Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening' (WaPo)

[kpete]

Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening'

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 13, 2006; A05

President Bush said yesterday that he senses a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation's struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as "a confrontation between good and evil."

Bush told a group of conservative journalists that he notices more open expressions of faith among people he meets during his travels, and he suggested that might signal a broader revival similar to other religious movements in history. Bush noted that some of Abraham Lincoln's strongest supporters were religious people "who saw life in terms of good and evil" and who believed that slavery was evil. Many of his own supporters, he said, see the current conflict in similar terms.

"A lot of people in America see this as a confrontation between good and evil, including me," Bush said during a 1 1/2 -hour Oval Office conversation on cultural changes and a battle with terrorists that he sees lasting decades. "There was a stark change between the culture of the '50s and the '60s -- boom -- and I think there's change happening here," he added. "It seems to me that there's a Third Awakening."

The First Great Awakening refers to a wave of Christian fervor in the American colonies from about 1730 to 1760, while the Second Great Awakening is generally believed to have occurred from 1800 to 1830.

more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594_pf.html

[whistle]

1. The BushCo crusade, wow this guy is totally wacko!

[Dhalgren]

2. What a repulsive, scary, dangerous moron. Is there no way to

remove this imbecile from office? He is an out and out lunatic and getting worse by the day...

[terrya]

3. Oh, Christ...he compared himself to Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln must be furiously spinning in his tomb in Springfield right now.

From what *I*'ve read about Lincoln and the Civil War, I sure as hell don't think Lincoln thought in terms of good vs evil as fuckstick would like to believe.

Pure horseshit from the Preacher-in-Chief.

[Generic Other]

4. Third awakening? 3rd Reich is more like it

Or how about 2nd American Revolution? Or 2nd Civil War?

[lonestarnot]

6. 3rd Reich is my choice for bushitler.

[iconoclastic cat]

5. And guess who he considers evil. Hint: You.

[VaYallaDawg]

7. OMG. This is really, really getting scary!

[XemaSab]

8. Remember kids, he's a Methodist!

:eyes:

[Marr]

9. Well, of course he sees "more expressions of faith" among the

people HE meets. He's the darling of the American Taliban. They're the backbone of his remaining support, and GW Bush only meets supporters. They're also largely rooting for the apocalypse, so winning their devotion is a pretty dubious achievement.

[RufusEarl]

10. Ditto!!!

[Skidmore]

11. Anyone read this book?

I'm curious as to what this guy sees as the "future of egalitarianism."

[Roland99]

12. 3rd time's a charm? Maybe this time the Rapture will take these assholes!

[neebob]

13. What #2 said!

Oh my god. Just when you think he can't get any worse, that he couldn't possibly be more arrogant and embarrassing, he pretends to prophesy.

[kittykitty]

14. These 'Awakenings' seem to last 30 years (too long) n/t

[terryg11]

15. its talk like this...

that makes me think he's getting ready to run for a third term

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Less science! More Puritan Garb!

Woo-hoo!

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. This from a phony POS who was "born again" to get the southern

fundy vote in his run up to Texas Gov! :puke: This POS is as phony as a three dollar bill! I really really really hate him and even more than my hate for him, is my hate for the fake christians who believe his bushit!

[johnaries]

18. Hey, Chimpy! "Go to Hell" isn't an expression of faith! nt

[susanna]

19. Third Awakening?

That sounds like some sort of fundie invention. Anyone up on the meaning of that phrase? Or did he just pull it out of his...ear?

Never mind: I read the rest of the original post. Gad. So two other awakenings have happened...before I was born so I missed the headline. Sorry on that. ;-)

[Leopolds Ghost]

22. It's a historical phrase (as noted in the OP) used by historians.

Many, perhaps most historians credit American religious revivals for much of the history of evolution of American democracy. The first Great Awakening was undertaken by sects which were repressed, hence they strongly supported separation of church and state and helped destroy the Puritan chokehold in New England.

The second Great Awakening was the birth of charismatic preachers in the south and midwest. They were more conservative moralistic types but they helped foster abolitionism (and ultimately, Prohibition). So they had some historical ties to the Republican party because back then, the racist preachers were Democrats, the Republicans were corrupt DLC types who nominally supported civil rights. The "radical Republicans" were mostly devout products of the Second Great Awakening who strongly supported civil rights. Many of them traveled south to teach black students the "virtues of a northeastern protestant education" after the civil war.

The Third Great Awakening could be considered to have happened in the 1960s, so Bush is entirely incorrect in his counting and numbers (as usual).

[peacemon]

20. Oh yeah, does this mean we can start burning witches again???

[sandnsea]

21. I was hoping we were through that

We've supposedly been doing the awakening thing since the 70's or so, I was king of hoping it had hit the fever pitch and we were coming down the other side. If we're in the beginning of it - oh lord shoot me now.

[Leopolds Ghost]

23. Bush said it himself: the Third Great Awakening happened in the 60's.

Like the first two, it involved both liberals (hippies, radicals, and religious peace activists) and conservatives (anti-evolutionists, people who thought communism would hasten the destruction of the world.) Like the first two, it was motivated by premonitions of vast social change leading many people to predict the end of the world (or at least the end of the world as we know it.) The situation can be clearly seen in attitudes toward religion before and after the 1960s.

George clearly knows just enough of his history to be dangerous. He needs to bone up on his American history a bit more.

[zestfolly]

24. Bush's favorite political philosopher, Jesus Christ (2001 Debate)

[paparush]

25. Hey Bush** - The RAPTURE is NOT an exit strategy...

I swear to the goddess that Bush, Ratzinger, and Ahmadinejad are seriously working to make Armageddon happen.


These people are I N S A N E!!!

[zestfolly]

26. R-O-F-L