As you'll read one post below, Obama is drawing heat on the right-side of the political aisle for not, unlike his rivals for the Democratic nomination, placing his hand on his heart as the National Anthem played.
On the left-side, particularly among gay activists, Obama is facing problems.
Donnie McClurkin is a gospel singer who says he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts" which he traces to being raped at the age of 8 and 13.
He also said yesterday, "I don't believe that it is the intention of God. Sexuality, everything is a matter of choice."
This weekend, McClurkin, a Pentecostal minister who says he is now straight, will be among a group of gospel singers who will perform at an Obama fund raiser in South Carolina.
Gay groups want to "give the hook" on McClurkin's gig.
Here is a portion of Obama's written response
I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.
Obama's attempts to build a bridge to religious voters have not gone well. The title of his best-selling book, The Audacity of Hope,
comes from a sermon from the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of Obama's South Side Chicago place of worship, Trinity United Church of Christ. The church's covenant is a holdover from the late 1960s, Black Power movement.A sample:
We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.
That raised some eyebrows among the Obama camp earlier this year, which is why Rev. Wright was "given the hook" after being asked to give the invocation at Obama's announcement that he was running for president. Wright got the word that he was out the night before.
Audacity!
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