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Bush is first president to choose yule card with a Scripture
http://www.cnsnews.com//ThisHour.asp#Bush ^

Posted on 12/20/2004 7:34:48 AM PST by Ellesu

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

About 2 million friends and supporters of President Bush found something in their mailboxes this month that no other president has offered: A holiday card with a Bible verse.

This card has a line from Psalms, 95:2: "Let us come before him with Thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

Presidents have been sending season's greetings since Calvin Coolidge wrote "Merry Christmas" on White House stationery in 1927. And many presidents issued proclamations about faith-related events varying from the National Day of Prayer to Ramadan.

But this administration is the first to include Scripture in the annual card, said Mary Evans Seeley, author of "Season's Greetings From the White House: The Collection of Presidential Christmas Cards, Messages and Gifts." Seeley and her husband have a complete collection of the presidential holiday cards.

First lady Laura Bush supervises the card selection. She picked cards with Bible verses when her husband was governor and has continued to do so in the White House.

This year's illustration is a painting of the Red Room of the White House by Cindi Holt, a Fort Worth, Texas, artist .

The Republican National Committee paid for production and distribution.

Only one previous president included an explicitly religious element in a card. In 1963, President Kennedy's card featured a photo of a creche set up in the East Room of the White House. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, had signed 30 cards before their final trip to Dallas.

None was ever mailed.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush; christmascard; psalms; scripture
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To: deport
President and Mrs. Bush will send out more than 2 million Christmas cards this year to friends, family and foreign dignitaries. The cards, bearing a Crawford, Texas postmark, will be mailed on Friday, November 26, 2004.

I got one this year and just checked the postmark.Sure enough Crawford,Texas postmark.

21 posted on 12/20/2004 8:22:34 AM PST by painter
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To: painter

Sure enough Crawford,Texas postmark.



I'm curious as to where the machine is that postmarks them Crawford. Crawford is a small post office so they must bring in some help or maybe they have one set up in somewhere else to run them through.


22 posted on 12/20/2004 8:34:08 AM PST by deport
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To: Ellesu

Unless I've forgotten all my Sunday School teaching, Psalms is from the pre-Christian part of the Bible.

Therefore it shouldn't offend any of the 'people of the Book'--Christians, Jews or Muslims.

Bhuddists and Taoists are ecumenical, so I guess that leaves the atheists and ACLU to foam at the mouth.

I hope Santa brings them a lump of coal for Christmas.


23 posted on 12/20/2004 8:36:35 AM PST by wildbill
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To: deport
They might have set up machines in a warehouse somewhere.2 Million Christmas Cards would be quite a Pile! Plus the logistics of getting them out of there. I do know that a large mailing like that are sent out presorted to zip codes.
24 posted on 12/20/2004 8:47:05 AM PST by painter
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To: Ellesu

The ACLU is probably enraged at a public official using his position to authorize a bible verse on govt greeting cards. I wouldn't be surprised if they do sue.


25 posted on 12/20/2004 8:53:25 AM PST by Kuksool
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To: Ellesu

We got ours. It is beautiful, and it was great to see scripture quoted. BTW -- the envelope had a regular stamp, and it was postmarked, "Crawford, TX". No franking privileges here.


26 posted on 12/20/2004 8:54:01 AM PST by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: wildbill
>Unless I've forgotten all my Sunday School teaching, Psalms is from the pre-Christian part of the Bible. <

You are sort of correct. Their is no pre-Christian part of the Bible but I understand what you mean. John 1:1 "In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God." Jesus is the Word,he was present at creation and is referred to over 700 times in the OT.With that said this scripture also applies.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
27 posted on 12/20/2004 9:03:51 AM PST by Blessed
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To: Blessed; malakhi
Their is no pre-Christian part of the Bible

Look, malakhi, we don't exist! And neither do our books that some have butchered with their translations!

28 posted on 12/20/2004 9:14:14 AM PST by Bella_Bru (You're about as funny as a case sensitive search engine.)
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To: Ellesu

I thought last year's or the year before had part of one of the Psalms as well. Nice card, I still have mine. But that Ebay thing sounds good.


29 posted on 12/20/2004 9:15:14 AM PST by Bella_Bru (You're about as funny as a case sensitive search engine.)
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To: Blessed

I guess what i should have said is that Psalms was written before the birth of Jesus and the Scripture on the card therefore had no specific references to Jesus.

I'm interpreting the "Him" as God (Jehovah)as the Psalmist would have.

By the way, I'm not a practicing religionist. More of a deist than anything. Still, I appreciate the value of faith and wish you a Merry Christmas.


30 posted on 12/20/2004 9:22:15 AM PST by wildbill
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To: Ellesu

Why does the Dallas Morning News consider this news? President Bush has quoted a passage from the Old Testament on every official Christmas card he has sent since reaching the White House. Here's an FR post from 2001 that says that the 2001 White House Christmas card quoted the Book of Psalms: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/587487/posts

BTW, I received a White House Christmas card this year, and the picture on the website doesn't begin to do it justice.


31 posted on 12/20/2004 9:55:05 AM PST by AuH2ORepublican (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)
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To: Ellesu
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

We have received a card from the President EVERY Christmas of his Presidency....EVERY YEAR the card has contained a Bible verse.

2001: "Thy face, Lord, do I seek: I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!" (Psalm 27:8, 13)

2002: "For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations." (Psalm 100:5)* side note about 2002: we also got a card from Governor Jeb Bush and THAT card had the same scripture! :)

2003: "You have granted me life and loving kindness; and your care has preserved my spirit." (Job 10:12)

The 2004 card is described above.

This is not a "new" trend for President Bush. He has been consistent all four years of his presidency.

32 posted on 12/20/2004 7:06:26 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat (I'm so glad to no longer be associated with the Party of Dependence on Government!)
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To: AuH2ORepublican

oops. I just posted what you said. :)


33 posted on 12/20/2004 7:07:22 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat (I'm so glad to no longer be associated with the Party of Dependence on Government!)
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Comment #34 Removed by Moderator

To: Recovering_Democrat

"oops. I just posted what you said. :)"



Yes, but your post was much more informative. Thanks.


35 posted on 12/21/2004 6:54:28 AM PST by AuH2ORepublican (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)
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To: sgtbono2002

That would not surprise me.


36 posted on 12/21/2004 6:59:16 AM PST by balk
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