[Q]Keep God out of White House
Ryan Sabadow
Opinion Editor
October 22, 2003
The most dangerous force our country faces right now doesn't come from the threat of international terrorism. It comes from evangelical Christian fanatics connected to the White House, like Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin.
Last week, NBC ran a story showing Boykin in front of audiences at several evangelical churches across the country. Projected behind him was President George W. Bush. "Why is this man in the White House?" Boykin asked his audiences. "I tell you this morning, he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
This was after the recently appointed deputy undersecretary for intelligence also told the audiences the United States has been battling Satan during our war with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. He also said the reason terrorists have been attacking us is "because we're a Christian nation."
The three-star general in full dress uniform told the cheering crowds that when he was fighting against a Muslim militia leader in Somalia in 1993, he knew the Christian god was on his side. He had nothing to fear from Muslims because their god was an idol.
If images of radical hell-fire-and-brimstone religious fanatics who scream at us in the Free-Speech Area come to mind, you're not far off. The worst part is that this man isn't a sandwich-board-toting crazy. He has actual power, and he is a leading military figure in our ongoing wars against Muslim countries. He's not alone. Bush and his staff of evangelical Christians are slowly forcing their views on the rest of America and the world. America is shifting from democracy to theocracy.
Almost immediately after Sept. 11, President Bush said we were now in a "crusade." Even though he later retracted this remark and has waged a public relations campaign saying he respects Islam, you can't help but feel that Bush thinks he's on a mission from God.
According to Newsweek, prior to deploying troops to Iraq, Bush, the self-proclaimed "Born Again" evangelical Christian, told religious broadcasters "terrorists hate the fact that ... we can worship Almighty God the way we see fit," and that the United States needs to bring God's gift of liberty to "every human being in the world." Sounds like he forgot to say "whether they want it or not."
Bush's use of religion as a justification of policy isn't limited to war. Last week he declared Marriage Protection Week. This anti-homosexual statement coincides with the anniversary of the death of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard's death. You may remember him. He was the student from Laramie, Wyo. who was beaten to death for being gay (See Hallie Gorman's column "Protection hurts gays" in last week's Orion for more information).
This tasteless statement is just one more way Bush places his religious views on others, and it comes only months after a summer of Bush using biblical references to promote heterosexual marriage over homosexuals. Bush isn't just making statements - he also plans on using our tax dollars to fund his religious views.
According to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Bush administration plans on creating a "faith based" initiative that could funnel large sums of public funds to religious social services. Under the initiative, $30.5 million will go to grants given to social and religious groups. And it will give close to $20 billion to religious groups that claim to operate substance and mental health service programs. Religious groups could also compete for $8 billion in housing grants. If this initiative makes it through the legislature, it will be a direct slap in the face of the First Amendment, which says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Since Sept. 11, Bush has been sounding more like a preacher giving a sermon than a president. The reverend C. Welton Gaddy, a Louisiana pastor and executive director of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, told CNN that "This president is using general references ... and vocabulary that come straight out of a very particular religious tradition, which is evangelical Christianity." He went on to say that this doesn't reflect the broad range of religious views this country has.
Gaddy's right. When one religion is forced above others, it turns us away from being a free country. When guys like Bush, Boykin and Attorney General John Ashcroft use religion to determine policy decisions, the constitutional-based wall that has separated church and state since this country's inception starts to crumble. When the dust from that wall clears, we'll no longer be free.[/Q]http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/22/3f95c469462ed
Ryan Sabadow
Opinion Editor
October 22, 2003
The most dangerous force our country faces right now doesn't come from the threat of international terrorism. It comes from evangelical Christian fanatics connected to the White House, like Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin.
Last week, NBC ran a story showing Boykin in front of audiences at several evangelical churches across the country. Projected behind him was President George W. Bush. "Why is this man in the White House?" Boykin asked his audiences. "I tell you this morning, he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
This was after the recently appointed deputy undersecretary for intelligence also told the audiences the United States has been battling Satan during our war with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. He also said the reason terrorists have been attacking us is "because we're a Christian nation."
The three-star general in full dress uniform told the cheering crowds that when he was fighting against a Muslim militia leader in Somalia in 1993, he knew the Christian god was on his side. He had nothing to fear from Muslims because their god was an idol.
If images of radical hell-fire-and-brimstone religious fanatics who scream at us in the Free-Speech Area come to mind, you're not far off. The worst part is that this man isn't a sandwich-board-toting crazy. He has actual power, and he is a leading military figure in our ongoing wars against Muslim countries. He's not alone. Bush and his staff of evangelical Christians are slowly forcing their views on the rest of America and the world. America is shifting from democracy to theocracy.
Almost immediately after Sept. 11, President Bush said we were now in a "crusade." Even though he later retracted this remark and has waged a public relations campaign saying he respects Islam, you can't help but feel that Bush thinks he's on a mission from God.
According to Newsweek, prior to deploying troops to Iraq, Bush, the self-proclaimed "Born Again" evangelical Christian, told religious broadcasters "terrorists hate the fact that ... we can worship Almighty God the way we see fit," and that the United States needs to bring God's gift of liberty to "every human being in the world." Sounds like he forgot to say "whether they want it or not."
Bush's use of religion as a justification of policy isn't limited to war. Last week he declared Marriage Protection Week. This anti-homosexual statement coincides with the anniversary of the death of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard's death. You may remember him. He was the student from Laramie, Wyo. who was beaten to death for being gay (See Hallie Gorman's column "Protection hurts gays" in last week's Orion for more information).
This tasteless statement is just one more way Bush places his religious views on others, and it comes only months after a summer of Bush using biblical references to promote heterosexual marriage over homosexuals. Bush isn't just making statements - he also plans on using our tax dollars to fund his religious views.
According to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Bush administration plans on creating a "faith based" initiative that could funnel large sums of public funds to religious social services. Under the initiative, $30.5 million will go to grants given to social and religious groups. And it will give close to $20 billion to religious groups that claim to operate substance and mental health service programs. Religious groups could also compete for $8 billion in housing grants. If this initiative makes it through the legislature, it will be a direct slap in the face of the First Amendment, which says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Since Sept. 11, Bush has been sounding more like a preacher giving a sermon than a president. The reverend C. Welton Gaddy, a Louisiana pastor and executive director of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, told CNN that "This president is using general references ... and vocabulary that come straight out of a very particular religious tradition, which is evangelical Christianity." He went on to say that this doesn't reflect the broad range of religious views this country has.
Gaddy's right. When one religion is forced above others, it turns us away from being a free country. When guys like Bush, Boykin and Attorney General John Ashcroft use religion to determine policy decisions, the constitutional-based wall that has separated church and state since this country's inception starts to crumble. When the dust from that wall clears, we'll no longer be free.[/Q]http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/22/3f95c469462ed
