Read the story about * religious inspiration and DU the poll....

[whistle]

Here is a story about George W Bush's inspiration to run for president....


...<snip>

An Evolving Faith
Does the president believe he has a divine mandate?

By Deborah Caldwell


In the spring of 1999, as George W. Bush was about to announce his run for President, he agreed to be interviewed about his religious faith--grudgingly. "I want people to judge me on my deeds, not how I try to define myself as a religious person of words."

It's hard to believe that's the same George W. Bush. Since taking office -- and especially in the last couple weeks -- Bush's personal faith has turned highly public, arguably more so than any modern President. What's important is not that Bush is talking about God more, but that he's talking about him differently. We are witnessing a shift in Bush's theology--from talking mostly about a Wesleyan theology of "personal transformation" to describing a Calvinist "divine plan" laid out by a sovereign God for the country and himself. This shift has the potential to affect Bush's approach to terrorism, Iraq and his presidency.

<snip>
A month after the World Trade Center attack, World Magazine, a conservative Christian publication, quoted Tim Goeglein, deputy director of White House public liaison, saying, "I think President Bush is God's man at this hour, and I say this with a great sense of humility." Time magazine reported that "Privately, Bush even talked of being chosen by the grace of God to lead at that moment." The net effect is a theology that seems to imply that God is intervening in events, is on America's side, and has chosen Bush to be in the White House at this critical moment.

"All sorts of warning signals ought to go off when a sense of personal chosenness and calling gets translated into a sense of calling and mission for a nation," says Robin Lovin, a United Methodist ethicist and professor of religion and political thought at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Lovin says what the President seems to be lacking is theological humility and an awareness of moral ambiguity.

<much more>

<link> http://www.beliefnet.com/story/121/story_12112_1.html

And the site has a poll:


Total: 8962
What do you think of Bush's religious language?

Its moral clarity is part of what makes him a good leader. (51%)

I like when he talks about his personal faith, but talk of 'divine calling' makes me nervous. (18%)

He talks way too much about his faith and religion in general. (31%)


Perhaps we should DU this poll as well.

[geniph]

1. There's a user response to that article that has to be seen

to be believed. I have NOT edited the spelling in any way.

"acolytejohn
3/6/04 7:08:11 AM
What is wrong with having a president with a faith?Have become a Godless country following apualing europines?The seperation of church and state was to protect the church from the goverment.King gorge took money from the churches hitler ransacked and threw its pepole into jails and even made coins with churches with nazzie symbol on them.and stalen was no friend of the churchs.It is the goverment with power who have abused churches.Lincoln had meadium come to the white house alot of prisdent had church boxes "

Eh? What language is this?

[hlthe2b]

2. 'guess it is hard to transcribe from those "speaking in tongues..."

LOL :eyes:

[CBHagman]

3. I'm dissatisfied with the poll choices.

They only give three options regarding Bush's approach, and I would prefer a few other choices. For example, those of us who regard Bush as not adhering to the Christian faith IN HIS ACTIONS, if not his words, are not really represented there.

[classof56]

4. I can't answer any of those questions

As they don't address my own response to Bush's so-called "religious proclamation", which is, in short, "I don't believe what he says". But I do note on Beliefnet several negative reactions to the issue, in clear and well-reasoned ways. Encouraging!

DEFEAT BUSH!!