Well what do you know, turns out the "elitist" was spot on. With Wall Street in turmoil, some turn to religion By Christine Kearney Mon Sep 22, 2:04 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080922...c&printer=1;_ylt=AmSR..mZxF5FcZUSXYEZmUcXIr0F As financial workers suffer through tumultuous times on Wall Street, some are turning to an old source of solace: religion. Religious leaders said attendance was up at lunchtime meetings in New York's financial district last week, with many more people in business attire than usual. That is hardly surprising, said Reverend Mark Bozzuti-Jones of Trinity Church Wall Street, given that people don't know if their employers will survive from one day to the next. "The economic financial crisis is a reminder that we cannot put our faith in riches, that we cannot put our faith in money," Bozzuti-Jones said in his sermon at lunchtime on Friday, which he devoted to coping with the financial crisis. A handful of men in suits and ties and women in business attire were among dozens of people at the Episcopal church, which was hit by debris from the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. The church, which normally attracts tourists and a few financial workers, experienced an upturn in visitors this week, Bozzuti-Jones said. In the past few days he had requests for help to pay rent from those who had lost their jobs. "People are just sitting there, praying or crying and definitely exhausted. There has definitely been an increase in the number of people who have come in," he said in his office after the service. The church was putting on special workshops and seminars over the next few weeks including "Coping with stress in an uncertain time" and "Navigating career transitions." Just a few blocks away, St. Peter's Church has seen "a slight uptick in attendance among people in suits," said Father Peter Madigan. St. Peter's, a Catholic church, displays a cross found in the rubble of September 11. "In the past couple of days there was high anxiety and trepidation," Madigan said. "The situation we are faced with today by economic standards is very much unknown, uncharted territory and faith helps us deal with those situations." The Wall Street Synagogue is opening its doors nightly starting this week to accommodate Wall Street people. But rather than a rush of people last week, Rabbi Meyer Hager said he has noticed a change in his regular worshippers. "I can see it on the faces of certain people who come here who are regular people -- some work for AIG and other large banking houses -- I can see the expression of strained concern," he said. He noted that the synagogue was founded in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash. A mosque located in the financial district about a mile from Wall Street did not return a call seeking comment. Lou Janicek, who works as a financial adviser on Wall Street, said he had not considered attending a religious service, but said Wall Street would benefit if people applied the same morals they learned in church to the workplace. "What you do at work matters as much as whether you regularly attend church or the synagogue or whatever," said Janicek, who was brought up as a Christian. "If you are an accountant or you find yourself in an unethical situation, you can't just stand by and let it happen -- then you have another Enron. (Reporting by Christine Kearney; Editing by Eddie Evans)
Its one thing to turn to religion in hard times, that's not what Obama said - he said people "cling to guns and religion" It was an elistist comment - no doubt about it. It really was. But ya know what, I don't think it's important anyway.
He absolutely said people cling to guns and religion in hard times. This article totally backs that up. Here's his quote. “Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives,” he said. “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are going to regenerate and they have not. “And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/11/obama-draws-fire-for-comments-on-small-town-america/
“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” That's pretty dumb of him to group guns, religion, and prejudice like that. I'm sure he wishes he could that one back.
Many stereotypes are accurate ... does that mean I should associate watermelon and fried chicken with Obama?
I get your point. To be fair, though, I was referring more to the methodology of "clinging to some unrelated ideology" as a means to cope with dismal prospects. I'd wager there is an arsenal of historical and philosophical precedent maintaining that such an assertion is more than common, it's human nature. Perhaps DD said it better above.
Why would you do that, he is half white, and half black.....are you saying that stereotype is true and accurate? DD
I welcome your representation for Obama....Make sure all of America hears this...If you got guns or religion,...you're stupid!
Don't mess with ROXRAN, not only is he heavily armed, but he knows how to spell "you're" correctly. DD
Most people I know who have been affected by this mess have turned to drinking and drugs rather than religion. Not kidding.
Everyone has their own religion I guess........of course religious types would say that the people you know are being led by Satan. DD
He most certainly does - JB & KG banished him back to hell by playing the greatest song in the world and beating him in a rock off. I saw it on TV last night.
I remember reports after 9/11 that said the same thing. Wine and liquor sales going way up directly afterwards.
maybe rhad is on to something here. African Americans: higher church going rate than white? check greater percentage of gun homicides? check If people like to condemn white church-going Republicans as religious and violent, it would only be fair to apply the same standards to everyone.
