MaxedOutMama
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Bush & Religion
Over at Betsy's Page I found a link to this article. I read Betsy's Page daily - she has a great blog. The only problem with it is that you get jealous of her students. I'll bet she's a great teacher.
The article analyzes Bush's religion and compares it to other presidents, concluding that Bush doesn't seem to be all that different. So why the fears of a theocracy, you ask?
George W. Bush, a man with deep Christian convictions, invariably includes Jews and Muslims when he speaks of religion, and welcomes the "faith of every person." He even goes the extra mile for agnostics and atheists. The day after he claimed a second term, Bush volunteered that people with no faith are just as American as he is.
"No president," Bush declared, "should ever try to impose religion on our society."
and
The historical record shows Bush's language on God and faith is like that of most presidents - and perhaps more temperate.
The article looks at Carter and Clinton, for example, and
An observant Jew, Fleischer counts the day Democrat Al Gore chose running mate Joseph Lieberman as one of the most inspiring he has experienced in politics. Lieberman translated from Hebrew a passage from Chronicles: "He twice praised 'the Good Lord,'" as Fleischer remembers it, "and he said he danced before the Lord and reveled before the Lord."
As I recall, there was quite a bit of favorable if slightly nervous media coverage of Lieberman's faith, but
Bush's detractors "have real political differences with him," says Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. "This just adds to their disagreements - they think that he's not only wrong politically but that he thinks he's right because it fits his religious worldview."
Fleischer says that the critics "believe their policies are so correct that no reasonable person could see things differently - unless people like President Bush are blinded by an extreme faith that prevents them from seeing the facts." To him, this is the same narrow-mindedness that critics claim to find in conservative Christians.
and
He has been at pains since Sept. 11, 2001, to speak up for Muslims and against religious bigotry, stunning some evangelicals and theologians with his assertion last year that "we worship the same God."
Bush, in fact, is as likely to use the word "faith" to articulate his belief in the power of democracy and freedom, a cornerstone of his rhetoric since the terrorist attacks.
It's a very interesting article. Part of the problem, I think, is that Bush can't tell his story without telling about his faith. He seems to have partied and muddled around for quite a while, and then suddenly changed the direction of his life. His explanation for what happened has a lot to do with his faith. I think this alone makes some people nervous.
Also, the last sentence I quoted about "faith" in democracy and freedom also has a pretty strong religious connection to a lot of believers, so I think it might be somewhat misleading to those who read the article without a religious background. The kingdom of God is created by the consensual acts of those guided by faith, so if you limit the freedom of the individual, you prevent that individual acceptance and thereby limit the actions of God in the world. God created us with the ability to deny him precisely so we would have the opportunity to accept him wholly. If you obstruct the chance to deny God, you oppose God's plan.
Islam has a comparable framing of the same issue - the complete and voluntary acceptance of God's will by the individual is what is required, and it's also notable that Mohammed prohibited the compulsion of belief. Of course, a lot of Christians or Muslims don't live up to this principle, but it's there in both religions. Quite apart from desiring a theocracy, a lot of religious people in this country are bent on opposing one. It's hard to even imagine a real prayer that would be acceptable to all the many denominations of Christians in this country, much less all the believers who aren't Christian. The best thing to do is leave all that out of schools and public life.
When Bush uses the word "faith" in freedom, he's probably partly referring to this religious concept. By expanding the freedom of the individual, you expand the possible kingdom of God. By prohibiting the establishment of religion you ensure that the religion of the heart, as opposed to a formal societal religion, will have room to thrive.
The article analyzes Bush's religion and compares it to other presidents, concluding that Bush doesn't seem to be all that different. So why the fears of a theocracy, you ask?
George W. Bush, a man with deep Christian convictions, invariably includes Jews and Muslims when he speaks of religion, and welcomes the "faith of every person." He even goes the extra mile for agnostics and atheists. The day after he claimed a second term, Bush volunteered that people with no faith are just as American as he is.
"No president," Bush declared, "should ever try to impose religion on our society."
and
The historical record shows Bush's language on God and faith is like that of most presidents - and perhaps more temperate.
The article looks at Carter and Clinton, for example, and
An observant Jew, Fleischer counts the day Democrat Al Gore chose running mate Joseph Lieberman as one of the most inspiring he has experienced in politics. Lieberman translated from Hebrew a passage from Chronicles: "He twice praised 'the Good Lord,'" as Fleischer remembers it, "and he said he danced before the Lord and reveled before the Lord."
As I recall, there was quite a bit of favorable if slightly nervous media coverage of Lieberman's faith, but
Bush's detractors "have real political differences with him," says Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. "This just adds to their disagreements - they think that he's not only wrong politically but that he thinks he's right because it fits his religious worldview."
Fleischer says that the critics "believe their policies are so correct that no reasonable person could see things differently - unless people like President Bush are blinded by an extreme faith that prevents them from seeing the facts." To him, this is the same narrow-mindedness that critics claim to find in conservative Christians.
and
He has been at pains since Sept. 11, 2001, to speak up for Muslims and against religious bigotry, stunning some evangelicals and theologians with his assertion last year that "we worship the same God."
Bush, in fact, is as likely to use the word "faith" to articulate his belief in the power of democracy and freedom, a cornerstone of his rhetoric since the terrorist attacks.
It's a very interesting article. Part of the problem, I think, is that Bush can't tell his story without telling about his faith. He seems to have partied and muddled around for quite a while, and then suddenly changed the direction of his life. His explanation for what happened has a lot to do with his faith. I think this alone makes some people nervous.
Also, the last sentence I quoted about "faith" in democracy and freedom also has a pretty strong religious connection to a lot of believers, so I think it might be somewhat misleading to those who read the article without a religious background. The kingdom of God is created by the consensual acts of those guided by faith, so if you limit the freedom of the individual, you prevent that individual acceptance and thereby limit the actions of God in the world. God created us with the ability to deny him precisely so we would have the opportunity to accept him wholly. If you obstruct the chance to deny God, you oppose God's plan.
Islam has a comparable framing of the same issue - the complete and voluntary acceptance of God's will by the individual is what is required, and it's also notable that Mohammed prohibited the compulsion of belief. Of course, a lot of Christians or Muslims don't live up to this principle, but it's there in both religions. Quite apart from desiring a theocracy, a lot of religious people in this country are bent on opposing one. It's hard to even imagine a real prayer that would be acceptable to all the many denominations of Christians in this country, much less all the believers who aren't Christian. The best thing to do is leave all that out of schools and public life.
When Bush uses the word "faith" in freedom, he's probably partly referring to this religious concept. By expanding the freedom of the individual, you expand the possible kingdom of God. By prohibiting the establishment of religion you ensure that the religion of the heart, as opposed to a formal societal religion, will have room to thrive.
Comments:
<< Home
I agree with most of your post. I think that faith, although mostly applied to religion, is not totally. I mean that you can have faith in your fellow man, isn't that in a sense what we do when we vote.
A way to get around the prayer and still bring an element of sprirituality to an event is to have a moment of silence. I feel funny, as I think most Americans do, forcing my beliefs on anyone; but I feel that spirituality is important in building stong social mores and values. Sort of a moral grounding.
Thanks for linking to my site, I appreciate it!
Kev
Post a Comment
A way to get around the prayer and still bring an element of sprirituality to an event is to have a moment of silence. I feel funny, as I think most Americans do, forcing my beliefs on anyone; but I feel that spirituality is important in building stong social mores and values. Sort of a moral grounding.
Thanks for linking to my site, I appreciate it!
Kev
<< Home
