Something that is relatively new, thanks to the internet, is the ability of citizens to find answers for themselves using a variety of sources.
A small minority of under-informed people will draw conclusions about Barack Obama based on a 10 second video of his minister Jeremiah Wright. Some of these same people will extend these conclusions to include his minister, his church and the people who attend that church.
It's inevitable that some members of that small under-informed minority will be part of a media conglomerate that specializes in promoting political opinions and agendas under the guise of news journalism, and using the surreal slogan "fair and balanced" - for the consumption of other under-informed people. It's easier that way, not so much thinking if everything is good/bad us vs. them, liberal/conservative or whatever label you can think of. We can belong to some group that's better than another - not just be part of the messy imperfect human race.
Thankfully we have a free and open media in our country and as citizens have access to many sources of information.
In this video Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman the Conference Minister of the Illinois Conference of the UCC talks about why she attends services at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ -
The PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly blog has a variety of thoughtful articles from professors and theologians giving their points of view on Barack Obama's March 18th - "A More Perfect Union" speech.
