"God in the Whitehouse"

Emma

This is an interesting article from Information Clearinghouse.

http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/22/3f95c469462ed

Badger

Frightening as Hell...And this crackpot has weapons of mass destruction at his disposal...and he seems ready to use them for his Jihad.

Gopher

The ideas of Christianity and its God are imbued in American culture. (See our money, hear the pledge of allegiance, watch a prayer service prior to a session of Congress.)

However the idea of FREEDOM is what our country was founded on. When one particular ideology is the majority, it seems that the majority rules. So all (whether they hold to the Christian faith or not) must regularly be subjected to hearing about the Christian God and how he blesses America and how our country was founded on ideals unique to this one God.

That is imposing one view on all. "Majority rules" may work fine for elections, but it doesn't mean that America must become some kind of theocracy.

It goes without saying that America is becoming more and more multi-cultural everyday. People should be free to believe or NOT believe as they wish, without having to hear that this country is basically run by a God they don't know about or don't believe in.

Keep faith a personal thing. Let it guide your decisions if you wish. But don't make belief in a certain tenet necessary for good citizenship.

Double Edge

Talk about "Mucho ado about nothing"..... First of all, this is an opinion piece from a college newspaper...so, while everyone is entitled to their own opinion (except, of course, the military general he writes about) I've read it with a grain of salt, considering his life experience probably totals 22 years.

Since when can't a person exercise their first amendement right of freedom of speech at a personal gathering of like minds (his church). Now, if this general was speaking in front of his troops, flaunting his rank, that would be another argument, which I would totally be against.

but it doesn't mean that America must become some kind of theocracy.

Weak... we're further from that then we've ever been in our history.

People should be free to believe or NOT believe as they wish

so believe or not .... nobody's putting a gun to their head or stopping anyone

But don't make belief in a certain tenet necessary for good citizenship.

Since when has that been the case? I just voted here in California, and not once was I asked if I was a religious person.

Gopher

This piece was not just about the comments of a military general. It's about how religion is being advocated from the very top levels of this nation's leadership.

Here are the relevant quotes from this "college newspaper opinion piece".

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.

So we're in a crusade? Like the middle age crusades to wipe out Islam and restore Christianity to its proper place? Gee Mr. President, I didn't think that was part of your constitutional duty.

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."

So that's ALL that terrorists hate? They don't hate America's Middle-east policies, America's wealthy and comparatively liberal lifestyle? And liberty is "God's gift"? I thought it was earned on the battlefields. Saying God had something to do with it again is injecting religious thought where none need be injected.

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.

If this is true, then this topic isn't "much ado about nothing"... Channelling social services through religions may mean that people still get the services, but in a religious setting that may or may not be one where they feel comfortable. Why is this shift to "religious-based" social services needed?

But don't make belief in a certain tenet necessary for good citizenship.

Since when has that been the case? I just voted here in California, and not once was I asked if I was a religious person.

Glad that worked that way for you. If you were Arab-American, many people (whether everyday people or those in positions of authority) might view you as suspicious because you might share the views of the radical Islamic people. This is not mere speculation, but has been documented on TV news shows. People have been arrested or discriminated against because they "look" like they're from the Middle East. I'd say this has been the case since, oh, about 9/11/2001.

Stacy Smith

No matter what he does. No matter what he doesn't do. No matter if he agrees with you on something. You people will find fault. A group of good dubs all

Gopher

And the ability to criticize our leaders is part of what is GREAT about living in a free country.

It has nothing to do with DUB-ness.

There's a variety of opinions on this board, liberal, moderate and conservative. I don't see any groupthink mentality here, Stacy.

I know you're conservative, and I respect you for taking a firm stand for what you believe in. Just because you take a firm stand doesn't mean I'll ever compare you to the DUBS, however.

Elsewhere

Don't worry... this nut job will be out of office by November next year... and the US will have learned its lesson about electing nut job religious fanatics.

Once he is gone, the more secular forces will return to power and the theocratic forces will have lost a lot of credibility. George Bush was the evangelical Christian?s ?hail marry? play? and they fumbled.

Aztec

Stacy, forming a complete sentence would go a long way toward giving your statement credibility. Comparing everyone who disagrees with you to dubs is not very Christian of you...LOL!

Bush is a Christian fundamentalist and has surrounded himself with the same. I don't trust him at all. However, I don't trust most politicians. I especially don't trust them when they try to mix their religious beliefs with their secular duties.

~Aztec

freedom96

I really see no problem with Bush being religious.

There are some who bash him for this, but how many would rather he worshipped the devil? How many would be complaining then?

The fact is the vast majority in the United States DO believe in God, and have no problem with our President believing as well.

"God in the Whitehouse"

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