AP - Black Pastors Say 'Stay Home' on Election Day

When Obama said he personally approved of "Gay Marriage" .. and when the DNC put 'Gay Marriage' in their platform, I figured this backlash would happen. Evangelical black Americans aren't happy about it. The question is .. will this effect their voting in November? Their pastors are now calling for a 'no vote'.

Black Pastors Say 'Stay Home' on Election Day

Some black clergy see no good presidential choice between a Mormon candidate and one who supports gay marriage, so they are telling their flocks to stay home on Election Day. That's a worrisome message for the nation's first African-American president, who can't afford to lose any voters from his base in a tight race.

The pastors say their congregants are asking how a true Christian could back same-sex marriage, as President Barack Obama did in May. As for Republican Mitt Romney, the first Mormon nominee from a major party, congregants are questioning the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its former ban on men of African descent in the priesthood.

In 2008, Obama won 95 percent of black voters and is likely to get an overwhelming majority again. But any loss of votes would sting.

The ignorant can stay home, it won't affect the willing and those looking forward for social progress.

After the many black AND white kids and activists gave everything from time to their very lives to see the Black man in this nation get a vote and a fully equal footing, I say FOR SHAME on this guy to be calling for people to stay home and willingly toss what came SO HARD for more than one entire generation involved in the fight.

Choosing to simply not show up doesn't stop the game being called for someone...it just insures you, as a citizen, will have 0 chance to have any say in it. From City Councilman and local bond issue to the Electoral College delegate choices. It's throwing the whole game in protest of one race on the ballot...and people who would? Can just stay home EVERY election, as far as I'm concerned. Cherry picking participation is how politicians ran wild to get here.

Letting them run wild even further for lack of even bothering to try and say something by a vote.....is accepting whatever comes next with a handshake and a smile.

I am not sure which I find more ridiculous, how important the topic of gay marriage is within politics or that people would be willing to follow a pastors decision on how the country should be run.

reply to post by FlyersFan


These are a handful of right wing Black Evangelical preachers. They do not have as much sway over whether their parishioners vote or not. As a Black evangelical and the daughter or a preacher myself, I can tell you that this AP article is fluff and I can assure you that NO PREACHER can tell me to stay home and not vote. It's not gonna happen and is nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of those who would love nothing more than to see African Americans not exercise the right to vote after so many have bled and died for that right.

NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

I am voting and so are many other African American EVANGELICALS.

reply to post by FlyersFan
Their response is a direct result of how religion corrupts people's minds. Sometimes it's difficult for these folks to make a logical decision because it is hampered by religious ideologies.

One thing I have trouble understanding is how a previously oppressed people can be against equal rights for a portion of society. It seems highly hypocritical to me. It just shows how much of a "hold" religion can have in people's lives... To outweigh the equality that people have fought so hard to gain... I don't get it. :shk:

The OP's article says it's not clear how widespread this is, so I wouldn't be too concerned. I'm sure there are some white folks who will be ruffled by the fact that Obama supports gay marriage, too. It's best for him to get his beliefs out there, then let the people vote. If they want to stay home because of this, that's their choice and they will get the elected official they deserve.

Conservatives warned, often with glee, that President Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage would spark an African-American backlash. But guess what? Polls show black voters dramatically swinging closer to Obama's view.

Black voters, for reasons heavily related to religious views, have in the past been more conservative about same-sex marriage than national averages. New polls indicate that Obama's gay-marriage support may do more to help the cause than hurt his popularity.

Source

Originally posted by TheOneElectric
The ignorant can stay home, it won't affect the willing and those looking forward for social progress.

Ok....I'll bite.....what social progress do you speak of? better yet....where has that social progress been for the last 8 years?

Thats ok....I'll wait.....

IMO everyone should stay home on election day....votes dont count anyway..money pays for it..or didn't you know that?

Originally posted by Kastogere
Ok....I'll bite.....what social progress do you speak of?

Social Progress

Social progress is the idea that societies can or do improve in terms of their social, political, and economic structures. This may happen as a result of direct human action, as in social enterprise or through social activism, or as a natural part of sociocultural evolution.

better yet....where has that social progress been for the last 8 years?

Right in front of your face.

In the past few years, as regards social progress for the gay community, DOMA is Overturned, DADT is Overturned, Marriage Equality is Added to the Democratic Platform and our President Voices Support for Marriage Equality

What President Obama has Done for the Gay Community

IMO everyone should stay home on election day....votes dont count anyway..money pays for it..or didn't you know that?

IMO, everyone should go out and vote on or before election day. If votes don't count, why are there so many concerned about oppressing the vote?

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
One thing I have trouble understanding is how a previously oppressed people can be against equal rights for a portion of society.

Yep. That kinda tickles my brain as well. But it seems that ... at least for some ... the 'evangelical christian' part of them outweighs the 'fight for civil rights' part of them. Maybe these folks are like many others ... fight for your own civil rights but don't bother fighting for the civil rights of others???

Who knows. It's odd though .. I agree with ya'.

reply to post by FlyersFan



You think they would have been appalled over his stance on abortion the first time around considering more black women than any other get abortions, but, yea, he wasn't vetted was he?

Just proves the topic I made on how many democrats are more conservative than conservatives.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

OH and BTW Obama isn't pro Gay marriage, just vote pandering.

Bah! Those guys don't follow Christian teachings. The fact of the matter is too damn many black americans died so they could just sit on their rumps during election day.

If your a black america not voting isn't a choice. It's a great disrespect and disservice to those that lived their whole lives in chains, like they still do today. Why are they so hung up on the "gay marriage" slant anyway, it's not they are actively trying to screw black folks over like others out there.

See, this is what happens when you have sheep leading lions. The lions turn into sheep.

The pastors have every right to try and sell their misguided beliefs, but really at least in Maryland it is looking like the President has alot more sway on this issue. At least enough sway to encourage the African-American community to rethink the subject. And that is a good thing. It is only a matter of time before it happens and really it would be better if the States realized it before the Federal Government does. Because when it eventually does get before the Supreme Court it is going to come down to two questions. Who is hurt legally by not recognizing it? and What does the State gain by denying those rights to gay couples?

A Washington Post/ABC poll also showed that black public opinion shifted after Obama's announcement, with 59 percent of blacks saying they backed same-sex marriage, an 18-point shift compared to polls leading up to the survey. PPP also released a poll showing an 11-point jump in North Carolina in favor of gay marriage among black voters following the passage of Amendment One, which banned gay marriage, domestic partnerships and civil unions

Maryland Marriage Equality Poll Shows Increased Support From African-American Voters

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
You think they would have been appalled over his stance on abortion the first time around considering more black women than any other get abortions,

Good point. Obama is pro abortion (which many black americans feel is black genocide .. they have a website explaining why). So why get all upset over gay marriage when in fact black genocide abortion (supported by the democrats) has been going on a lot longer and they still voted democrat.

reply to post by FlyersFan


In my opinion, I think many will use this (the pastors' reasoning) as an excuse NOT to vote for Obama.

They'll say that it's because of the gay marriage issue, and use it as an excuse for not voting because of the many other reasons.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
One thing I have trouble understanding is how a previously oppressed people can be against equal rights for a portion of society. It seems highly hypocritical to me. It just shows how much of a "hold" religion can have in people's lives... To outweigh the equality that people have fought so hard to gain... I don't get it. :shk:

That one always pisses me off.

Goes for blacks and Mormons - - - and everyone else who has ever been oppressed by a self-righteous society.

It's unclear just how widespread the sentiment is that African-American Christians would be better off not voting at all. Many pastors have said that despite their misgivings about the candidates, blacks have fought too hard for the vote to ever stay away from the polls.

It’s unclear, beyond the one person cited in the article with an off-the-cuff comment, how widespread the sentiment is?

On Election Day, McKissic said, "I plan to go fishing."

If this were not an online article, I'd say it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Obama is pro abortion

Obama is pro-choice. Which means he believes it's up to the individual women to make decisions about her body.

Pro-abortion is a term used to make those that are pro-choice appear like they want everyone to abort their children. Which is in no way true. It's a purposely misleading label.

Marriage is not a right. Homosexuals do not have any of their rights denied. To compare them to oppressed black people in the past is beyond insulting.

reply to post by Charmed707


I'm not sure why you say it's not a right. Marriage is a civil right.

The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men
...
While the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on same-sex marriage, it is unlikely that it would overturn the foundational premise that marriage is a civil right. Lower courts, even when relying on disparate state-level constitutional language, have consistently acknowledged the right to marry.