Obama Resigns Church Membership
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| Sat, 05-31-2008 - 7:31pm |


Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. are parting ways, as Obama resigns his membership at the Trinity United Church of Christ. (AP Photo)
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have resigned their membership at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, FOX News has confirmed, after controversies stemming from the congregation created a persistent distraction for Obama’s campaign.
The criticism started with the sermons of his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., but Obama’s pastor problems were compounded this week by the Rev. Michael Pfleger, whose videotaped guest sermon at the church Sunday showed him taunting Hillary Clinton and saying she felt she was “entitled” to the presidency because she’s white.
Obama said he was deeply disappointed by the remarks and Pfleger apologized, but Clinton’s campaign still demanded Obama specifically reject the latest remarks.
By resigning his membership, Obama is taking the most definitive stand to date against the church.
He already has roundly condemned Wright.
Videos of Wright’s sermons, in which he claimed the U.S. government created HIV to exterminate black people and said “God damn America,” threatened to derail Obama’s campaign when they first surfaced in March.

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So you were entirely wrong.
"I saw Obama say on television Saturday that he & his wife will not choose another church until January."
Wow. That really, really saddens me.
Why does it sadden you. One does not have to be a member of a church to attend church, and giving this date allows the Obamas to attend various churchs without having to place that church, its minister and its congregation under the sort of media scrutiny that Trinity has been under. Sounds considerate to me.
Add to that the chance that he might be living in Washington for the next 4-8 years it makes sense to wait to actually join a church. I'm sure the Obama family will be a bit too busy to worry about whatever comes with actual membership in a church (that is not obtainable through attending service as a non-member -- in my church this would be voting on church business -- nothing else).
Rose
Maybe it is worded wrong then. I get the impression that it means he won't be seeking a church, period, until after the election. I know that when I'm in a trying or difficult time, church is my peace and sanctuary from the madness. It's one thing to say he isn't going to be a member of a specific church until later (which does make absolute sense given the membership time generally takes a few classes/meetings), it's another to say he isn't going to seek a church at all.
It is sad to me that politics, at all, had to get in the way of his religion.
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