton if they said it was significant.

Rosie O'Donnell on Rev. Wright

“This man is, is following a tradition of black preachers and that there is a righteous indignation about people who were only considering three-fourths of a person until fairly recently in our history. And that his anger, which annoys some and forces some to look at issues that America is not really ready to face, is the actual issue. That racism does exist in this country and it's still thriving. And that some of the things that Jeremiah Wright says he's held accountable for. But there are things that white preachers have said that are just as insane. Pat Robertson saying that, you know, gays and feminists were responsible for the 9/11 catastrophe. Here's what I think. There is a place in the world, an inspirational, liberational kind of preaching that Reverend Wright does. You know when you read what he says, I was not as offended as the people in the polls that I read. I listen to him, and frankly, it made sense to me. I totally understood what he was saying."
- Rosie O'Donnell speaking on the "Today" show

Why Oprah Left Wright’s Church

Oprah Winfrey was once a member of Jeremiah Wright's church. But unlike Barak Obama, she stopped going back in the 90’s because she was uncomfortable with some of his anger-filled sermons, according to Newsweek magazine. The daytime TV diva also left Trinity United Church of Christ because she had grown tired of organized religion. Winfrey has declined to comment on the report.

The Wright Effect

Barak Obama's unfavorable rating among independents before the Wright controversy broke was 27%. It’s now 36%.

About 25% of Americans who are following the controversy say their "best guess" is that Obama agrees with the views of his former pastor, despite Obama’s repeated claims that he finds them offensive and wrong.

Source: USA TODAY/Gallup Poll

Obama on Joining Wright's Church

"I think that the American people understand that when I joined Trinity United Church of Christ, I was committing not to Pastor Wright, I was committing to a church and I was committing to Christ. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. What he said did not bring the country together; it divided the country. It fed into all of the racial antagonisms and divisions that have haunted this country for so long, and, you know, I did not want to give a platform for that." - Barack Obama on NBC's Meet the Press

Getting to know… Jeremiah Wright

▪ Born in Philadelphia, September 22, 1941

▪ His father, grandfather and an uncle were pastors

▪ Enrolled in the seminary at Virginia Union University but dropped out

▪ Served six years in the Marines and the Navy

▪ Earned two masters' degrees and one doctorate from Howard University

▪ Became pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ in 1972 when the church had less than 100 members

▪ Trinity now has more than 8,000 parishioners

▪ Oprah Winfrey was once a member but stopped going in the 1990s

▪ The motto of Trinity Church is Unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian

▪ Barack Obama titled his second book after a sermon given by Wright called The Audacity to Hope

Voter Views on Barak's Pastor

A telephone survey of North Carolina voters:

Have you followed news stories about Barack Obama’s former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright? Yes – 80%

Do you believe Obama denounced Wright because he was outraged? Democratic Voters: Yes – 43%

Do you believe Obama’s denounced Wright because it was political convenient? Obama Supporters: Yes – 40%, Clinton Supporters: Yes - 70%

Do you believe Obama shares some of Wright’s controversial views about the US? Yes – 40%

Do you agree with Wright’s comments about the US? Democratic Voters: Yes- 15%, Obama Supporters: 22%

Do you view Wright favorably? Likely North Carolina Primary Voters: 15%

Source: Rasmussen Reports

No Degree for You!

Barack Obama’s former pastor will not be getting an honorary degree from Northwestern University. The University has withdrawn the offer to Jeremiah Wright because of the recent controversy surrounding him. He was to receive it during June’s commencement exercises.

Clinton on Obama Pastor

Hillary Clinton is now offering her take on Barak Obama’s pastor. She told Fox News that the views of Jeremiah Wright, such as claiming the federal government is behind the spread of AIDS, are “offensive” and “outrageous”. Clinton went on to say that Obama had "made his views clear, finally, that he disagreed. And I think that's what he had to do." She made the remark during her first appearance on Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show.

Hillary's Pastor on Barak's Pastor

"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream.” - Dean Snyder of Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC (Hillary Clinton’s pastor) commenting on Barak Obama’s former pastor. Synder has also recently announced his church will recognize same-sex unions in special ceremonies that fall just short of an official wedding.

Wright-Obama Timeline

1972 - Wright becomes pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

1985 - Obama meets Wright.

1988 - Obama becomes a Christian after hearing a Wright sermon.

1992 - Obama joins Trinity United Church and Wright officiates at his wedding.

2007 - Obama decides not to have Wright deliver the invocation at the launch of his presidential campaign.

March 14 – Wright steps down from a campaign advisory committee after Obama calls his remarks unacceptable and inexcusable.

March 18 - Obama criticizes Wright during a speech on race but says he can't "disown" Wright.

April 28 - Wright says criticism of his sermons amounts to criticism of black churches.

April 29, 2008 - Obama says he is "outraged" by Wright's recent comments and says
their relationship has been permanently damaged.

Obama Blasts Former Pastor

Barack Obama is distancing himself even further from former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Obama says Wright's comments do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. Here’s what Obama had to say:

"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday. This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate. What became clear to me was that he was presenting a world view that contradicts what I am and what I stand for. I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia explaining that he's done enormous good. But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS.. There are no excuses. They offended me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced. That's a show of disrespect to me. It is also, I think, an insult to what we've been trying to do."

Wright on Farrakhan

Jeremiah Wright had this to say about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan during his appearance at the National Press Club: "He is one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century; that’s what I think about him. I said, as I said on Bill Moyers, when Louis Farrakhan speaks it’s like E.F. Hutton speaks. All black America listens. Whether they agree with him or not, they listen. Now, I am not going to put down Louis Farrakhan any more than Mandela will put down Fidel Castro... Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn’t make me this color."
Here's the complete transcript.