There is a curious thing about religion in America. In no other country of the world are there more so called spiritually enlightened reverends, priests, fathers or preachers whose calling got mixed up in the party line to God. Somewhere along the line they got so caught up in their rhetoric, their ability to interpret for the Almighty, and their ill-conceived role as the gateway to salvation that they became bigger than the God they served.
The very God they claim to represent became secondary to their own ego driven need for recognition of their supernatural connections, for the accumulation of wealth, and for the worship by the masses, that their mission was lost in translation. They preach fire and brimstone, right and wrong, blame and judgment as if they were the authors of the Bible. These preachers of earth with their earthly ways in the course of leading the masses jettisoned forgiveness, humility, compassion and caring, all traits inherent in the teachings of Jesus.
So I guess to Reverend Wright we are not all God’s children. The sins of the past cannot be forgiven. Revenge is a more appropriate response than turning the other cheek. The most important reward we can gain is feeding the ego. Humility has no place in the pulpit, and God help anyone who would dare question the holiness of the Omnipotent One and I don’t mean Divine Providence.
What our Jeremiah chose to say from the pulpit in the past caused damage to the historic presidential campaign of one of his very own flock, Barack Obama. Substantial damage control by the Obama campaign reduced the impact but did not put out the flames of doubt Wright’s words planted in Americans. But what he is saying in the present could very well drive a fatal stake into the historic opportunity Barach might have had to give equal rights meaning and equal opportunity significance in our society.
Reverend Wrights’ whirlwind tour and incessant press conferences to “defend” his reputation are ego-driven nonsense that will only hurt the Obama campaign and give Clinton and McCain more ammunition to shoot at Obama. Of course the media is driven to expose every last morsel of nonsense from the preacher man out of loyalty to Hillary or a desire to slam the door shut on equal opportunity.
Perhaps the preacher is confused about his own role and thinks he is the reincarnation of the original Jeremiah, the Biblical prophet. Called by God to speak for him at an early age, Jeremiah was scorned and even tortured by fellow priests and politicians for his prophecies on the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. When it came true Jeremiah’s own people forcefully took him to Egypt and stoned him to death according to Old Testament teachings although details of his death are not certain. Jeremiah was a prophet of doom but looked beyond this judgment to a day when religion, no longer national, would be individual and spiritual. This new kind of religion would result from God’s "new covenant" with His people.
Our modern day Jeremiah leaves no such lasting legacy nor offers such hope for reconciliation between peoples but chooses to demand attention for his own reputation and teaching. To risk such self-serving actions whose consequences could destroy the first legitimate chance for America to fulfill the promises of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights along with the sacrifices of President Lincoln and many others surely could not be the work of a humble servant of God.
What a shame that healing and forgiveness do not share the same attention from the preacher as protecting his provocative words of the past. What a pity that his concern for his own reputation can override any concern for helping to advance the evolution of the American dream of freedom and equality for all. What a coincidence that this preacher of our people can be the very instrument that can destroy the dreams of those from his own congregation. Are we ever going to hear a discussion of policies to address our problems and concerns?
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