>>>>>>Dream on. He went to the same church every Sunday and never heard what the pastor said. Great memory and attention to details.
>>>>>
>>>>>That's not what he said. He said he sometimes heard things he disagreed with, but that he heard lots more there, too.
>>>>>
>>>>>I don't know about you, but I've disagreed with my rabbi's sermons plenty of times, and wouldn't want his politics to be assumed to be mine. (FWIW, I said the same thing before Obama said something like it in his speech.) A church or synagogue is much more than just the preacher; it's a community that one belongs to for lots of reasons.
>>>>>
>>>>>Tamar
>>>>
>>>>Did he say it before or after? Initial reaction was that he never heard and (a bit after) that he did not pay attention. Now (bigger after) he heard but could not disown.
>>>>Hopefully, your rabbi has milder views. In my books if you hear something that you don't like much (let's put it diplomatically) and stay silent and continue normal discourse, as if nothing happened, with the person then the inaction becomes a complicity.
>>>
>>>I would sure hate to be viewed as complicit in everything my friends say. Tamar is right. We associate with people and organizations for a variety of reasons. We don't necessarily need to cut someone off at the knees just because they say something we disagree with. That's an unreasonably high standard IMO. Self-righteous almost.
>>
>>So you would make friends with open racists? Please, go on the record on this specific issue. There is nothing unreasonable in basic ethical standards. It is not about someone forgetting to say 'hello' or 'excuse me'.
>>Please, note that nobody denies to Mr.Obama or his pastor right to say something, even the most abominable things. It is about other people right to see the words as they pronounced and make own opinion about them.
>
>You may be missing my point. No, I don't go around looking for open racists to befriend. I am talking about people I have known over a period of time. To me the friendship is strong enough to weather differing opinions, even ones I sometimes consider obnoxious. One of my oldest friends pretty much looks down on anyone whose ancestors didn't come from Europe. Is he a racist? Yup. It's probably the product of an upbringing he has not chosen to move beyond. But he has a lot of terrific traits and we have been through a lot together. I'm not going to kick him to the curb. An eyeroll will do. In general we don't go near politics and such because we know each other's views. (For some strange reason he considers me a naive pinko....) Do you and your friends agree on every issue? Do you denounce or abandon them if they say something objectionable?

It depends on the level of disagreement. At certain level, I would have to pull trigger. For example, 'looking down' is not a nice thing, but open denigration is worse.