Now, he tells us. After years to intermingling religion and politics, President George Bush has shocked his hard religious right base by admitting that he does not believe the Bible is literally true and that people can get to Heaven through other religions. His various recent statements have been assembled and presented as virtual sacrilege by his former supporters.
When asked if he believed that the Bible was literally true, President Bush responded:
“Probably not. No, I’m not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it.”
In an interview with Charles Gibson, Bush made statements that have led to a riot among his religious base:
CHARLES GIBSON: Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I think we do.
CHARLES GIBSON: Does …
PRESIDENT BUSH: We have different routes of getting to the Almighty.
. . .
CHARLES GIBSON: Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, they do. We have different routes of getting there.
In an interview with Al Arabiya television, Bush said, “I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. . . . I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”
As one religious site points out, “During one trip to Iraq, Bush reportedly made this statement: ‘I want you to convey this message to Mr. Sistani. Tell him that I pray to the same god he prays to… Tell Sistani I have nothing but praise for your religion.'”
The site The Moral Collapse Of America asks ” Now does any of that sound “Christian” to you? According to George W. Bush, Jesus must have been mistaken in John 14:6…..
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
However, if it was literally true then how could it be that “Saul tied his ass to a tree and walked two miles to Damascus.” That is quite a stretch.
For the coverage by Raw Story, click here.
Waynebro:
Liked your reference to “The Who.”
….can’t git fooled agyyyn….heh heh…
Waynebro:
I find him more con man than henpecked spouse. Seems to me this current con is now up, and its time to start a new one called “respected former President.” This one will be tougher to pull off. You know, fool me once ….
“Now, he tells us. After years to intermingling religion and politics, President George Bush has shocked his hard religious right base by admitting that he does not believe the Bible is literally true and that people can get to Heaven through other religions”
I never really thought Bush believed in it all that much. I saw in him the typical reluctant convert, fresh from the waters of baptism (where he no doubt left a ring) and the encouragement of overbearing fellowship. He seemed to me like a reluctant husband, sitting in Sunday school half awake because his wife forced them there, periodically looking up from his poorly concealed slumber to utter a general “amen” at the appropriate times.
I saw in him a man using the appearence of faith as a way of manipulating the religious masses, and little more. Now it seems he is actually starting to examine that faith a little and doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into being something that he knows he can never be.
Of course like Professor Turley said, “now he tells us”.
Jill,
You summed it all up with one word. Pharisee. As to the meteors, it was cloudy and cold here as well. I guess I should expect that in wintertime in Northeast Illinois.
Well I just heard one irate Iraqi fundamentalist threw his shoes at Bush today during a press conference today. A journalist apparently had all he could take. Off went his shoes and then up to the podium they flew. As usual, Bush dodged and weaved and blamed Senate democrats.
On a more positive note, the blog poll now show:
Jonathanturley.org 327 votes
Mirror of Justice 198 votes
Professor Bainbridge 107 votes
Come on now we need a mandate, not a squeaker!
http://www.alternet.org/story/111376/the_best_and_the_brightest_have_led_america_off_a_cliff/
Mike,
I had a mixed opinion of him as well but his admission of how intoxicating and poisonous his and other evangelical’s attachment to power was fascinated me. The evangelicals remind me of our press–they are drunk on access to power and all the more stupid for it. In both cases critical thought/analysis is out the door along with any shred of compassion. This same thing seems to have cast its spell on “the elites” of our society as well. You probably read this, but there’s an interesting article on the mindless obediance to power of students and professors (not everyone of course!) at our elite schools. I found it on alternet. I’ll try to link to it below.
It is such a dangerous time for so many to be without compassion and ready to obey authority without question. It’s scary.
Jill,
I’m familiar with Frank Schaeffer and his opinions. He is mostly a breath of fresh air coming from a movement that reeks of hubris and self deception. The problem though I think is that of gaining political power, as you stated. Once that sense of power was achieved religious hypocrisy in the service of that power became legitimate, as did the urge to maintain power by any means. The latter no doubt allowed “spiritual leaders” to condone the dumbing down of their parishioners theological knowledge, by refocussing from the Gospel’s teachings, to The Book of Revelation’s horrors and a narrow reading of the Torah.
Dear Jonathan turely.
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I hope you cheack your emails and email me back as soon as you can!
Thank you!
From Jasmine,
Mike,
This was an interesting interview on Terry Gross, Dec. 9. I think it sheds light on your question.
“Frank Schaeffer’s parents, Francis and Edith, were best-selling authors who were instrumental in linking the evangelical community with the anti-abortion movement.
But after coming of age as an evangelist and helping to organize religious fundamentalists politically, Schaeffer had a crisis of faith: Though he is pro-life, he decided that abortion should remain legal.
Shortly after the presidential election, Schaeffer wrote an open letter on the Huffington Post explaining his views and urging President-elect Barack Obama to support programs that provide care for pregnant women and reduce the number of abortions. In the letter, Schaeffer disassociated himself from his former politics, writing, “The pro-life cause poisoned many of us who were part of it. Me included. It led to self-righteous hubris that extended to a general attitude of hate toward the ‘other.'”
Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God and Faith of Our Sons.”
He talks about the corruption of all the power these preachers gather to themselves.
rafflaw,
I think the word is, “pharisee”!
P.S. Went outside to look for the meteors here and saw lots—of clouds!
Mike,
You bring up a very interesting point. I wonder what did change–maybe getting into political power?
I am also truly shocked by this uprising of Christian moralists, who feel a murderous war and torture are godly, but become riled if heaven is thought to be somewhat less exclusionary. What is so interesting about this is that Billy Graham (The Reverend to the sucker set, Elmer Gantry to me)got himself into hot water more than 40 years ago for saying that an unbaptized aboriginal, who never even heard of Christianity, would be sent to Hell for not accepting Jesus. The public and theological uproar was such that Graham had to recant. What subtlety of religiosity did our populace understand then, that is so lacking now in so many? Like in human rights and in the humane treatment of our fellow humans, the war over religious ignorance must be constantly fought through the ages.
Jill,
Exscellent citation. It is amazing that these so-called Christians can be upset only at Bush’s admission that everyone has a chance at getting to heaven, but the atrocities carried out in our name don’t bother them. Is the word hypocrisy found in he Bible?
This was an interesting comment from the site, “Moral Collapse”:
“After the looting of the treasury, the warrantless wire taps, the no-bid contracts to haliburton, the “patriot”act, and the inaction which allowed the suffering of millions in New Orleans… this is what finally got you mad? The deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis and American soldiers in the name of war profiteering? No, its the admission that a compilation of stories written by different people, which contains MANY contradictions may not be literally true. Thats what gets you seething mad?
The sad thing is that i know christians who are reasonable, moral, and not fanatical and you guys are really giving them a bad name.”
So obama wasn’t the antichrist afterall?
Well, maybe it was an exceptionally big redwood tree and he used a bungee cord oh purveyor of satanic deceptions! I also heard that the Hebrew word for mile can also be read as yards,feet, or even inches, so it’s a translation error. And enough of your blasphemous catch line, “[t]hat is quite a stretch,” I remonstrate that with the mystical three letters L-O-L.
–mespo727272 3:56