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The Eulogy for the Right Rev. Clementa Pinckney Delivered by President Barack Obama, June 26, 2015

I cannot think of another President in recent memory who was half as awesome a speaker.
 
It was a very moving speech.


And I've got five bucks that says this thread will attract at least one poster who will complain that the black president speaking in a black church in front of a bunch of black people sounds "too black."
 
With the Supreme Court decisions, I think huge changes are a coming. I am surprised the gun lobby is not more often linked to racism and pro slavery - the purpose of Southern militias was to hunt escaped slaves. Who do gun owners think they are defending against? Oh, black people....
 
That was probably the best eulogy, or speech, give by any politician I've ever heard. It made me shed a few tears because I don't remember in my lifetime ever hearing a president speak so passionately from the heart and not be a government robot. It is the only speech by a politician that I have ever had the desire to watch again after listening to it once, and I think future generations might be listening to it.
 
Smoker said:
That was probably the best eulogy, or speech, give by any politician I've ever heard. It made me shed a few tears because I don't remember in my lifetime ever hearing a president speak so passionately from the heart and not be a government robot. It is the only speech by a politician that I have ever had the desire to watch again after listening to it once, and I think future generations might be listening to it.
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Agree 100% and very well stated
 
There ain't no amazing grace.

The guy is dead.

We will all soon be dead.

As Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead."
 
It wasn't easy to get through the first 3 or 4 minutes without gagging at the religious nonsense. It got a little better after that, but not by much. I start to get into it, and then it's faith faith faith, grace grace grace.

At 16 minutes, he suggests the killer was "being used by God"... what the fuck, man.

Maybe it's just me?

Come on, "Amazing Grace"?

And then the usual 'how fallen we are, but let's thank God for giving us what we don't deserve.' I'm sorry. I can't even.

I felt alienated by half of what Obama said in his speech, though I admit it was well-delivered.

However, I cannot detect a difference between the reflexive cheering at any mention of the G-word and the Family Guy spoof where Lois just said "9/11" over and over again to rapturous applause.



I guess it's what you do at eulogies?
 
Mumbles said:
...dammit, I forgot how he is when he goes to church.
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See, that's what I actually found encouraging. He doesn't speak the same way as POTUS as he does in church, and vice versa. Yes, I disagreed with some of the core religious concepts of the speech...grace and being unworthy of redemption, forgiveness (as it was stated) and being part of God's plan, but the speech itself was inspiring and emotional. I rather enjoyed it.
 
Pyramidhead, your post was awesome, because, yes, the business about God using the killer is as retarded as any preacherly pronouncements about dead children being called up by God 'cause he needs more angels in his choir', etc, etc. And yes, it pretty much was all boiler-plate religious twaddle. I watched it on Rachel Maddow's show -- she ran the entire thing without a commercial break as if we were watching the new Gettysburg Address. I will admit that I admired the Pres when he started Amazing Grace a cappella. That takes brass ones.
 
PyramidHead said:
It wasn't easy to get through the first 3 or 4 minutes without gagging at the religious nonsense. It got a little better after that, but not by much. I start to get into it, and then it's faith faith faith, grace grace grace.

At 16 minutes, he suggests the killer was "being used by God"... what the fuck, man.

Maybe it's just me?
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No, it's not just you.

I guess it's what you do at eulogies?
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I suppose it was appropriate for the audience in front of him.
 
A self professed christian delivered the eulogy of a Methodist minister in one of the oldest most historic churches in the country to that minister's congregation, and the problem is that the eulogy mentioned god too much?

Pray tell just what should the president have said to the widow and orphans and mourning congregants?
 
AthenaAwakened said:
A self professed christian delivered the eulogy of a Methodist minister in one of the oldest most historic churches in the country to that minister's congregation, and the problem is that the eulogy mentioned god too much?

Pray tell just what should the president have said to the widow and orphans and mourning congregants?
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I would rather he'd said that people are responsible for their own actions, including the guy who chose to kill a bunch of people because they were black. Instead, he said the shooting was part of God's divine plan to bring everybody together to get things done about race relations and gun control. I'm just wondering why God didn't snap his fingers and make people have the correct opinions about those policies, rather than hire a mercenary to gun down innocent people. And in the same breath, Obama says we cannot possibly do enough good deeds to be worthy of the blessing God has given us by arranging for this terrible tragedy to occur.
 
braces_for_impact said:
Mumbles said:
...dammit, I forgot how he is when he goes to church.
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See, that's what I actually found encouraging. He doesn't speak the same way as POTUS as he does in church, and vice versa. Yes, I disagreed with some of the core religious concepts of the speech...grace and being unworthy of redemption, forgiveness (as it was stated) and being part of God's plan, but the speech itself was inspiring and emotional. I rather enjoyed it.
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No, that's exactly what I meant. Obama is never like this when he's giving a political speech. And it would not be appropriate in any political speech.

But this is a funeral. It's a farewell for a beloved reverend. This is church. Obama fully understands that he is speaking to the family first, the people attending second, and the nation third. It would be ridiculous for him to not mention God here. And given the priorities, the president was close to perfect.

I mean, he could have sung better, but...
 
PyramidHead said:
AthenaAwakened said:
A self professed christian delivered the eulogy of a Methodist minister in one of the oldest most historic churches in the country to that minister's congregation, and the problem is that the eulogy mentioned god too much?

Pray tell just what should the president have said to the widow and orphans and mourning congregants?
Click to expand...

I would rather he'd said that people are responsible for their own actions, including the guy who chose to kill a bunch of people because they were black. Instead, he said the shooting was part of God's divine plan to bring everybody together to get things done about race relations and gun control. I'm just wondering why God didn't snap his fingers and make people have the correct opinions about those policies, rather than hire a mercenary to gun down innocent people. And in the same breath, Obama says we cannot possibly do enough good deeds to be worthy of the blessing God has given us by arranging for this terrible tragedy to occur.
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He was in CHURCH, talking to a CHURCH crowd. He's gonna say churchie things. Now had he said the same things in a state of the union address, then I would be stone in your corner.

But this wasn't a SOTU, this was a man reaching out to other people where they are and commiserating with them in their hour of grief. In that eulogy he didn't just talk about god and grace, but common decency. common sense and common morality.

He said things that members of the audience would have shut out had he said them in press conference but in that place and at that time, they actually heard.
 
Mumbles said:
braces_for_impact said:
See, that's what I actually found encouraging. He doesn't speak the same way as POTUS as he does in church, and vice versa. Yes, I disagreed with some of the core religious concepts of the speech...grace and being unworthy of redemption, forgiveness (as it was stated) and being part of God's plan, but the speech itself was inspiring and emotional. I rather enjoyed it.
Click to expand...

No, that's exactly what I meant. Obama is never like this when he's giving a political speech. And it would not be appropriate in any political speech.

But this is a funeral. It's a farewell for a beloved reverend. This is church. Obama fully understands that he is speaking to the family first, the people attending second, and the nation third. It would be ridiculous for him to not mention God here. And given the priorities, the president was close to perfect.

I mean, he could have sung better, but...
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Well, you can't have everything.
 
AthenaAwakened said:
PyramidHead said:
I would rather he'd said that people are responsible for their own actions, including the guy who chose to kill a bunch of people because they were black. Instead, he said the shooting was part of God's divine plan to bring everybody together to get things done about race relations and gun control. I'm just wondering why God didn't snap his fingers and make people have the correct opinions about those policies, rather than hire a mercenary to gun down innocent people. And in the same breath, Obama says we cannot possibly do enough good deeds to be worthy of the blessing God has given us by arranging for this terrible tragedy to occur.
Click to expand...
He was in CHURCH, talking to a CHURCH crowd. He's gonna say churchie things. Now had he said the same things in a state of the union address, then I would be stone in your corner.

But this wasn't a SOTU, this was a man reaching out to other people where they are and commiserating with them in their hour of grief. In that eulogy he didn't just talk about god and grace, but common decency. common sense and common morality.

He said things that members of the audience would have shut out had he said them in press conference but in that place and at that time, they actually heard.
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I guess the speech made sense for the context, but it was also broadcasted on national TV (not that it could have been done privately, he is President after all). I have no doubt that his words were exactly what the congregation wanted and needed to hear, and that many churchgoers across the country were probably inspired to great things as a result. I don't think the members of that audience would have shut out what he said under any circumstances. It's a pity, all that being said, that in order to connect with the mourners of that church, the President needed to say such daffy, wrongheaded things. There's really no way to please everybody, as you say.
 
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