Did He Really Just Say That?

Yes. Yes, he did. “He" is Jeremiah Wright, perhaps better known as Barack Obama’s pastor. And what he said was, “God damn America,” from the pulpit.

I’m not here to debate the appropriateness of this pastor’s messages, nor to discuss Barack Obama’s relationship with him. Those things can be done elsewhere, and you won’t have to look very far to find numerous editorials and blogs tackling those very questions. If that’s what you’re looking for, a Google search will be much more effective than trying to engage me in that particular discussion.

No, I’m posting to ask another question entirely.

I wonder how many people are so scandalized that a pastor would dare to put the words “God” and “damn” side by side, or so angered that he would dare to state that America isn’t perfect, that they completely ignore the context in which the statement was made, and look past the fact that there are wrongs and injustices committed by this country? Perhaps we should go beyond the media frenzy and the politics and take some time to focus on the truth beneath the inflammatory statements. Don’t you think it’s probably true that this country does some things that God would frown upon? Don’t you think it’s true that this country commits wrongs and injustices that need to be identified and corrected?

Am I saying that America is all wrong? No. I do believe that there are many things we do right. However, should we not always be examining our actions and policies and trying to do better? If we allow ourselves to believe that everything we do is justified because we’re America, how can we improve our people, our country, or our world? If we label people as unpatriotic when they disagree, how will we ever be able to honestly examine ourselves?

Saying “God damn America” from the pulpit is definitely an extreme way to voice disagreement, and I am not trying to defend or justify the statements that were made. I simply want to focus on a very real underlying issue that will more than likely be completely lost among the controversial and inflammatory nature of the words:

What are we doing wrong? Who are we hurting or harming? And what can we do to change that?