Wednesday, 03.26.08
Hillary's Minister Problem
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Since Hillary Clinton has launched a frontal attack on her opponent's church and pastor, it's worth noting that she has some odd religious ties of her own. When I was profiling her two years ago, I learned about her involvement with a secretive Christian organization called The Fellowship that has operated in the Washington shadows since the 1930s. I found the story of Clinton and The Fellowship so bizarre that I made it the lede to my piece. In light of recent events, it's worth revisiting.
If you've never heard of The Fellowship (also known as The Family), it will sound like some shadowy organization in a John Grisham novel. (Indeed, as a Google search will demonstrate, critics consider it a cult.) The group was formed in the 1930s to minister to political and business leaders throughout the world, modeling itself as a kind of Christian Trilateral Commission. Several members of Congress are affiliated with the group, mostly Republicans, but some Democrats, too. To the extent The Fellowship is known beyond its members it is probably for founding the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
Like Jeremiah Wright's Trinity Baptist Church, The Fellowship is run by its own mysterious and controversial figure, Douglas Coe, although temperamentally Coe is Wright's opposite. He eschews the spotlight and has never made a controversial public utterance that I'm aware of -- mainly because he rarely speaks publicly at all. (You won't find him on YouTube.) But like Wright, Coe has ministered to a Democratic frontrunner. He personally leads a private Senate prayer group that Clinton has been a part of.
In my piece, I chose to focus on the Senate prayer group, but others have written extensively about the strangeness and secrecy of The Fellowship. As this Los Angeles Times story and this exquisitely reported Harper's piece make clear, there is something deeply strange about the group. They certainly do not like press coverage, so in that regard Clinton's attraction might make sense. Reporters hoping to look into the group might want to think again. A few years ago, The Fellowship’s archives, which are held at Wheaton College, the evangelical school in Illinos, were reclassified as “restricted” and placed under lock and key.
Hidden under a bushelIn Mother Jones, Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet write a much-cited report on Clinton's long and intimate waltz with the secretive Fellowship and its prayer groups. |
Cell blockBarbara Ehrenreich says that Hillary's ties to cultish Fellowship cells render her "a lot more vulnerable than Obama." |
Embedded with "the Family"Jeff Sharlet went undercover to live in a Fellowship group house. "You guys," he was told, "are here to learn how to rule the world." |
A faith not insidiousLinda Feldman offers a tempered portrait of Hillary Clinton's faith, arguing that attending prayer groups was an essential source of support and friendship for Clinton in super-partisan Washington. |
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I fail to see what this has to do with Obama's very intimate relationship with Wright. Brownback, of course, is a creationist who still believes the world is flat, but this prayer meeting hardly makes them close friends. It's doubtful that Clinton has ever been "inspired" by him. Interesting article, but there is no comparison with Obama and Wright.
It is the opinion of many of those I have spoken (and written) to that this is very much like, but not the same, as the Obama-Wright dust up.
While Obama has been under fire for his 20 year relationship with a Church and pastor that are not to the tastes of all Americans, Clinton has been in a 30 year relationship with a "purposely low-profile" religious group whose members think, believe, that christianity should be the official theology of the USA and all decisions sought to be made with pleasing christ in mind.
I'm not one to put much credence into the reality of the NWO and its reported shadow government, but this issue, and it IS an issue, might be very important to the continued illusion of freedom to all Americans.
I disagree with Lesley about bringing "it" up.
"It" should be brought up.
"It" should be brought up at all MSM outlets.
"It" is not a matter of religious freedom.
"It" is a matter of civil re-direction.
"It" should be discussed to death because if it is not, it might be the death of freedom we won't be discussing next.
Rev. Wright is being treated just the same way Martin Luther King Jr. was treated, until people decided to listen to the full context of his sermons.
"The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom, and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism. "
MLK, Jr.
Does Sean Hannity think this statement by MLK, Jr. is unpatriotic?
Finally someone other than The Nation is discussing this! What Obama did--denounce his ministers words while not throwing him under the bus--was a Christian way of approaching this matter. It proves his ability to see things from different angles instead of subjecting himself to the group think that plagues this country. Unfortunately it will never be enough in some people's eyes mostly because they suffer from historical amnesia and fit nicely into the overly sensitive American crowd that becomes offended if someone renounces the country. Yet, the reality is: America often does not live up to the rhetoric it puts forth. This is true domestically and it is certainly true with regards to its foreign policy.
Joshua, you did not mention the fact that this group is incredibly conservative (the Nation indicated even "fascist-leaning") and believes that Jesus' mercy is solely reserved for societies elite.
Here's the link:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/ehrenreich
They call these Family-elitist organizations throughout the world "cells." Plain and simple, they are CREEPY and it definitely calls into question just what exactly Senator Clinton believes. That said, it is not surprising that her drive for power is so unrelenting. She probably thinks that Jesus wants her to become powerful like Bush did.
Power reserved for the elite? That sounds surprisingly Republican. But I guess it's not a shocker. Hillary is pro-corporation, pro-war, pro-sabre rattling with Iran, pro-mandating insurance to make insurance companies richer neocon in democrats clothing. She is a Republican (and probably even freakier than John McCain).
Also according to The Nation:
"The Family's most visible activity is its blandly innocuous National Prayer Breakfast, held every February in Washington. But almost all its real work goes on behind the scenes--knitting together international networks of right-wing leaders, most of them ostensibly Christian. In the 1940s, The Family reached out to former and not-so-former Nazis, and its fascination with that exemplary leader, Adolf Hitler, has continued, along with ties to a whole bestiary of murderous thugs."
Check out the link, I think everyone here will be freaked out by it a bit.
Hi Josh - Click below for audio of some controversial Coe statements >
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=showmesg&forum=385&topicid=110237&mesg_id=110237
here's some conspiracy theory for you: i remember seeing an interview on cnn in 2005 with a spokeswoman for the family, the strange thing to me is that she looked exactly like hillary clinton except her hair was dark and cut differently, maybe i was seeing double?
Also, it is well known that frequent visitors to Hillary at the WH were Jean Huston and Barbara Marx Hubbard...both active in New Age metaphysical work..
This isn't about comparing Wright to anybody else, it's about understanding where each presidential candidate stands. What do they believe? Thanks to the Wright blow-up and Obama's subsequent speech, I think I understand where he's coming from. I'd like to know the same about Clinton and McCain.
Yawn.
What a blatant attempt to create sensationalism where there is no story. But, hey, it will get you on the talking head circuit to bash HIllary, if that's the goal.
Faith without works is dead; but one thing on which I think we may all agree, Hillary Clinton has been working overtime: http://theseedsof9-11.com
It is fair to bring to light the relation of Hillary to her cult - er, I mean church.
Hillary Clinton is practically saying Barack Obama should leave Trinity UCC, when Reverend Jeremiah Wright is now the retired Jeremiah Wright.
The standard she has set is that her church is superior to his. Her minister is better than his. Her church is more morally righteous than his.
We now see, Hillary Rodham Clinton belongs to a CULT. A very bizarre CULT.
Perhaps her church hypnotized her into thinking there were snipers in Bosnia.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pbz_FnsRM9M
I know a lot of people have that cowardly association phobia.
Too late. Deal.
The entire Republican party is tied up with the Rev. Moon cult.
Most Republican candidates will not offend the creationists in their ranks.
Hillary belongs to a prayer group with almost entirely extreme right-wing members who support authoritarian political leaders.
Obama belongs to a fiery progressive church.
I'll be happy when we can get back to political arguments that don't involve religious arguments.
Frankly, I fail to see why Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright is causing so much uproar. I am equally surprised at the press for not encouraging different dialogue on this issue. As a leader, it is admirable that Obama is able to listen to different views even when he does not agree with them (as in the alleged statements by the Rev). If it is true that those "sound bites" were quotes rather that the Rev's own words, then the media has become a sideshow. Too often, critics have been quick to condemn, rush to judgement and develop hate. I've seen so much hate during this presidential primary that is absolutely shocking! How can one understand and hope to change the views of others if they do not take the time out to listen? A great leader listens to ALL his/her constituents! Did the press and others stop for a moment and consider the possibility that those views that we all find so unsettling may have fueled his desire to bring about change in the way we see each other, the nation and the world at large? That's one of the reasons he's running for the oval office? They try to spin everything so why dont they spin on that...
Frankly, I fail to see why Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright is causing so much uproar. I am equally surprised at the press for not encouraging different dialogue on this issue. As a leader, it is admirable that Obama is able to listen to different views even when he does not agree with them (as in the alleged statements by the Rev). If it is true that those "sound bites" were quotes rather that the Rev's own words, then the media has become a sideshow. Too often, critics have been quick to condemn, rush to judgement and develop hate. I've seen so much hate during this presidential primary that is absolutely shocking! How can one understand and hope to change the views of others if they do not take the time out to listen? A great leader listens to ALL his/her constituents! Did the press and others stop for a moment and consider the possibility that those views that we all find so unsettling may have fueled his desire to bring about change in the way we see each other, the nation and make a run for the oval office? They try to spin everything so why dont they spin on that...
Hector -
I could not have said it better!! Your comments are very insightful.
Josh -- thanks for your kind words about the Harper's piece. I'd be thrilled if you might mention that I've a book coming out that grew out of that piece, "THE FAMILY," from HarperCollins in May, based on tens of thousands of documents from the Wheaton archive, including some very disturbing ones I obtained pre-restriction.
Jeff Sharlet, how nice to see your post here. I just read your piece from 03 last night for the first time. Looking forward to your book launch..understatement..
Maybe there's more to this than meets the eye (I'll admit I haven't read the Harper's article--on the other hand if the above piece doesn't get at the cruz of the issue, why publish it?) but this is so totally a non-story as to be laughable. I don't support Hillary nor am I member of (nor familiar with) "The Fellowship", but it seems to me that as a non-political organization it's secrecy is it's own business. It seems that the tables have turned--we once identified paranoid consipiracy theorists with the far right. Is the left leaning press now taking on that role?
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright is a former pastor in the United Church of Christ; a mainline, protestant, predomninantly white denomination. At least get the facts correct
From this piece, it seems that the author has very little to say about this group, other than vague allusions to "strangeness" and "secrecy". It's obvious the author is trying to paint The Fellowship in some sinister light, but where's the beef? This Douglas Coe certainly doesn't come close to being in the same league as a racist, anti-Semetic, anti-American demagogue like Reverend Wright.
Gee, does anyone care that John McCain and Barack Obama also went to those "prayer group" meetings? Why single out Hillary Clinton?
I read a little of the comments from Jeff Sharlet that wrote a book. He went undercover and told about their private preaching gospel of Biblical Capitalism,Military Might and American Empire. You can find information. Google "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet. Don't know if they still have the group at White House so can't say who went.Would be nice if we know for sure if John McCain or Barack Obama did go to prayer service. This is how gossip can destroy a person. To get any answers best to ask Senator Clinton.That is the only way to clear this up. Of course no one will question Senator Clinton or start rumors the way she did against Barack Obama.
You know what I would really like to know? Who is George Bush's Pastor and what does he/she have to say about one of his members leading a nation to a war based on lies and falsehoods? What was their opinion regarding Abu Gharib? Did he give his/her blessings to the president in his "crusade" where we continue to loose our boys and girls? And why after such an experience would Americans obsess with pastors near any president?
I only demand my President to only have the constitution as the sacred creed. They can worship in any way or form they may deem fit, but please keep those Pastors far from the executive doors.
Since the corporate media has launched a full frontal attack on Obama and Rev. Wright, I suppose it's only fair that both Clinton and McCain's pastors are fair game. Since we've fallen down that slippery slope, we will now have to examine every presidential candidate's pastor, psychologist, university professors, who knows where it will end.
But to say that Hillary Clinton has launched a full frontal attack on Obama for his Rev. Wright affiliation, is ludicrous.
Are you so determined to make Obama the nominee that you can't tell the difference between Fox News and the Clintons?
That's either a case of journalistic sloth or you are so caught up in the Obama-mania that you've lost all journalistic objectivity and credibility.
I read your Harper's piece when it came out and found it very interesting. However, I think it is a bad idea to bring this up. No doubt the Obama campaign will be accused of peddling this and thus his claim to be different, and to unite people will be called into question. Please consider the damage you will do to him.
Posted by Lesley | March 26, 2008 1:11 PM