E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA group of African-American pastors say that President Barack Obama’s backing of gay marriage may cost him the election due to weakening support among black voters -- although he still has overwhelming support from them.
Rev. William Owens, head of the Coalition of African-American Pastors, a group of black Christians backing traditional family values, said Obama has taken the black vote for granted.
“He has not done a smart thing and it might cost him the election,” Owens said during a press conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington. “There are more people that want marriage to be right than there are homosexuals.”
Although Owens declared that “we are not Democrats, we are not Republicans, this is not a political party,” Owens criticized the president for not denouncing gay marriage. He said the press conference was held to promote the group’s Mandate for Marriage, a pledge to support marriage between one man and one woman – what Owens says will be a national campaign aimed at rallying black Americans to rethink their support of the president.
Obama won 95 percent of the black vote in 2008, and while enthusiasm among some Obama supporters has faded since then, support for America’s first black president remains high among African Americans. In a recent Associated Press-GfK poll, 82 percent of black registered voters say they would vote for Obama. His approval rating among blacks was 87 percent.
The group’s press conference was held just one day after Rep. Barney Frank confirmed that the Democratic Party is set to include a pro-gay marriage plank in their party-convention platform. The platform, approved unanimously on Sunday, not only backs marriage equality, but also rejects DOMA and has positive language with regard to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The move wasn’t a complete surprise, considering Obama’s public endorsement of same-sex marriage in May.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
Owens, who said he supported Obama in 2008, said that the president “has ignored the black community because he thinks we are in his pocket because he’s black. We refuse to give him a pass.”
At the press conference, Owens was joined by five other black pastors and said there were 3,742 African-American pastors on board for the anti-Obama campaign. Owens has long been an opponent of gay marriage and consults with the National Organization for Marriage as a liaison to black churches.
Survey: Partisan divide over gay marriage widens
Later in his speech, he denounced the administration's priorities.
“With all the challenges facing the African-American community – the prisons are full of African-American men – they have chosen to cater to the homosexual community,” Owens said. “They have chosen to cater to Hollywood, to cater to big money, and to ignore the people who put the president where he is.”
Supreme Court asked to back gay marriage ban
A Pew Research Center poll conducted in April found that 49 percent of African-Americans oppose legalized same-sex marriage, compared with 39 percent who support it. In 2008, only 26 percent of blacks were in favor of same-sex marriage, according to the same Pew poll.
In a Public Religion Research Institute poll released last week, 18 percent of black Americans surveyed said they see same-sex marriage as a “critical issue,” putting it behind the economy, education, deficit, a growing wealth gap and immigration.
Watch the Top Videos on NBCNews.com
Owens, however, said the president's stance on gay marriage will be a much more decisive issue for his organization come Election Day.
“The president is in the White House because of the Civil Rights movement,” said Owens. “I didn’t march one inch, one foot, one yard for a man to marry a man and a woman to marry a woman. We will not take it back, we will not back down, and we are going to take action across this country."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Bedbugs, energy 'audits' among new top consumer headaches
- Poll: Views on gun laws unchanged after theater massacre
- Baptist leader: Decision not to marry black couple 'unfortunate'
- Man shoots at police officer in dash-cam video
- Woman who snatched newborn in '87 gets 12 years in jail
- Berenstain Bears keep distance from Chick-fil-A
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
Even though its way too late its good to hear the black community FINALLY come out and tell obumer hes way off track, as a self professed Christian, who backs gays and Abortion...When is he going to back The LORD and savior JESUS CHRIST!!!
mm
Yikes...
Keep drinking that kool-aide, Jamie.
What about the fact hat many of the awful comments left here from Christians are some of the ugliest? Where in the bible does it say to be horrible to others? Where in the bible does it say that we should put Jesus before God?It seems that there is too much focus on the Son and not enough focus on the Source- God. Jus ' sayin'...
The African-American pastors are right. Same sex marriage is wrong.
Who is this Jesus Christ you speak of? I see no mention of him in any of the historic writings from that period of time. Not one.
Your religion is stupid and your god is a clown.
People like you are fast becoming the ignored minority.
But you do my job better than I do it. You turn more people away from your filthy, hateful religion than I ever could.
Thank you for showing the world that Jesus Christ = Hate.
Thank You
gayatheistmarine
You don't know what my religion is marriage is between a man and a women and it always will be. If everyone was gay we would eventually be extinct. AND JESUS LOVES YOU TO EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.
its funny how when a christian stands for what is right it is called hatred when a gay person says what they think it is freedom of speech. marriage is between a man and women and a gay person should not have the same perks that come with being married again between a man and woman. i am tired of everyone trying to make everyone feel that any problem they have is ok and accepted . no one is born gay they choose that lifestyle just like anyone else that makes a bad choice.
Yup, nothing like a group of blacks supporting bigotry. That irony is truly delicious. And by the way, keep your idiotic religious beliefs to yourself! I stopped believing that crap about the same time I quit believing in Santa Claus, since there isn't much difference. I mean really, an invisible man who controls the whole universe. Say that out loud and see how utterly ridiculous it sounds. Religion is a crutch for those who don't have the guts to take responsibility for their lives and live them. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE YOUR BELIEFS ON OTHERS!!!
Tomorrows story should be; CHICK-FIL-A : RECORD SALES! after CEO excercises his right to speech.
Have you seen the lines there today? The liberals tried to ruin their business by calling for boycotts because the CEO said only what his beliefs are. If a heterosexual called for the boycott of a busines owned by an outspoken gay- they are called bigoted or hateful.
Think about it.
Shame on these bishops. Bigotry is bigotry is bigotry!!
Philyp's - I guess you haven't read the Bible recently, so I don't expect you to know what the Lord said on the matter. This is one of our creators rules, not man's rules.
HOGWASH! Exactly what did Jesus Christ say about homosexuals? What's that? Did you say nothing?
You sure it wasn't King James who had his people write it? I mean, the damn thing has been rewritten and reworked so many times. You allowed Pagans into your circle, I think it's time you open your doors to gays and rewrite the book again.
Thomas Jefferson already re-wrote the bible for us. It's called the Jefferson Bible.
@HOGWASH - The part of the Bible outlawing homosexuality is the OLD TESTAMENT, which is the JEWISH part of the Bible. Jesus said NOTHING on the matter, except for "Love they neighbor". It is truly sad when an Atheist has to explain the Bible to a Christian. By the way, the reason that homosexuality was outlawed was to encourage population growth. 4000 years ago, there was a huge need to have lots of children because so many of them died young and you needed a lot of hands to keep the tribe functioning. It had nothing to do with morality, it was practicality.
Hogwash have you really read the Bible. Love thy neighbor as thyself. But if you want to get into some facts. The Bible supports slavery. The Bible calls fo a disobedient wife to be stoned, Brothers call sell their sisters into slavery. Children who talk back their father can be stoned.
A vote for Obama is a vote for Satan....denounce God and his laws, God,will surely denounce you at judgement, there is a God and the Bible is a living book given to man a guide of how to live and laws to abide by .
I wonder who will judge you, "reg", for all of the judgmental hatred you spread!!
You really have NO idea what's contained in the Bible, do you? I only say that because you're the worst example of a 'good' Christian.
Fear driven, and weak.
When you say "bible", do you mean the old testament or the new? And which edition bible? What about all the parts that were edited out of various editions, do those parts count? If the bible is laws that were given to man by an omnipotent and omniscient being, why would it have to be edited or interpreted at all? Wouldn't an all powerful, perfect being get all the facts right the first time?
The part in the back that supports whatever I'm talking about! I'm going to ignore that one section contradicting it though.
As a WASP I am going to set back and watch how this unfolds. I will however say this: I do have faith in God that my brothers and sisters in Christ will be lead by the Spirit to His Will and make the decisions that are best for themselves, their communities, and The Body, no matter what race they are. All deception will be revealed as the work of the enemy...no matter where it is.
"All deception will be revealed as the work of the enemy...no matter where it is."
Hmmm.... some similarities to the Muslim religion there, Bob.
Are you really that deceived Matthew? Pity.
That is surprising because at one time interracial marriage was banned. I guess they have a double standard.
The Religious need to evolve.
I won't vote for him either, and I hate when they compare the blacks to the gays. Gay sex is a choice and a sin, being black is not. He knows how black people feel about this and he threw us under the bus for the homosexuals and liberals. I'll abstain this year. I won't go against my God just so Obama can be elected. He hasn't done that much for us anyway.
“There are more people that want marriage to be right than there are homosexuals.” There are more white people who 'want things right' than there are black people. So they should be allowed to discriminate. This is the tyranny of the majority and why we struggle to protect the rights of minorities
Says who? Defend that statement without making another racist comment (and yes, your comment is a racist assumption on your part).
As an example of the guy on the far right of the evolution chart I can look back and see alot of hate.
go reverend go !!!
Obama will be gone in November. Just vote him away.
i believe, with all the lies obama has told from when he was running, that he is not only a moslem but also the anti-christ. in the bible it details him to perfection. yes i voted for him, but i really believe that he's that good of a liar. now i see through him. backing gays/perverts, backing illegals getting free amnesty, obama care, instead of universal health care, and raising all our taxes soaked into an obama care bill. the supreme court had no authority in making obama care legal. every one of these decisions should have been made by the american people period. these are national problems and only the american people have the right to decide. put them all on a ballot and watch them all fail. the federal government is stealing our rights. john george columbus ohio
John, The radio waves are starting to affect you. You had better put your tin foil hat back on.
These people speak out against same sex marriage but can't speak out on the murders Obama commits overseas. What will they say when NDAA is used to imprison American citizens as terrorists? Nothing! But when I call the Jews out for murdering Palestinians I'm sure they will defend God's "chosen people." I'm not sure I approve of gay marriage but I definitely don't approve of these hate filled Christians, Jews and Muslims killing in the name of yahweh or allah. I will let you have your religion and way of life, but once you start a holy war, you must answer to the real God. He is neither in the Torah, Bible, or Qu'ran and he can not be contained in a man made book. I can respect your faith, but can not respect your bigotry you brood of vipers!
The gay lobby has, if nothing else, managed to blur the line between race, gender, and sexual appetite. Perhaps the Church has not been as gullible as they were hoping.
And the churches have managed to blur the lines between preaching God's word and trying to be God.
President Obama is on the right side of history and the advance of justice and equality. Right wing Christians love to beat gays over the head with their Bibles but I've never, never heard of a single one of these so-called Christians adhere to every single proscription in the Bible. They never answer the simple question why being gay is so much worst than eating pork or wearing cotton/poly clothing. What you are left with is simply people using their religion to justify their own intolerance and prejudices.
Of course any argument in this vein is irrelevant. We don't base our laws on any particular religious opinion.
Obama hasn't done a smart thing; he's done the right thing.
It is dismaying to see that bigotry is alive and well among black clergymen. You'd think they would know better.
Obama is the first gay president.
he criticized the president for not denouncing gay marriage,
but praises the president for his extreme abortion position.
Am I really interested in what a bunch of christian haters have to say? They are so puffed up and arrogant that they believe that they know God's mind. Some of them even say that God tells them what's on His mind. Now they're up to their ears in politics, and they need to start paying taxes if they want to insert themselves into the political world. I pray God saves us from Owens and his ilk and all the evangelicals.
SO, all of you black pastors should tell your people to vote for Romney. When he is elected then tell your people to celebrate going backwards to where you all were 50 years ago. There is no way any one can make super religious people happy. Get over yourselves.
Why don't we survey clowns and mimes? I'm sure they would have just as meaningful opinions on this topic. And what of the left-handed dog catchers opposed to the metric system? We've already heard from the schizoid paranoiac religious-delusional racists in these comments. Will the bigots out-vote the decent human beings in November?
Ahh, and I laughed and I laughed. In the middle ages, before Martin Luther protested, gay noblemen were married. The reasoning? Well the Bishop of Rome had been given the Keys, what is unloosed on Earth, is unloosed in Heaven. So much of Christian doctrine, especially Roman Catholic doctrine, rests on this. Yet, gay people today cannot marry. Sigh, I remember being in discourse with someone who is Jewish and they stated, which I understood, that EVERYone got married in antiquity, but, that did not mean it was the once or the only one your loved. The people of Israel repented ,during the time of Kings, and you will not find mosh pits of people stoned for sexual indiscretions. David was not stoned for his adultery and read the passage very carefully about the excuse that Johnathon gave to Saul: I have yet to know another straight man to know about another man's wet dream so ..intimately., In my humble opinion, I don't think anyone is going to heaven, just because they are straight and I don't think everyone is going to hell, just because they are gay. Let people be happy and be stable in a secular society. And, finally, the Black community has been decimated by men on the down low and the horrific toll from not facing up to a ethnic social reality. Oh , and by the way, I hope all of the Black pastors tell this to the Black Gay Chorus directors in person.
This is the bottom line. Compare Hillary to Obama in the first clip. Then tell me if you could imagine Hillary and Bill saying what you see these two say in the second. This not about a party but about what it means to be an American.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1Hai7ZcF6U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJgWMI0hch8&feature=related
Copy this and send it to everyone in your address book. This story has to be told!!
I'm <0%> religious...and a lifelong liberal---but I still said the exact same thing months ago. Although its time has come and I have no moral reservations about "gay rights reforms", Obama's unnecessary embrace of the essentially orphaned lose-lose cause of gay marriage will hurt his election chances.
Having said that, I don't believe he did it as an election calculation. I respect him for that... he did it because he believed it to be the right thing to do.
.
.