Posted on 05/22/2006 8:36:25 AM PDT by pissant
U.S. President George W. Bush has alienated Muslims around the world by using absolutist Christian rhetoric to discuss foreign policy issues, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says.
"I worked for two presidents who were men of faith, and they did not make their religious views part of American policy," she said, referring to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Democrats and Christians.
"President Bush's certitude about what he believes in, and the division between good and evil, is, I think, different," said Albright, who has just published a book on religion and world affairs. "The absolute truth is what makes Bush so worrying to some of us."
Bush, a Republican, has openly acknowledged his Christian faith informs his decisions as president. He says, for example, that he prayed to God for guidance before invading Iraq.
Some Muslims have accused him of waging a crusade against Islam, comparable with those of the Middle Ages. The White House says it has nothing against Islam, but against those who commit terrorist atrocities in its name.
But Albright says Bush's religious absolutism has made U.S. foreign policy "more rigid and more difficult for other countries to accept."
In her book, "The Mighty and the Almighty," Albright recalls how Bush, while he was governor of Texas, told Christians he believed God wanted him to be president.
She quotes from his speech to his party convention of 2004, when he told Republicans: "We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom."
"Some of his language is really quite over the top," Albright told Reuters on Sunday during a trip to London to promote her book. "When he says 'God is on our side', it's very different from (former U.S. President Abraham) Lincoln saying 'We have to be on God's side.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
LOL!
Well we shall see how she explains her hatred for Christians when they try to rally the Christians vote to vote demo any more. I intend to get a copy of her book and show it to people in the churches some time around Nov. . Open mouth and insert foot.
I largely denounce the common charge that most Christians involved in politics think the government can save them. That's a straw man charge. But sometimes the rhetoric of those Christians in politics ads fuel to the false charge. That's why I picked at your statement a little.
Some Christians think we should seek only to change hearts and minds, never to make a difference in the poltiical world. But I think we have a civic duty to at least try and effect decent political policies that are consistent with Judeo-Christian value traditions. It's not going to save anyone, but it is still the right thing to do, and the best environment for our real work: preaching the gospel.
The same Christians who think we should butt out of politics tend to fall into the leftists trap of condemning Jerry Falwell and his moral majority. They see that historical event as some sort of first cause of other Christian difficulties.
I think that is a wrong conclusion and a false premise. Falwell's Moral Majority was not a first cause, nor was it some sort of effort to push Christianity on anyone via the government. It was a reaction to specific poltiical events, and I believe it was a just and right reaction. In the end it fell short because it was only half of an accurate diagnosis, so only half the proper cure. It was like diagnosing and treating a secondary disease without ever recognizing or treating the primary cause.
Where we Christians often err is in our diagnosis of the cultural problems. We also tend to attribute first cause inaccurately. Instead of blaming non-Christians for the downfall of society (and some have serious blame, some who purposely set out to destroy our values).....but instead of primarily blaming them, we should first look at ourselves. Could it be that the primary cause was within the church itself? When the church is weak all of society suffers. We are more worldly, have weakened our doctrines, have preached half-truths in an effort to tickle ears, have given up the pursuit of holiness, tolerated sin in our midst, corrupted the gospel itself. Etc...
A corrupt and sinful church is a cancer on society. All the other ills are secondary. That doesn't mean we shouldn't address the secondary problems and try to fix them. But we will never succeed unless we address the primary problem.
Does that make my position more clear? I didn't want to sound like Cal Thomas who has completely repented of all his previously held political positions and totally lost his saltiness (maybe he never had it in that he always needed to master speaking the truth in love. He used to speak the truth harshly. Now he won't speak the truth, but he's trying to be really really nice. Except of course to Christians who he perceives are practicing the same sins of his past. You would think he would be compassionate with them, since he feels he erred similarly. But no. Which reveals his true inner struggle I suppose.
I think Albright may have had a conversion during her trips to NoKo. Apparently she now worships the god/king, little Kim Jong.
Maam ... why are you still talking?
I agree with you. The church has lost its saltiness but I do believe that certain churches WILL rise as the end times grow closer. Those that are hearing from God, those who want holiness and purity in their lives, etc., will be salt and light. We're going to see a huge revival and I don't think it's so far away, so don't lose hope in that regard. I believe Christians need to be involved in politics. They're our nation's only hope for righteousness. Without Christ, our nation is doomed, just as the Roman Empire was doomed. Of course, the Roman Empire is beginning to rise again in the form of the European Common Market and this, too, is a sign of the end times. Eventually, as Christians should realize, the Anti-Christ will rise, probably after some horrific event, and we need to prepare for that eventuality and not put our hope and trust in any government officials.
Why do you call yourself the Ghost of FReepers Past?
Thanks, mariabush. This was an interesting article and brought up a lot of well, interesting, comments. We don't know how God will judge these people or even if they will eventually turn to Him and get saved. It's not impossible.
The left has left the God of their fathers for the devil, in my opinion. he's using them very well and they keep carrying his water. How sad for them when they have to stand before the Almighty God at Judgement. I pray they soon learn the folly of their thinking and turn to Him for help and guidance instead of George Soros and those socialist icons.
WEll, Maddy, we KNOW you - and your former boss have a problem with the absolute truth = that's the problem.
Will SOMEone tell this maid that she is no longer in office -that Condi can handle things just fine, thank you - (jealous beeech???)
Bingo
I just thought it was a cute play on words, and it hints that I have been here before under a different name.
I believe the same thing.
I don't claim any special knowledge of God's designs, but I'm utterly convinced He has had his hand in this country's history.
Bingo!
Every time that do that, another one million people of faith are driven from the Democrat Party.
The left's militant secularism and moral relativism are worrying to some of us.
Absolutely, and well-said.
Disguised as PCism.
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