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I can't say I'm for or against Obama at this point, but from what I can
tell, he's been involved with this church much longer than he has been
running for elected offices. If I am wrong here, feel free to correct
me.<br>
<br>
I can say from experience, it is much more complicated to break away
from a church than disassociating with the minister. There are often
very strong ties to the people who make up the congregation itself. To
sever the relationships with them all because of one person would not
seem reasonable unless one was running for a high profile political
office where this would be an issue. So the question then becomes
"Should one sever many relationships built up over years simply because
one is running for president". One could argue that separation from a
church does not separate you from the rest of the congregation, but
this argument would likely be made only by those who have not been a
part of such a thing. The minister is not the church. The best example
I could give would be someone here running for president and deciding
to withdraw from here entirely because of some of Robert Bradbury's
posts. (Where has he been by the way?)Of course, it's not a great
example, only the closest I can come for some who have never been
exposed to the church environment.<br>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:aiguy@comcast.net">aiguy@comcast.net</a> wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:032620081502.8720.47EA65980008BB7F000022102200750784979A09070E@comcast.net"
type="cite">
<div><br>
> Olga Bourlin>Maybe Barack Obama can't say it, but Sam Harris,
can ... and <br>
> does: <br>
>
><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-harris/what-barack-obama-could-n_b_92771.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-harris/what-barack-obama-could-n_b_92771.html</a>
<br>
> >Here's hoping ... <br>
> <br>
> <br>
</div>
<div>Mr. Harris seems to be drawing the false conclusion that it
Obama would have severed his relationship</div>
<div>with Wright and his church that he was severing his relationship
with his religion.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As long as he made clear publicly that the reason he was
changing churches was to embrace what he</div>
<div>thought was a truer teaching of the principals of Christianity
other Christians would have applauded and</div>
<div>perhaps even followed his example.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Mr. Harris seems to be portraying Obama as a closet atheist who
must stay with his church and pretend</div>
<div>to believe if he is to have a chance at election.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I hope Mr. Harris's depiction of Obama is based his imagination
and not any inside information.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Because any man who would be so hypocritical, deceitful,
dishonest, and manipulative as to pretend to believe in a religion
just to get</div>
<div>get elected would be the last person I would ever want to see
elected into the highest office of this land.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I know what Mr. Harris believes in now. I just wish I knew
what the real Obama believes and what he couldn't or wouldn't say!</div>
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