Posted on 11/02/2004 12:07:22 AM PST by DRMac
I have to get this off my chest before the polls open. This election will be determined by the four A's: Apathy or lack thereof, Anger towards the President, and the third/fourth and widely undiscussed issue of Agnostics and Atheists. There are a few consistent themes in the negative feedback I get towards the President... cowboy, swagger, stubborn, etc. Right up there is "his religion."
I am far from a zealot. I am not part of the Christian coalition. I go to church when it is convenient or when there is an event to celebrate. That's not the issue. The question is should this country remain as religiously based as it is, move to religion or move to secularism I consider that an elephant in the room in this election. It's been lost in the debate but it will not be lost in the agenda of the victor tomorrow. Kerry, Bush, Hitler and I were all alter boys... there, glad that's off the table.
There is a group of right wing extremists in the room, signing a document that they all considered their death certificate. Now famous phrases were spoken like "...either we all hang together or we will all hang separately..." What balls those guys had. They had escaped religious oppression and were very careful to include "they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights..." and "...with firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence..." When the full delegation met on July 4, 1776, they added "...appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions." The Declaration of Independence was fully signed on August 2, 1776.
John Adams said, "Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand."
Religion has been extremely important and formative in the history of this nation. In anticipation of the Mexican American War, the concept of "manifest destiny," that America had a God-given right to expand to the borders of the continent was editorialized in Texas in 1845 and, in conjunction with the Monroe Doctrine issued after the collapse of Spanish power over Mexico and others, became the formative concept in establishing the current Mexican border and rejecting Soviet movement into the Pacific Northwest. (As an aside, but I do also acknowledge the loss of life and the treatment of indigenous Indians in the process.)
Abraham Lincoln said, "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God." It was his decision at Gettysburg to add the words "under God" to the Gettysburg address as he stood at the podium to dedicate the cemetery. John Kerry paraphrased Lincoln in his acceptance speech at the DNC this year when he said, "I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side."
Woodrow Wilson, "I ask every man and woman in this audience that the from this night on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations - that if they would see America free and pure, they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Scripture."
Dwight D. Eisenhower on Flag Day, 1954, after approving the change to the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words "under God" - same as Abraham Lincoln had added at Gettysburg. "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our countries most powerful resource in peace and war."
Ronald Reagan: "[Americans] must seek Divine guidance in the policies of their government and the promulgation of their laws." and this: "I believe that faith and religion play a critical role in the political life of our nation -- and always has -- and that the church -- and by that I mean all churches, all denominations -- has had a strong influence on the state. And this has worked to our benefit as a nation."
I challenge the notion that "George Bush is one of the most openly religious Presidents in American history." This country has a long standing tradition, from founding to prosperity to war, of basing it's laws, decisions, and principles on religious beliefs. It is only recently that the secular movement has taken further hold and started to convince people that somehow this is a new idea, a shift, a constitutional atrocity. The secularists have joined with the ACLU to convince the nation that faith and religious symbols are wrong.
There is no separation of Church and State guaranteed by the constitution. "...the state shall establish no religion..." means that we cannot have a state-sponsored religion like the Church of England. End of story. It has gotten way out of whack and the risk of a more secular society far outweighs the risk of a more religion-based society. I would submit that any movement back to the religious would not even begin to erode the movement to the secular that has occurred in this society. It is fear mongering of the worst order.
Enter this campaign. Enter George Soros. George Soros has no need to believe in a God or a religion because he fancies himself his own god. According to the L.A. Times he said, "It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out." George Soros is an atheist and a secularist. He has also contributed $20 Million to Kerry supportive 527 organizations. Yes, $20 Million. If you gave $20 million would you have any expectations after a victory? You do the math. To not understand Soros is to not understand Kerry if he wins this election.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A24179-2003Nov10?language=printer
http://georgesoros.com/
Many excerpts in this rant are taken from "Under God" a collection of short stories by Toby Mac and Michael Tait. It is available on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764200089/qid=1099380553/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-4012780-2659835
If you believe your post then God will determine if Bush wins and if he doesn't don't sweat it :)
I don't think that God sets into motion "Man's Law". He can offer comfort to George W. Bush and the voters, but we have the free will to do "wrong" and still elect John Kerry and further the liberal agenda.
Yes, wrong is what John Kerry is.
George Bush's faith in Jesus Christ is the primary reason he is so widely hated. This election is far more a spiritual battle than it is an earthly one.
There is God's perfect will and His permissive will. All meld into His ultimate will. His plans will be carried out, whether it be for mercy for this nation or judgment.
God forbid a president have faith. To be driven by a higher power to better himself, his country, and mankind. Maybe they should ask this....is John Kerry the most treasonous candidate?
I'm not religious and never have been.
And the president's faith has never had any impact on me either way
Kerry's sudden religious piety and the contradictions betweeen his alleged faith and his public policy positions do influence me though -- negatively. Not for any religious reasons, obviously, but because it says a lot about his character. This is just one more thing in a long list of overwhelming evidence of his personal dishonesty and lack of integrity. Kerry insults my intellect thinking that I buy his carfully parsed statements. Kerry has had only one position throughout this election, and that is to avoid taking a stance on anything of substance that might split his fragile coalition of supporters.
"I challenge the notion that "George Bush is one of the most openly religious Presidents in American history."..."
This President isn't the most religious in history, this country is the least religious in it's history.
Guess I'm going to bed.
God is not neutral to the affairs of man, whether we're considering the affairs of an individual person, or the affairs of nations. Without God and His revelation, the concepts of "justice" and "freedom" have no meaning, because they are derived from His own character.
Bingo.
That's an excellent point. George Bush's faith expressed 50 years ago would have been the mainstream, not the exception it is today.
It is my view that the most vicious hatred of this President is caused by the knowledge that he practices the Christian faith. The Christian God is hated above all others because the power of prayer and of the blessings coming to those who believe this way cannot be denied by anyone who has paid attention. The following Scripture came into my mind as I read this article..I think it is a comforting reminder for anyone interested today..2 Chronicles, 7th Chapter, 14th Verse.."If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." What are those sins we are guilty of? The list has been banished from our public square by the leftists among us. It is a list of the Ten Commandments.
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