In defense of Obama…
I cannot cite who said this because the person who posted it on another forum did not cite it as well. I am sure the author, whoever he is, would not mind the argument in support of Obama not leaving his church or abandoning his pastor to be spread on the net:
Obama could have distanced himself from his Mother and Grandmother. I know too many individuals who have done that very thing… for lesser issues.
This is, obviously (to me), not Obama’s style, rhetoric, or history.
Apparently, from what I understand, all of Obama’s life he has resisted the temptations he may have experienced to distance himself from those with whom he disagrees and instead he continues to interact with them in ways that help bridge any political and religious (and other) gaps that may exist between Obama and others with whom he interacts.
His relationship with his minister, obviously (to me), reflects this outlook Obama has regarding human relationships. His failing to alienate himself from his minister, and his church, due to some important and profound differences in their outlook, is consistent with his beliefs that our differences are not nearly as important as are our shared goals.
Obama has been consistently preaching this idea for a long time… ever since I have been watching him. Why should it be a surprise or a shock to me, or to anyone else, that he practices what he preaches, even when it comes to his Church and his Minister?
Had Obama decided to separate himself from his church and his minister, that would have been behavior that is, obviously (to me), antithetical to his message and the way he has conducted his life heretofore.
If Obama had separated himself from his church and his minister, that would render his message of unity, tolerance, and understanding, nothing less than rank hypocrisy on his part.
There is the also the argument that i have been making in that we are not blaming people who have not left the Catholic Church even though the clergy has shown a history of tolerating child molesters. Why havn’t they left? Well, because they still believe in the core beliefs of the church even though some of the people in charge have done things they do not agree with. And as the argument above states, they also find the common ground shared instead of focusing on the differences.
Perhaps if more people looked at the common ground that they share instead of the differences we would be in a much better place.