Earlier this week a group of African American religious leaders announced that they were going to war against both Barack Obama and the NAACP for their support of same-sex marriage.

Reverend William Owens, President of the Coalition of African American Pastors, said at a press conference launching the attack meant to “save the family,” Owens said that Barack Obama and the Democrat Party can no longer take the African American vote for granted.

The black vote, which was 95% in support of Barack Obama in the 2008 election, is no longer a sure thing, according to Owens, who believes gay marriage is NOT about civil rights and compares Barack Obama to Judas, the disciple who betrayed Christ for money.

“The president is in the White House today because of the Civil Rights movement. I was a leader in that movement and I didn’t march one foot, one yard for a man to marry a man or a woman to marry a woman.” He said in his comments at the launch event. “We’re ashamed.”

Evangelical Christians believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God and take each word literally. Therefore, since the Bible calls homosexuality “an abomination in the eyes of God” homosexual acts and, by default, same-sex marriage cannot be sanctioned. African American Christians are overwhelmingly followers of this simple, “take Him at His word” kind of faith and are conflicted over the President’s stand on the issue.

Since 2008, the enthusiasm for this president seems to be flagging. Not only is the unemployment rate among blacks even higher than the national average and those living in poverty are more likely black than not, but it also eems the deeply held beliefs of the overwhelmingly religious demographic are under attack by the Obama administration and other black leaders who support him.

Pastor Owens has said that homosexual activities are no different than humans having sex with dogs and refuses to confuse that behavior with Civil Rights. While many will find his position repulsive, it is the firmly held belief of many who embrace Christianity and, as a spiritual leader Owens sees it as his duty to dissuade the President from endorsing such deviant behavior.

It remains to be seen whether this issue, which the Democrats promise will be one plank in their party’s platform, will bring members of the LGBT into the Democrat fold in numbers sufficient to replace the votes of African-American evangelicals.