Posted on 07/02/2002 2:11:50 PM PDT by Alan Chapman
President Bush is taking the tone of a preacher again, declaring that Americans have "received our rights from God" and that he feels "the prayers of the people" as he carries out his duties.
In Cleveland on Monday, at what was characterized as a Rally on Inner City Compassion, Bush sought to rally support behind his faith-based initiative. He asserted that the United States "should not fear programs which exist because a church or synagogue or mosque has decided to start one."
Since taking office, Bush has frequently cited his Christian beliefs and his desire for religion to play an increased role in American society - a stance that has drawn objections from secularists and civil libertarians.
Bush says that faith helped him in his own battle with the bottle, and he maintains that religious convictions can help an individual - and society - in need.
He cited his religious beliefs last week after a federal appeals court prohibited schoolchildren from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance because it contains the phrase "one nation, under God," in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Bush, responding to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, said that the United States is "a nation that values our relationship with an Almighty" and that citing God in the pledge "doesn't violate rights."
"As a matter of fact, it's a confirmation of the fact that we received our rights from God, as proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence," he said at a news conference in Alberta, during the Group of Eight summit.
At the same news conference, Bush also mentioned that he had visited with victims of the Arizona wildfires earlier in the week and found them to be "hurting a lot."
"And I was trying to figure out how to bring a sense of hope, and I thought that the best thing I could say was that there is a God who loves them," Bush said. "And I believe that's the case. And as a result, I feel comfortable in my life because I have that belief and understanding."
The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Bush's proselytizing runs the risk of blurring the line between religious practices and running the government.
"He does not seem to want to keep even a decent distance between government and religion," Lynn said. "He wants to mesh the two together in whatever manner he can create. "
For a short time after Sept. 11, Lynn said, Bush appeared to embrace diverse viewpoints.
"Now it's full speed ahead to prove the Religious Right is sitting in the Oval Office," he said.
According to Lynn, Bush may in fact have unwittingly hinted that he intends to violate the Constitution regarding the appointment of federal judges.
In criticizing the 9th Circuit's decision, Bush said the United States needs "commonsense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God. And those are the kind of judges I intend to put on the bench."
Article 6 of the Constitution expressly states that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States."
"He said if you're not religious, you can't be a judge," Lynn said. "That violates a central principle of our constitutional system."
And this means that Catholics, Methodists, and Baptists can hold office.
Its all about original intent (well, it should be).
What -- they'd rather he lied about the basis for his decisions?
The problem is that the Declaration of Independance isn't a law. That's the same doc that said "Life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness" while the USA was a slave country. It was a letter. It has no legally binding power.
Barry Lynn, like Norman Lear before him, is evidence that liberals believe the First Amendment does not apply to anyone but themselves.
And where was the good "reverend lynn" when bill clinton effectively eliminated any who had a religious pro-life view from consideration as a judge? That was every bit as much a "religious test" as lynn's imagined violation of Artilce 6 by Bush.
I will fight you to the death to uphold it's precepts!
And the "Rev." Lynn's comments run the risk of blurring the line between between stupidity and outright apostacy.
Hmmmm. . .that would also be true of the letter from Jefferon that is often sited re: separation of church and state. And yet, the liberals never seem to mention THAT is "only a letter."
The Declaration has been dubbed by one historian, "The American Scriptures." They declare why we are a country, where the rights of man are derived from (God, not the state), the purpose of government (to protect those God-given rights), and consequently, the basis upon which a government forfeits its legitimacy. The Declaration lays down foundational principles. Without it, or to ignore it, our nation loses its heritage and unique character.
There's a line?
Dan
(Well...someone had to say it! Why not me?)
Biblical Christianity web site
In criticizing the 9th Circuit's decision, Bush said the United States needs "commonsense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God. And those are the kind of judges I intend to put on the bench."
According to 'reverend' Lynn, the Declaration of Independence should be considered an unconstitutional, anti-American screed.
What Article 6 means is that no one should be excluded from holding public office because of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.
It might be comforting to you to have a president who shares your religious beliefs, and declares his faith in public. But, suppose the president was a worshipper of Mother Earth. Would you still praise the president for discussing his faith in public or would you prefer he keep his beliefs to himself since they have no bearing on the obligations of his office?
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