Obama Explains Why He Quit Church

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Obama Explains Why He Quit Church

June 01, 2008 4:54 AM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., held a long press availability in Aberdeen, South Dakota Saturday night to discuss his resignation from Trinity United church.

"Michelle and I told Rev Otis Moss that we were withdrawing as members of Trinity. It's a decision that Michelle and I had discussed for quite some time after the National Press Club episode. I had discussed it with Rev. Moss. We had prayed on it. We had consulted with a number of friends and family members who are also connected to the church. And so this is not decision I come to lightly, and frankly it is one that I make with some sadness," Obama said in prepared remarks.

Obama praised the current pastor of Trinity, Rev. Moss and said that he continues to admire the work that Rev. Jeremiah Wright did in building up the church.

He insisted that Trinity itself is not a church worth denouncing. "I'm not denouncing the church and I'm not interested in people who want me to denounce the church, because it's not a church worthy of denouncing, and so if they've seen caricatures of the church and except those caricatures despite my insistence that that's not what the church is about, then there's not much I can do about it."

But the presidential candidate made clear that because of the scrutiny that some of the people at the church have been subjected to because of his association with Trinity that seperatation from the church is best for all parties involved.

"It's clear that now that I'm a candidate for president, every time something is said in the church by anyone associated with Trinity including guest pastors, the remarks will be imputed to me even if they totally conflict with my long held views, statements and principles. We obviously saw an example of that in the recent statements by Father Pfleger, who is somebody who I've know, who I consider a friend, who has done tremendous work in Chicago but made offensive statements that have no place in our politics and in the pulpit that unfairly mocked and characterized Senator Clinton in ways that I think are unacceptable."

Obama said Trinity has suffered with the controversies: sighting news organizations harassing members, and picking at the current sermons, "It's not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace.

Obama said that had the letter he wrote not been leaked he would have just made a simple statement about their resignation, in an attempt to minimize the fallout.

"This was a pretty personal decision and I wasn't trying to make political theater out of it."

Obama said he sat down with his wife and had a long conversation about the future of their relationship with the church, a conservation that started back in April and continued with the recent Pfleger controversy, "My suspicion at that time, and Michelle shared this concern, it was going to be very difficult to maintain membership there so long as I was running for president. The recent episode with Father Pfleger just reinforced that."

Obama said that at the start of the campaign he never would have expected this much scrutiny to be put on his faith, "which we knew there was going to be some things that we didn’t see coming, this was one. You know I did not anticipate my fairly conventional Christian faith being subject to such challenge and such scrutiny. Initially with emails suggesting that I was a Muslim, later with you know the controversy that trinity generated."

Obama made clear the search for a new church would not be easy, and he insinuated his family is not in a rush to settle on one.

"Michelle and I, our lives are fairly unsettled right now. We don't know how this nomination is going to go; we don't know how the remainder of this election is going to go. I am traveling all the time anyway, so I am gone of Sundays often times, so probably wont make a firm decision on this until January where when we know what our lives are going to be like," Obama said and added that they will visit other churches in Chicago in the meantime.

"The important thing is I'm not going to approach it with the view of figuring our how to avoid political problems. That’s not the role of church." Obama said repeatedly.

Obama said in no way is his faith being tested by this split, "my faith is not contingent on the particular church that I belong to. I don't think that I'm going through a religious test."

Obama said that God will lead his family to the right church, "This is where you trust in God's will. I assume that he will lead us to a place where we can worship him and do good work but it does raise an important point.

Obama made a larger point about the need for separation between a candidates thoughts and words and that of what is preached from their church, "My hope would be that any presidential candidate can go to a church and hear a sermon and even hear some controversial statements without those views being imputed to him and subjected to the same exacting political tests that a presidential candidate or that presidential candidate statements would be. Now we’ll see how this works out going forward."

June 1, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (72)

User Comments

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I saw the press conference and I thought Obama explained himself extremely well. For someone who takes his religious faith seriously I can understand how the decision must have been a difficult one to make. Obama came across as someone genuinely concerned at the effect his presidential campaign is having on the church, its members, and the work it does in the community. The media scrutiny they have been subjected to is unprecedented, and it's all "gotcha" journalism too. I'm amazed at all the snarkiness I've seen on this board, too. It's OK to disagree politically with the man without questioning his commitment to his faith as well. I'd venture that there aren't many true Christians contributing to this debate at the moment.

Posted by: Mark O | Jun 1, 2008 8:24:14 AM

I'll say this: These preachers haven't said anything worse than what I have read on these blogs.

Obama is correct, his campaign brings scrutiny, that is unwarranted to this church. These people are not politician, and are not running for office, and are doing good work in neighborhoods where most of us will not even go.

Obama08

Posted by: Thinking | Jun 1, 2008 8:28:09 AM

My, my, don't we have a whole lot of bitter people out this morning. This is all rather amusing. Even the insults are lame.

Posted by: Mark O | Jun 1, 2008 8:39:31 AM

Umar,

My, my lets attack Obama because he has a funny name! Good grief like a persons name makes the person!??

You guys are so lame, Unbelievable!

Posted by: Mark | Jun 1, 2008 8:42:58 AM

^^It is a sad day in America when you get blame for everything that goes on in your church, while running for a public office. Yes, Article 6 states "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States Constitution".^^

Soooo, does THAT mean nobody can question, nor blame, a candidate on his religious views????

No, it doesn't mean that.

Reporters can. I can. You can.

The Constitution requires government to stay away from religious qualifications for office. It doesn't tell me that I can't, for example, go into the polling booth with MY standards for the candidate and use them as my measure of him.

Posted by: Mr. Incredible | Jun 1, 2008 8:46:00 AM

You would think if Hillary was so popular with Americans she would have won by a landslide against the unknown Senator Obama!

Hillary is a fake, and the only ones who go crazy over her are a bunch of old shrews!

Posted by: Mark | Jun 1, 2008 8:46:41 AM

"I now have it from two three four sources..."

Yeah, right - I saw this same post last week. If the video exists, why are they waiting to release it in the fall? Especially with so many sources knowing about it. Lame.

Posted by: Mark O | Jun 1, 2008 8:47:07 AM

OBAMA DID WHAT HE HAD TO AND EVERYBODY KNEW IT

Posted by: mike moore | Jun 1, 2008 8:47:41 AM

Its a GRAT day in America when a black man is elected as President of the USA!!

Americans make me proud, Thank you to all who can look at the person and not the persons skin color!

OBAMA 08'

Posted by: Mark | Jun 1, 2008 8:51:26 AM

Paula,

You really have your "facts" mixed up, But thats not uncommon among bitter OLD shrews for Hillary!

Posted by: Mark | Jun 1, 2008 8:53:44 AM

trettine,

"speaking of ignorance, Faith you need to learn what the religous test means.
It seems Obama atracts the most ignorant among us."

why don't you tell us who the delegates are? i have faith that you mean when you say "Obama attracts the most ignorant among us", you mean he attracts a lot of uneducated people want to throw stones at him for non-issues. if so, i agree. that's why the media should not feed into their ignorance.

you *do* realize who the delegates are, don't you?

obama '08

Posted by: faith | Jun 1, 2008 8:56:49 AM

"You would think if Hillary was so popular with Americans she would have won by a landslide against the unknown Senator Obama!"

It's not just popularity that wins elections.

Posted by: Faisal Smith | Jun 1, 2008 8:57:18 AM

^^Obama is a uniter not a divider!^^

You mean that he unites the half-value votes with the full-value votes????

Posted by: Mr. Incredible | Jun 1, 2008 9:00:14 AM

~sigh~

maybe someday americans will get a candidate who's smart enough to not go to church at all

Posted by: snaxalotl | Jun 1, 2008 9:01:04 AM

It is not about religion or his church. It is about what he is willing to say and do to get elected.

We know little about him, so we only have his words. He stated the original comments were false, and he could not deny his pastor. That was until his pastor stated something against him. Than drop drop. This flip flop is a problem when we have only his, I repeat his, stated character to judge.

I think he will make a god leader, but unfortunately there are to many questions and no history to show the answers that allows us to vote him into the highest office in the world at this time.

It is a matter of trust, not religious belief, or color.

But as a side issue does anyone remember the Mormon debate - If I rememebr he was white, not black, so color has nothing to do with it. It is trying to judge if the persons belief is compatabile with everyone else so that they would represent us well.

Posted by: gat | Jun 1, 2008 9:01:38 AM

Faisal Smith:

Hillary was very popular(She is well known), But she is hated and despised.

Obama has won the "POPULAR" Vote and for GOOD reason!

Posted by: Mark | Jun 1, 2008 9:02:32 AM

Obama quit his church not because his run brings "scrutiny" to his church but because it brings "scrutiny" to him and his character. He is not willing to have that "scrutiny" as people of this country will find out many more troubling issues hiding in his "Character Closet". If he was scrutinized even half as much as other candidates here earlier on in this primary season he would have been long gone and the democratic party and the voters would have been that much better off. His campaign has divided the party and the country along racial lines and shown how to disrespect intelligent people and insult women. This is the real and lasting damage to our very fragile social fabric. Thanks Mr. Obama for pushing us back fifty years.
RB

Posted by: rb | Jun 1, 2008 9:02:57 AM

I can not wait until Hilllary is PUSHED to the side lines!!!

The Hatred from her supporters is disgusting! The one thing I will give Hillary credit for, She knows how to cause a division, Just like Bush!

Now, when she is sitting on the sidelines, I wonder how she will unite the party she has Destroyed, what a shrew that woman is!

Posted by: IslandGirl | Jun 1, 2008 9:21:31 AM

A vast majority of Hillary supporters are immature.

At the ruling yesterday a women shoved a man supporting Obama out of frustration.

Honestly...grow up.

Posted by: Vanessa | Jun 1, 2008 9:26:34 AM

He can run, but he can't hide. He is who he is--twenty years of it. To try to diassociate himself by breaking away now just so he can become President makes us all look so gullible. We will not vote for someone who is such a double-talker. What wisdom is he trying to prove to the electorate? He does not have any.

Posted by: georgia | Jun 1, 2008 9:29:06 AM

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