When Bush decided to go to war in Iraq, the Pope spoke out against it. The Pope is considered to be the highest official in the Catholic Church. So in your opinion, should every member of the Catholic Church who supported the invasion have left the Church?
The Catholic Church opposes abortion. Yet there are practicing Catholics who are pro-choice. Should they leave too?
Some people that read the Bible don't agree with every single thing it says. Should they stop reading?
If I changed churches everytime the church's Pastor said something I didn't agree with, by now I would've attended half the churches in the city.
If your fake outrage hard-on lasts more than four hours, see a doctor.
DamonO, I love that Viagra reference! But no, my outrage over the Hamas endorsement is not fake. See the first post of this thread to learn why.
All the examples you cite are cases were those who are truly offended spoke out at the time. Catholics who disagreed with the Pope regarding Iraq openly expressed their disagreement at the time. Catholics who favor abortion speak out against the Church position. Christians who disagree with a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible openly say so, and reinterpret the text. All your examples involve commitment to an entire religion. Not just one local church. In the case of Barak Obama, he did not speak out against the positions of the Pastor at the time the Pastor was saying and doing what he was doing. Indeed, Obama did just the opposite. Only now, when there is negative pubic reaction, does Obama respond. Whether you agree or disagree that Obama should have spoken out earlier, his late condemnation does raise a question as to his credibility. That is just a fact ... like it or not. One might answer that question with an answer - that you "don't speak out against family." (The "cultural" thing). But I don't think one can deny that the question now exists.
As to whether Obama should have condemned the Hamas endorsement, at the time it was made or now, some of you might believe that such an endorsement was fine, and Obama should not have renounced it then or now. Others might believe that it is just not that important, that other priorities are more important. It's a free country. But such sentiments don't calm concerns that some Jewish Americans may now have. That too is just a fact.
All this has nothing to do with the race of the candidate. The same concerns would exist if the candidate were white and he belonged to a church that had praised the Hamas perspective as a "fresh view" and after that the candidate continued to give high praise to the Pastor.
Michael, everything you have said could apply equally to John McCain. It wasn't until there was a relatively small media spotlight on Hagee's comments that McCain finally made a weak comment that just because he accepted Hagee's endorsement didn't mean he agreed with everything Hagee said. Keep in mind that McCain has called Hagee one of his "spiritual advisors."
McCain himself in 2000 denounced Jerry Falwell as an agent of intolerance, and then in 2007, when he wanted Falwell's support, went on "Meet the Press" and said that he no longer believed that and accepted Falwell's invitation to speak at Liberty University, where Falwell is the chancellor. Falwell has said numerous incendiary remarks, including saying he supported apartheid in South Africa back in the 1980s, and by his own admission was a pro-segregationist right up through the 1970s. He also denounced the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil right movement. In addition, he blamed what happened on 9/11 on feminists and gays, among others.
I think what you are exhibiting is selective outrage and a double standard. You're criticizing Obama and giving McCain a pass and using the excuse that because Obama is an actual member of the Church you find offensive, that somehow that is a greater "offense." As I said earlier, if Obama had sought out the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan and stood on a stage with him while accepting it, you wouldn't be here saying "well, that's okay because he wasn't a member of Farrakhan's mosque."
I challenge you to find one single comment ever made by Obama, and more importantly, find evidence in his voting record that suggests Obama is anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, or hates his country. You won't find it.
And you know what? I'll bet you if someone recorded everything someone close to you said, whether it was a parent, a close relative, or a friend or associate, that they'd find something that person said that many would find offensive. I'll bet one of them has even said it in your presence before, and that you didn't always correct them or told them that you disagreed with them. If you're really honest with yourself, you know that that's true.
And as for the Catholic Church example, I don't recall seeing or hearing any Catholics that disagreed with the church's position on those issues speaking out against them.
Hell, Rudy Giuliani is a pro-choice practicing Catholic, and he's never criticized the Church for its position or stopped practicing Catholicism simply because he disagrees with what the head of the church has to say.
The simple truth is, people that don't care for Obama are going to find something, ANYTHING, to criticize him on. Some nut on Fox News criticized Obama's speech because "he read it off a teleprompter." He's been criticized for not wearing a flag lapel pin, as if somehow that has anything to do with how patriotic a person is. My take is if you want to be offended by his pastor, his church, his bare lapel, or whatever, go right ahead -- because if its not those things, you'll find something else.
