The recent controversy surrounding the extreme and divisive rhetoric of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, long time pastor and associate of Democratic Presidential candidate Barak Obama, has got me thinking. As Mormon’s we don’t chose our immediate ecclesiastical leaders, though we do have the option to sustain them or not. Therefore for us, if we have a Bishop or Stake President who say’s things we don’t like, well there’s very little we could do about it and I don’t think a reasonable person would hold us responsible for our leaders views. However in the Congregationalist faith to which Senator Obama is an adherent, things are decided largely on the local level and every congregation can set its own policy on a wide variety of things. Senator Obama, if he so chose, could simply transfer to another congregation if he had troubles with his pastors views. While this would seem a simple answer to his current political troubles in that regard, what about the concept of religious community, should the Senator be expected to abandon his fellow congregants, some of whom he’s worshipped with for twenty plus years, just because of some of the more extreme things his pastor’s said. For that matter why should it seem at all reasonable that a person embrace every facet of his friends personality or belief’s.
Mormons must confront their own problems with extreme rhetoric, and not just in the relatively recent past, say some of the things Boyd K. Packer or Bruce R. McConkie have said. If you’ve ever read from ‘The Journal of Discourses’ or other 19th Century Mormon texts you know that some of the things that period Church leaders said where way out there, and I don’t mean just weird (which 19th Century Mormonism undeniable was), but also violent or offensive. Let’s look at something particularly relevant given the larger conversation, the Prophet Brigham Young on the black race:
"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind .... Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race—that they should be the 'servant of servants;' and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree." -Journal of Discourses, 7:290
The larger history of poor Mormon racial relations with Blacks need not be repeated here, nor do we need to delve into other controversial and retro-grade beliefs/practices of the 19th Century Church, such as Polygamy or blood atonement. The point is to embrace someone as a spiritual guide, a pastor in the case of Obama and the Reverend Wright, or a Prophet as in case of most Mormons and Brigham, is not necessarily to embrace all of their more extreme rhetoric. Most Mormons would not continence the Young quote listed above, just as Obama has not endorsed the more extreme sayings of his pastor. Yet both the members of that Chicago Church and the millions of Mormons world wide can no doubt find much inspiring and good in the words and deeds of there flawed spiritual leaders. Especially as Christians we should have an understanding of human imperfection and the need to embrace the humanity of all around us. I don’t hold Obama responsible for what his pastor says, nor do I fault him for not abandoning the Reverend Wright when it might be politically expedient for him to do so. I do however fault those, epically in my faith, who may be short sighted in criticizing anyone for accepting spiritual advice from fellow members of this highly flawed human race.
Obama's Speech relating to the Reverend Wright
Mormon Mentality post that served as partial inspiration for this post.
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3 comments:
It really comes down to the fact that people expect church leaders...of any faith...to basically be perfect. We expect our leaders to never do anything wrong or say anything that does not 100% coincide with the doctrine they are teaching. This is ridiculous since any church leader now on earth is not Jesus Christ and therefore not perfect.
I find this to be an interesting topic of conversation. Like you said I do not fault him for what his Pastor said. I applaud him for not abandoning his Pastor at this time for political expediency as so many others would have done.
I have had several discussions with people about this topic and heard even others on local radio. I think the most common conclusion to come out of this could be applied as a lesson to any of us. If we here something said across the pulpit in our congregation that is something we disagree with, or something that is not a part of our doctrine we have an obligation to confront it. This doesn't mean we have to be confrontational about it but at some point we should talk to the leader of our congregation about what was said and express our concerns and reservations.
In the example of this happening within an LDS Meetinghouse, this may not be our Bishop or any other leader but just a member of our congregation. In this scenario we don't even have to go and speak with the person directly but it absolutely would not be out of place to go and speak with a member of the Bishopric about it. This happened in my congregation not to long ago and fortunately the Bishop had the courage and wisdom to stand up and interupt the speaker, correct him, get him back on track and let him finish his talk.
However I again agree with Nate when he said that people should not expect or anticipate that just because you attend the same congregation, or because someone is a religious leader of yours, that everything that the other person says is your personal belief.
I thought Obama handled it well in addressing, not so much Wright’s words (which he denounced) but the racial divide behind those words. Wright’s views are widespread, and it doesn’t help anyone to pretend such views don’t exist.
In general, you have to admire loyalty. In Wright’s case, the words are denounced but not the man. It’s a wonder we have anyone in office today who knows anything, for any time someone errs we hear immediate calls for their resignation, and spineless politicians usually cave. Interestingly, whatever other flaws the man may have, Bush stands by his people, and usually garners my respect on that account, as Obama did.
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