Pastor's piece answers question for rural readers: It was wrong to refuse to vote for Obama on race

Last month, at least three weekly newspapers in west-central Kentucky ran a column by Dr. Jerry Adamson, a Baptist minister, counselor and seminary instructor, asking, “Was it wrong if someone refused to vote for Senator Obama because he was black?”

He answered, “If a person refused to vote for Senator Obama because he was black then I believe they are a racist. Also if somebody voted for Obama because he was black then they are racists as well. Both groups would be guilty of prejudice because they judge a person based upon a factor which has no bearing upon their qualifications for a specific task. To pre-judge a subject before obtaining facts is the mark of prejudice.”

Adamson said in an interview with The Rural Blog that he hadn't heard any overt expressions of racist voting, but felt that it was a factor. "There were a lot of people who were afraid to even mention race," he said, despite the historic significance of the first black president. "It was the day after the election and I needed to write a column." He said he voted for John McCain.

Adamson said he has received no reaction from his column, which ran in The Record of Leitchfield, the Breckinridge County Herald-News and the Butler County Banner. To read it, click here.