Bella's Blog

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Sunday his religious dedication was not to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his former pastor's views, but to his church.

The Democratic presidential hopeful said on NBC's "Meet the Press" he joined Wright's church based on his personal beliefs and not those of the outspoken minister.

"But, you know, I think that the American people understand that when I joined Trinity United Church of Christ, I was committing not to Pastor Wright, I was committing to a church and I was committing to Christ," Obama said.

Obama said he initially delayed denouncing some of Wright's comments due to loyalty.

"As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me," Obama said.

However, Obama was critical of Wright's most recent public comments about race, which prompted him to limit his affiliation with the religious leader.

"What he said did not bring the country together; it divided the country," he said. "It fed into all of the racial antagonisms and divisions that have haunted this country for so long, and, you know, I did not want to give a platform for that."


Copyright 2008 by United Press International