Posted by
Ed Lilly on Sunday, June 01, 2008 8:50:56 AM
The big news from last night appears to be Sen. Obama's decision to leave his radical Chicago church. Moreover, the news reports indicate that both Sen. Obama and his wife are leaving the controversial church.
I have been unable to find the answer online, but I am mildly curious whether Sen. Obama or his wife joined their church first. I thought I had read something a while back that indicated Mrs. Obama was either the first of the couple to join the church, or it could have been that she was the prime reason they stayed in that particular church.
My interest in this question was prompted by several comments I have seen on the web about how Sen. Obama's willingness to cast aside anyone who creates problems for his political ambition, as now shown by his defenestration of his entire church congregation, may cause those close to Sen. Obama to become a bit nervous at wondering when their time will come to be sacrificed for his career.
Which made me think of Mrs. Obama, and how I really do not want a replay of the Clinton years with questions of what the "real" nature of the President and First Lady's marriage happens to be.
How could the church resignation bring up such a thought? Well, as I queried at the outset, I was wondering if Sen. Obama or his wife joined the church first. If Mrs. Obama became a member of the church before her husband, or if she was the primary reason the family stayed in that church, then it raises the possibility that Sen. Obama's political necessity of resigning from the church could create a division in his marriage. By forcing his wife to leave her chosen church, he may have partially dealt with one problem, yet created another in the form of speculation about whether Mrs. Obama will leave over church/religious and other disagreements. After 8 years of hearing about how the Clintons had a "sham" marriage that was really just a business arrangement, I have no real desire for a replay with the Obamas, with Mrs. Obama in the role of the wronged spouse, forced to leave the church she loved, who simply has to take whatever grief her more powerful husband gives her so that she can maintain her proximity to power.
I hope that all this speculation is needless. But if anyone has a clue on the answer to which of the Obamas joined their church first, I'd love to check out the citation.