Posted on 10/09/2007 5:03:33 AM PDT by vietvet67
Whatever else his critics say of him, no one can fault President Bush for failing to go the extra mile in his efforts to show that neither he, nor the United States, is opposed to the Islamic faith, or to Muslim nations.
Last week, the president and Mrs. Bush hosted their seventh Iftaar Dinner, the celebration that breaks the Muslim fast during Ramadan. Immediately after 9/11, the president visited a Washington, D.C., mosque and proclaimed Islam a “religion of peace.” He has frequently said that terrorists are not real Muslims, anymore than people who proclaim to be Christian and engage in violence are genuine Christians.
The president is the most openly evangelical Christian and faithful churchgoer since Jimmy Carter. And the evangelical community has mostly embraced him and twice voted for him in overwhelming numbers. But that constituency is likely to be troubled over something the president said in an interview with Al Arabiya television. In an official transcript released by the White House, the president 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.” Later in the interview, the president repeated his statement: “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.”
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
We all have the same God. But some of us are not praying to God.
Allah the demonic principality isn't the same as YHWH. Not even close.
I think Bush may be sensing the coming massive wave of Muslim conversions to Jesus, thus his comment-- but to say that they worship the same God, no.
Either that, or he's believing some new age crap that somebody told him.
Tells me all I need to know.
I believe in the Triune God of Christianity, not Allah.
What ever happened to his Christian testimony? Was he lying or was he just spinning his theology to bait evangelicals?
Wrong AGAIN, GWB!
I sincerely hope that Bush is simply speaking out of ignorance.
Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God”
Here Jesus says that he is God. Note that he did not rebuke the man for calling him good; he simply wanted the man to discover why he was calling him good - because Jesus (Yeshua) is God.
By saying what he said in that interview, Bush was denying the truth of the Word of God. That is extremely serious, and if he said it knowingly, he is extremely close to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which is knowingly attributing the works of Satan to the Holy Spirit. Frightening.
If I was the president and a Christian in a world with Muslims doing what they are doing, I'd spend a lot more time working out an answer to this question. I would not stab Jesus in the back for political expedience. The middle ease already hates us but loves our money. President Bush could have done a lot better by the Christians that supported him and it wouldn't have changed our status in the middle east at all.
We're in a one-way situation here (what else is new?). We say we respect them as equals, that their god is our God. And they spit on the ground and call us infidels. We delude ourselves when we say it's all the same. They know better.
But that doesn't mean we cannot work with them and build relations.
I have not found any convincing biblical testimony in any book or in any document.
100 percent AMEN to every word you said and boy to I love that verse you quoted. What an amazing challenge the Lord made in that question! The guy that called Jesus good had no idea who he was talking to and yet knowing who he was talking to was the very answer to his question.
You think so?! Well you have no idea how muslims and Middle Eastern think, I do.
Tom Cruise? Is that you?
I have not found any convincing biblical testimony in any book or in any document.
I remember an interview before he was first elected that was a pretty strong testimony. I can't remember the words though. I'm starting to wonder if Hillary would be capable of saying the same thing though and if so, what does that mean about the testimony of politicans.
If President Bush says that the muslim do not worship the same God as Christians there will be political hell to pay in the Middle East, I am 100% sure of this. The President is not going to jeopardize the victory at hand we are seeing in the war on terror just to please some people here at home with one expression.
Anyway, you are not going to convince me and I am not going to convince me.
Nope, just a regular guy who was born and lived in Lebanon for 22 years including 15 years of civil war.
So political expedience is the most important truth? I’ll pass on that.
The truth is that we must win this war, that is the truth and it seems that you cannot handle it.
Psalm 127:1 "Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain."
The real truth.
As a Christian, I read that scripture differently than you do. I believe this man knows Jesus is divine, that’s why the man calls Jesus good. But, as with every action of His whole life, Jesus refuses to take the credit for himself; he turns the comment and instead gives the glory to God, His Father. “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30.
In Christianity we have different interpretations of scripture, even though Paul said scripture is not up to private interpretation. I can see where President Bush is coming from in this situation. If we believe their is one God over Heaven and Earth, then all on Earth who pray to God are praying to the One God. The problem is that over time people have distorted the true nature of God and their prayers fall on deaf ears, given they are not offered in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. Just my thoughts.
Avoid quoting the Bible when it comes to war.
I agree Muslims don't pray to God the same way Christians do, but that does not mean they are not praying to the same God.
Why?
Once you remove the ancient and historical Creeds (Apostolic, Nicene and Athanasian) from the divine service, you degenerate into universalism.
Pray the creeds...often...in church...out loud.
I just can't get too worked up about this "controversy."
Because the muslim terrorists do the same by quoting their Quran to justify their war, violence, and evil. Do not use the Christian religion as a cover to fight a war, it is against Christianity itself. I am for this war because I want to annihilate the terrorist enemies from existence, I want the terrorists all dead, I think that my extreme hate towards the terrorists and my burning desire to kill them all contradict a lot of my Christian belief and faith but I do not care I want them annihilated from this planet.
One must strain at a gnat to conclude that all pray to the same god. THe God of the Bible, whom Bush says he worships, is not Baal, the New Age Jesus, is not the Buddist notion of Brahman, is not the god of Shamanism or Nature Worhip (wiccan), is not the god of Mormonism, is not the god transendental meditation, is not the god Shakti or Shiva, or satan who is worshiped and prayed to, is not Allah, is not the god o Christian Science, is not the god of Unity, is not the god of Baba Ram Dass, is not the god of Myung Moon and Unification, is not he god of Bahaism, is not the god of Rosicrucianism, is not the god of Urantia, is not the god of Esalen, is not the god of mind sciences, is not the god ofthe Vedantia Society.....I could go on and on and on.
Mr. Bush shows profound ignorance in this silly statement. If it was a tepid attempt to coopt those who might see this gesture as magnanamous, the Christian sees it, at best flagrant ignorance of his Lord, or at worst a denial of the exclusive and unique position of Jesus of Nazareth as God the Son. As a Christian, and one who often references Christianity, he must know this and must have been willing to deny the Alpha and the Omega, the one and only God-man, Jesus.
"Many will come in my name, but believe them not."
Jim Jones claimed to be Christ.
"Many will come to me on tht day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in ;your name drive out demons and in your name do many mighty works?" Then I will say to them, "Depart from me,I never knew you." Matt 7:22,23. This from the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. His attonement and His alone is sufficient. "the Way the TRUth , the Life...",
If Jesus is who Bush says He is, then the road to everlasting life must be broad, not narrow. Jesus said it was narrow.
I don't think we will all get to stand before our maker and claim an excuse of 'false identitiy'.....that is to say, ..."well I thought hinduism just as efficacious as buddism, as efficacious as true Christianity, or no different from Allah."
It is discouraging that Mr.Bush is this illinformed about his personal walk with whoever and whatever god he feels he walks with and then from his huge bully pulpit makes such a proclaimation. Remember Jannes and Jambrees who was in phaerohs court who, concerning some, proclaimed false pronouncements and led some astray......how many millions is Bush's pronouncement magnified. This is an irresponsible statement for any Christian, even an illinformed one, to make.
We Christians say our God is not the same as the Muslims'. Why would Muslims say theirs is the same as the Christians'?
Pray the creeds...often...in church...out loud.
Absolutely, Clete!
What tortured logic. This is similar to we will not show Christmas symbols or say the word Christmas so that we will not offend non-Christians. All the while offending all Christians. So, we go out of our way to make the Mid East feel good at the expense of our own citizens. If he cannot say the truth, then just don’t answer the question. Now, he sounds like the proverbial fool!
You are obviously scared to death that of them and yes, that is a faithless emotion. I don't see fear or anger or hate as any of the fruit of the spirit. I'm glad that you realize that this is out of line, maybe you realize that it is also out of line to not quote the bible under all circumstances.
Saying that war is against Christianity is just plain ignorant.
Because they think that they worship the same God of Abraham that we worship. Because they belive that our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the top 5 holiest prophets in their muslim religion, the other four are Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Muhammad. In fact they call Jesus Christ "Issa". They believe that he was born from the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit of God dwelt in him. They believe that in the end of times it is "Issa" not Muhammad who will come to judge the world.
Jesus saith unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the FATHER, but by ME.
Nope you are the fool for not understanding a thing on how to win wars.
allah is not God.
(lack of capitalization intentional).
The West's only chance for survival is to destroy "allah", along with all that it represents, in the material world.
Otherwise, those who prostate themselves before allah will succeed in doing pretty much the same to us.
- John
And before you say, what do you want to do, kill them all. Well - yes! I want to beat them down so bad that they have to start thinking that maybe worshipping Allah is not a good thing.
But, as you said before, you already have your mind made up and I suppose I do also. Don't bother replying.
Hatred is wasted energy.
Don't hate a problem; solve it.
I thought the Arabs came from Ishmael. 
“Noting is inconsistent which is expedient to an Imperial City” Euphemus of Athens
“If President Bush says that the muslim do not worship the same God as Christians there will be political hell to pay in the Middle East, I am 100% sure of this. The President is not going to jeopardize the victory at hand we are seeing in the war on terror just to please some people here at home with one expression.”
The real question jveritas is why he must continue to go out of his way to appease Muslims. Simply being quite now would suffice nicely. The Muslims here at home don’t pay much mind to Bush. On the other side of the globe in Arab countries, his statements are considered blasphemy by our enemies. Their is nothing to gain and much to lose on the political front here at home. Conservative Christians will not vote this election. They know what Hillary is about and Barrak is considered a Muslim. They won’t vote Republicans who have not stood up for conservative Christians. Not voting is the same voting for Hillary.
Galatians 3:16: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
“Because the muslim terrorists do the same by quoting their Quran to justify their war, violence, and evil. Do not use the Christian religion as a cover to fight a war, it is against Christianity itself. I am for this war because I want to annihilate the terrorist enemies from existence, I want the terrorists all dead, I think that my extreme hate towards the terrorists and my burning desire to kill them all contradict a lot of my Christian belief and faith but I do not care I want them annihilated from this planet.”
I am Christian and my belief is what Christ admonished and that is to pray for our enemies. I do that so perhaps they may not be destroyed. Christ set the ultimate example dying for all of mankind. War is part of this universe.
Christ said you will know them by their works. I see their works and their works are to destroy the USA and Israel, peoples that wish to simply live in freedom and peace. So I know which God is right and which one wants death to all humanity. I have no qualms as a Christian to annihalate the enemy but my belief is that I feel sorrow for the waste of human life.
If I were President with such beliefs, my message to the Muslims world wide after 911 would have been to choose sides. Choose the side of freedom and liberty or choose the side of death. That if you live by the sword as militant Islam does, you will die by the sword.
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