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June 28th, 2012
04:36 PM ET
First lady implores black churchgoers to get politicalBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) - First lady Michelle Obama made an impassioned pitch for black churchgoers to embrace political action on Thursday in a speech to the country’s oldest black religious denomination. “To anyone who says that church is no place to talk about these issues, you tell them there is no place better,” Obama said at a conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee. “Because ultimately, these are not just political issues,” she said. “They are moral issues.” With Election Day a little more than four months away, the first lady decried what she suggested was voter apathy in the black community. “How many of us have asked someone whether they’re going to vote, and (they) tell us, ‘No, I voted last time,’ or ‘Is there really an election going on?’ ” “After so many folks sacrificed so much so that we could make our voices heard, so many of us just can’t be bothered,” she said. Obama said that while some voters were “tuning out” and “staying home,” powerful interests are busy raising money to influence Washington. Barack Obama took 96% of the black vote in 2008, and strong turnout among African-Americans and other minorities will be crucial if he hopes to win a second term, analysts say. Surveys show that African-Americans attend church in higher numbers than white Americans do, and Democratic politicians have long made a habit of speaking from black pulpits in the leadup to Election Day. The AME Church has a general convention every four years. The first lady also spoke of her husband on Thursday, telling the story of a photo hanging in the Oval Office that shows the president meeting a 5-year-old African-American boy at the White House three years ago. White House photographers change the photos hanging in the West Wing ever couple of weeks, Michelle Obama said, except for that one. “If you ever wonder whether change is possible in this country, I want you to think about that little black boy in the Oval Office of the White House touching the head of the first black president.” She said blacks had to actively make good on their centuries-old legacy of political activism, mentioning names like Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks. “Today, the connection between our laws and our lives isn’t always as clear as it was 50 years or 150 years ago,” she said. “And as a result, it’s sometimes easy to assume that the battles in our courts and legislatures have all been won.” In her speech, Obama promoted causes like investing in roads and schools, creating jobs and taking care of veterans. “Our faith journey isn’t just about showing up on Sunday for a good sermon and good music and a good meal,” she said. “It’s about what we do Monday through Saturday as well.”
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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WHAT? Is it not the liberals who give the RCC so much grief when they "get political" during their sermons????
I agree, she shouldn't be telling people to get political from the pulpit.
Watch the South Park episode called "Dou-che and Turd". It pretty accurately describes our election process.
That's the thing about the double standards of politicians. Their hypocrisy is so blatant but they feel justified because they want to hold on to power. Do as I say not as I do. If Catholics did this, everyone would be quoting sepration of state and church and calling for revolking their tax exemption status.
Why do you make me pray so much?
Because we're SO ROTTEN!
Because government is SO ROTTEN!
May your prayers be answered UK Dave!
ARE YOU STUCK TO YOUR WEAKNESSES?
I wonder what grumpy guts Satan thinks of this!
I've always been stuck to my weaknesses.
We the family have always been stuck too our weaknesses.
I can't see sense in where we're going.
It's clear you can see sense in where you're going UK Dave.
ARE YOU STUCK TO YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Are you forced to use your vanity mirror?
Shaving mirrors are acceptable!
How many vanity mirrors has the White House got Michelle?
How many vanity mirrors has Buckingham Palace got?
ARE YOU STUCK TO YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Vanity was never my crime!
I've committed many scams in the past!
I want to commit scams against Illuminati & Bilderberg!
May I be forgiven these scams I wish to commit UK Dave?
@atheist@heart
Scam as much as you can from Illuminati & Bilderberg atheist@heart!
I pray The Lord is pleased with your work here!
If so, this brings you forgiveness!
I'm already swooning over UK Dave!
The rest is FULLY BELIEVABLE!
I like trolling so much that I make up a bunch of different names and reply to myself. It's one of the many tings I do here.
I wish I had a life.
Ah well, back to trolling.
Obamacare has won. This makes me sad. I'm actually contemplating voting for Romney. This makes me even sadder.
Take some Zoloft.
@Rational Libertarian –
Why would the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the AFCAA lead you to vote for Romney? Seriously, it's not a dilemma.
I never go on a downer!
Don't let my imposters drag you down!
Let's see what grumpy guts Satan makes of this!
I know precisely who you are UK Dave & you are fully expanding my Belief!
May I always swoon in your presence!
Translation: I'm just a troll. I use lots of names. I think I really get you people. I am very proud of my troll accomplishments, oblivious to the pathetic reality of my worthlessness.
The audacity of....
I enjoy my contact with grumpy disbelievers!
Wise men say only fools rush in!
Burr I can't help falling in love with you!
The talents of Elvis live on!
I got talents too!
What do you think I bring my enemies down with?
WITH TALENTS!
With so many talents, they are all hunting after you!
I guess you wanna hear my Elvis impressions now!
You brought me down already UK Dave!
Please please please put your Elvis impressions on Youtube UK Dave!
@atheist@heart
It'll have to be an Elvis karaoke job on Youtube.
I can't afford any other backing.
Sorry, Michelle, but I don't agree. Church and State need to remain separate. I do not want black churches becoming political any more than the evangelicals. If they want to be political they should lose their tax-free status IMHO.
If the bible in Acts calls God as not parcial with any race, why on earth are these church's dividing blacks and whites??
The word is PARTIAL. Thank you American educational system!
One of the sign, for the World to end.
Religion + Politics = Bad News For The World.
Christianity = Bad News For The World.
First lady implores black churchgoers to get political
Hold on there! Church and politics are a no-no.
On this day – everyone is invited to – thestarofkaduri.com
What a DA.
Did we once ask you to settle for junk?
Did we once ask you to settle for junk Independence?
Did we once ask you to settle for junk food?
Did we once ask you to settle for junk medicines?
Did we once ask you to settle for junk Illuminati?
Did we once ask you to settle for junk Bilderberg?
Did we once ask you to settle for JUNK DISBELIEF?
Don't expect me to settle for junk Prometheus 3D.
THIS IS TELLING YOU JUNKIES!
There's nothing junk about my job either UK Dave!
My job isn't junk either!
There's nothing junk about God's estrogen either!
You're definitely one of us UK Dave!
@Linda P
I stand up for women everywhere!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this estrogen connection!
This estrogen connection is very healthy!
Stay away from my junk, man.
Hey, quit playing with my 'junk.' 🙂
Prayer changes things
Prayer doesn’t not; you are such a LIAR. You have NO proof it changes anything! A great example of prayer proven not to work is the Christians in jail because prayer didn't work and their children died. For example: Susan Grady, who relied on prayer to heal her son. Nine-year-old Aaron Grady died and Susan Grady was arrested.
An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children, who died under the care of faith healers or being left to prayer only, would most likely have survived if they had received medical care.
The statistical studies from the nineteenth century and the three CCU studies on prayer are quite consistent with the fact that humanity is wasting a huge amount of time on a procedure that simply doesn’t work. Nonetheless, faith in prayer is so pervasive and deeply rooted, you can be sure believers will continue to devise future studies in a desperate effort to confirm their beliefs!
nope
"nope
nope"
Exactly nope prayer doesn't work. Glad we can agree on this one.
@jesus
nope
"@jesus
nope"
More lies without any proof – You have NO proof it changes anything! A great example of prayer proven not to work is the Christians in jail because prayer didn't work and their children died. For example: Susan Grady, who relied on prayer to heal her son. Nine-year-old Aaron Grady died and Susan Grady was arrested.
An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children, who died under the care of faith healers or being left to prayer only, would most likely have survived if they had received medical care.
The statistical studies from the nineteenth century and the three CCU studies on prayer are quite consistent with the fact that humanity is wasting a huge amount of time on a procedure that simply doesn’t work. Nonetheless, faith in prayer is so pervasive and deeply rooted, you can be sure believers will continue to devise future studies in a desperate effort to confirm their beliefs!
Egypt just had ALL of its' Muslim prayers answered!
BE UNDER NO ILLUSION !!!!
She's not really going about this the right way.
It is not proper for the First Lady to encourage the violation of the First Amendment.
If she doesn't understand how she's using the illegal tactics of the GOP, then someone should explain it to her.
Doesn't she have any advisors? Obama has a terrible campaign manager. They really should get a replacement.
The First Lady is a private citizen with no office or powers beyond cutting off the president's nooky. She can go implore people to move the Senate into Scientology headquarters, and it doesn't mean a thing.
True. True.
But she says nothing about the corruption that is behind most of these problems and how it is almost impossible for these people to actually get anything done about these problems because of it. She might as well tell them to join the Marines for all the good it's going to do.
Jeanine – Take a moment and research African American history and hopefully you'll begin to understand the integral role the church has played in everything from emancipation to civil rights.
what ever it takes. You don't think bishop mitt hasnt addressed the congragation/ we know how the mormon vote will go. Lets at least put a christian in office. Remember the holy trinity and ya won't need any special underware either. Milk toast has to go. He and the whole republican party of clowns and liers.are already trying to distort the health care bill and scare people . Forward 2012
No, Donnie, not a freakin' chance has Mr. Romney addressed the Mormon congregation on politics. You obviously have no idea how things run in the LDS church.
Donnie,
Please tell me you don't see the Obama's as model Christians. Their lack of respect for the dignity of human life alone should be sending alarms off in your head.
Wait a minute... the President's wife urging partisan political action from churches? I hope they're ready to lose their tax-exempt status.
Hatin on the food and singin ain't gonna get people out of their chairs to vote, and she can't keep them from being disenfranchised from all the Jim Crow laws used by the states, or force the election to be done by mail, so she's at a major disadvantage here.
If she wants to fix this, she should be speaking out against racial profiling, not railing against french fries.
And, yes, if a bunch of pastors start telling people how to vote from the pulpit, their tax-exempt goes out the window.
Nobody said anything about pastors telling their congregation how to vote. She simply stated that politics does have a place in the church. Always quick to judge and criticize without noting the facts.
TAXPAYER HEAVEN PAYS TAXES = 10%
Let's see what grumpy guts Satan makes of this.
Moore, politics are politics. She wants people to vote and to start marching up and down the street and for some reason is appealing to the churches for political action. This is a foolish thing to do, but she is free to do it.
If she wanted to fix the problems facing most black communities, she'd be looking for the causes instead of assuming its because people go to church one day a week when that really isn't the problem at all.
Now there democrats Earnie...that does not count. Only if you are a white republican can that be considered against the law.....you know that?
Everybody on this tread should listen to what she said; I was there and she did inspire people to get involved and help those in need.