The Double Standard, part 2

I grew up an occasional church-goer. My mother, two brothers and I went once or twice a month, with my father usually making it on the major Sundays (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, etc). At some point, flying lessons began to dominate Sundays, and it was either attending early service, or not going before flying. Well, flying took over Sundays, and when we did return to church, some things had changed.....

It was subtle at first- women were no longer allowed to wear pants to service. Like so many black churches, come as you are was not acceptable. If you went out partying Saturday, please stop at home for a quick change before church. Honesty, I never saw anyone wear jeans to church before I attended college! Slowly, our church changed. It seemed like one week there was just an Organ and Piano, to the next week there was the Organ, Piano, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, and a 24-Track Mixer. Our church went and got all COGIC on us! We didn't so much leave as just slowly stop attending. My parents didn't always agree with Pastor Connors sermons, but the idea of the church changing was too much. Later on, we heard some rather disturbing news about our old pastor.

I have a challenge for you.... How many of you completely agree with everything your pastor says and does? Should you then be held accountable for each and every action and word? Should you have to distance yourself from your pastor because you don't agree?

This is what the media is doing to Senator Obama- forcing him to denounce each and every statement by Rev. Wright, that seems to raise ANY controversy. Regardless (since irregardless is one of those nonsense non-words) of the absurdity of associating Obama with Wright's thoughts, the media is intent on finding controversy with Obama's campaign and plans for America. As if the whole Obama-as-asleeper-Muslim wasn't bad enough, the media has decided that Rev. Jeremiah Wright's words are enough to find Obama unfit to be President. If every candidate has dirt, the media is determined to make Wright Obama's. To take this one step further, the media is also determining that it is only going to apply this standard to Obama and Wright.

Case in point, read Frank Shaeffer's perspective on Huffington Post and digest it. He asks and answers some every key questions about this dust-up. Anyone remember Rev. Pat Robertson's suggestion on how the US should deal with Hugo Chavez? How about what these religious leaders had to say about Hurricane Katrina? Never mind that Robertson's organization benefited from Katrina. Yes, Rev. Wright mentioned 9/11, but so did others here. Yet we don't see the media scrutinizing McCain or Clinton based on statements of religious leaders that support them. BTW, the media did mention John Hagee's anti-Catholic comments, but stopped quickly. The media did not dig any deeper. If it did, Hagee might have to explain how pushing for Armageddon would be good for Jews if he feels they will all be destroyed in that conflict.

Crooksandliars is on it as well.