Our "Christian" President

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pax

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I was reading through the thread about possible restrictions on U.S. aid to Africa for the AIDS crisis, and once again something began to bother me that has been eating at me for a while. George W. Bush and his colleagues are fond of reminding all of us that the United States is a "Christian nation" (this of course is not true, despite the fact that Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S., but never mind). However, very little that this administration has done seems to be consistent with the core of Jesus's teachings: to love our neighbors, to lift up the downtrodden, to be humble, etc. etc.

I'm sure all of you can come up with concrete examples in both directions, so tell me: is this really a "Christian" administration, or can I add "religious hypocrite" on to my list of unfavorable epithets for good ol' Dubya?
 
I don?t thin it is fair to call him a religious hypocrite.
People who approve of his policies will be offended.

It is probably not fair to judge other people behavior in regards to religion.

All that said, I think all of his religious phasing is very troubling.

We have had many presidents with devout religious beliefs, incorporating it into speeches and policy has never been so promenade.

Using religion for politics cheapens it.
 
I guess you could take the 7 Deadly Sins and apply them all to Bushie (aside from Glutony).

There's the whole thing about how he ordered the eventual deathes of hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians in Afganistan by way of our so-called elite military forces. (Cough)...That's right in line with Jesus's teachings.

I don't think Bush is a religious man. I think HE thinks it, and nevertheless, he probably doesn't even THINK about it. He's been so detached from "real life" for his entire life that he doesn't understand the true nature of his lifestyle.

That being said, I think Bush is an ill-informed liar. Ignorance is bliss, but it doesn't exclude him from being a liar. A man of his stature and relevance, for lack of a better word, shouldn't be in the position of President.

Now, let's go do the Blitzkreg Bop......Hey, Ho.....Let's go
 
I consider hima mockery of all I belive in along with most of the relgious right. I especially love how they pontifcate about morality from their mansions while homelessness and poverty run amok in the States and Canada, let alone th rest of the world. They seem to have forgotten where the majority of Jesus teaching lay. They also seem to forget that Christianity and the me first approach of Capitalism are mutually exclusive. Heck if saw the early Church they would have condemned the lot as Communists. Jimmy Carter was probably the most Christian president the US has had in living memory, thoug he was low key about his faith his action have spoken volumes.
 
I think he is the quintessential "born again" stereotype. He's more about style than substance. "Feel good" religion at its height, but, when it comes down to it, he won't act it.

FYI, Jimmy Carter in 1999 condemned the Southern Baptist Convention, and I think officially left the Southern Baptist religion, because he called it too fundamentalist.

Melon
 
It's great that we have so many people here on earth who can judge who/what is or isn't "Christian." I guess that makes God's caseload a lot lighter when people pass through the legendary pearly gates.

~U2Alabama
 
U2Bama said:
It's great that we have so many people here on earth who can judge who/what is or isn't "Christian." I guess that makes God's caseload a lot lighter when people pass through the legendary pearly gates.

~U2Alabama

:up:
 
U2Bama said:
It's great that we have so many people here on earth who can judge who/what is or isn't "Christian." I guess that makes God's caseload a lot lighter when people pass through the legendary pearly gates.

Considering all the hate slung at gay Christians, let's just say that I have a hard time feeling guilty for casting the second stone.

Melon
 
Actually, Melon, I noticed that you (for one) didn't judge President Bush's Christian faith; you only stereotyped him for the "type" of Christian he seems to be.

Just be careful not to throw stones in a glass house.

~U2Alabama
 
I think my original post was a little too angry, so let me clarify. I'm not trying to question Bush's personal religious beliefs; I still think, in fact, that he's a good person. What *I* have a problem with are his repeated invocations of God/Christianity to lend support to his causes or ideas when significant numbers (in some cases, I would venture to say, a majority) of Christians do not agree with what he is pulling for. I don't consider the pursuit of war and the neglect of the disadvantaged in our society to be Christian ideals, but hey, I'm willing to concede that there are different strokes for different Christian folks.

Bottom line: in my opinion, invocations of religion/faith/God ought to be done by ministers and other such persons--not our President. At least not when he is speaking *as the President*, rather than as George W. Bush.

I didn't mean to accuse Bush of being a lousy Christian. Maybe I should have titled the thread Our "Christian" Administration.
 
Hey,. I posted that article in the other religion thread.....LOL
 
I just wanted to point out, to our esteemed moderator....

PAX

That there is an excellent thread here at FYM called "Prophesies/Evil Doers/Religions influence on GW BUSH"

Here is a link:

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72709

Now I am not pointing fingers, but, what happened to the info on the main page of FYM in which a certain moderator told people to make sure they were scanning the pages and not duplicating threads? Hmmmmmm......

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Ok... I'm halfway past the article...

As somewhat of a believer myself, I have much more respect for Bush as a Christian...

but Bush as the President is, well, :slant:
 
The problem with many Christians of Bush's type is that they can be too sectarian with the word "Christian". They think if you're not a fundamentalist (Protestant), and you don't have values A, B, and C, theirs, then you are not a Christian and thus are in cahoots with the Devil or some such nonsense. This offends me because I'm a Catholic of generally liberal leanings. I particularly don't agree with them on wars. I don't agree with them on a whole slew of issues. I have some different values from theirs. They have too much of an "us vs. them" attitude. I'm not saying all conservative Christians are like this. I know some who are not. But I don't like it when they are too sectarian. These people tend to have tons of fear and insecurity in them.
 
When i think about christianity i think about how Jesus opened our eyes to his interpetation of the Old testament.
Because of that i am really surprised about his political decisions and i wonder how he can do this as a christian.

For me a christian should try to become as "christ like as possible" - but I can't and i won't jugde anyone - it's not my job to do so.

Klaus
 
Dreadsox said:
I just wanted to point out, to our esteemed moderator....

PAX

That there is an excellent thread here at FYM called "Prophesies/Evil Doers/Religions influence on GW BUSH"

Here is a link:

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72709

Now I am not pointing fingers, but, what happened to the info on the main page of FYM in which a certain moderator told people to make sure they were scanning the pages and not duplicating threads? Hmmmmmm......

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Well, what do you expect from a dirty socialist. ;)

Interestingly enough, I have no idea where that thread went. One of my partners in crime must have decided it was no longer necessary... :shrug:
 
theSoulfulMofo said:
Ok... I'm halfway past the article...

As somewhat of a believer myself, I have much more respect for Bush as a Christian...

but Bush as the President is, well, :slant:

can Christians be presidents? they have to answer to the Senate, the Congress, be honest when addressing the media, appoint good judges to the Supreme court...and go to Church on Sundays! It has got to be a rough road to keep on the straight and narrow, not even taking into account interns who have evil intentions...possibly Bush's record as a Christian is better than as a leader in war-time?:huh:
 
Very interesting discussion. What is a Christian? Most simply one who has put their faith in Christ alone for salvation.

I prefer a president who lives by faith, instead of one who treats worship as another photo op. IMO, the last president who lived by faith was Carter.
 
Well, I for one having done a bit of reading on this topic fully believe that the President is a man of faith. My concerns lie more with the political influences his Christianity has on him. I know we cannot expect our politicians to completely separate themselves from their beliefs. However, it seems to me, that this President does not make an effort to separate himself from his beliefs. This can be good, and it can be bad. I think, counting the AIDS issue, we can see that the good part of his faith is that he honestly wants to do something about AIDS. The bad part is that the money is not going to be distributed by organizations that are set up there now that do not have a religious agenda. I am saying this based on a sentence that I have read and based on reading the Republican platform, and I realize this could change.

This said, NB mentions President Carter and I agree he is probably the President that comes to my mind when I think of a President who lives by faith.
 
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