Bush A Religious Bigot? Yes, says The New Republic

http://www.claywaters.com/blogger.html ^ | Clay Waters

[edmundburk]

screams the 3.25.02 cover of The New Republic.

The New Republic editor Peter Beinart had a vision: Neither Bush nor Atty. General Ashcroft have mentioned nonbelievers since 9-11, meaning they are trying to write atheists out of America’s moral community. That’s what The New Republic editor Peter Beinart claims in his TRB (The Real Bologna? Tom Robinson Band? ).

It’s impossible to prove a negative, so we must take his assertion on faith, as it were. Among Beinart’s non-corporeal evidence: After 9-11,

“Muslim dignitaries were invited to pray in the East Reception Room before listening to Bush tell the assembled that ‘America seeks peace with people of all faiths.’ And with that line, Bush exhibited the same moral blindness as his attorney general. Of course the United States seeks peace with people of all faiths. But what about people of no faith at all? In fact, the Bush administration never mentions nonbelievers….And when he and his top advisers, in hundreds and hundreds of statements, never miss an opportunity to exclude nonbelievers, it's hard to believe the exclusion is purely accidental….for this administration, celebrating the dignity of all believers has become a way to impugn the dignity of those who believe in no religion at all.”

But 9-11 has nothing to do with atheists or agnostics, God bless’m. Why bring in atheism when discussing a holy war pitting a Muslim jihad against a Jewish state and a majority Christian country?

“If Bush and Ashcroft really think that, then they should have the courage to say it, and open up their arguments to scrutiny and rebuttal. What they are doing instead is worse: implicitly writing atheists and agnostics out of America's moral community. When they describe the country they love, they describe a place where people of different faiths live in harmony and equality, and where people who follow no faith simply do not exist.”

So Beinart takes his opinion of what “many cultural conservatives believe,” projects it onto Bush and Ashcroft, then accuses them of not owning up to “writing atheists and agnostics out of America’s moral community.”

Beinart’s God-like assurance that he can see into Bush’s and Ashcroft’s hearts makes Justice William O. Douglas’ constitutional “penumbras and adumbrations” look positively modest.

Besides, mature adults (atheist or otherwise) don’t rely on a presidential pat on the head to reassure themselves of the rightness of their teleology. Where that leaves Beinart I don’t presume to know. But then, I don’t have a hotline to Heaven.

[warpsmith]

Not really. Then they wouldn't be atheist.

Holy cow! I think someone skipped their Philosophy 101 class.

Of course you can derive a moral basis for behavior without a belief in a divine being.

[lavaroise]

Ahem, now who is defining who there? Or could it be the New Republic has an agenda of encroaching on the jurisdiction of the President and Ashkroft for silly pretexts and inventions? Who would ever be so stupid as to trust the New Republic with protecting our own jurisdictions and opinions indeed.

[lavaroise]

Of course you can derive a moral basis for behavior without a belief in a divine being.

Some use it without believing it. Many people out there believe the Earth is flat but live by the physics of a round Earth. It's nothing new.

[ellery]

This tempest in a teacup reminds me of a line from The Big Lebowski where the bad guys, a group of nihilists, realize that Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi aren't going to give them the money they've been chasing:

Bad guy: "But it's not FAIR!"

John Goodman: "Whaddya mean, 'It's not fair?' YOU'RE A NIHILIST!!!"

No offense meant to athiests and agnostics -- I just think it's funny...

[ke4vtw]

Call it semantics, but Religion isn't the issue. The quote is:

   But what about people of no faith at all?

The issue is faith. You can debate whether or not atheism is a religion, but it's evident that atheists do have faith. You can't prove a negative, so the greater burden of proof is on the atheist to convince him/herself that there is no God, god, or gods. That in itself requires faith. My faith as a Christian is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Their faith as an atheist is in the fact that all proclaimed or unproclaimed deities do not exist. If they could prove that, THEY would be God!

[ellery]

Totally disagree -- morality and religion can be linked, but they don't have to be...atheism doesn't seem like a moral stance so much as a philosophical one.

[cactusSharp]

always a reference point...hehehhehe remember CONTACT ? at first Jody Foster could not go to that wormhole thing ....WHY ? She did not believe in God and the panel said....95% of civilazation believes in a God.......now how many gays are in the population ? same tiny %. See how it works......they are not mad at Dubya,they are mad ay God.

[ellery]

Athiests aren't worth mentioning. Actually they aren't worth anything. One might say they are worthless. Is this your Christian belief?

[Steve_Seattle]

"the Bush administration never mentions unbelievers"

I don't recall ANY president specifically referring to unbelievers. Did Clinton routinely - or ever - refer to unbelievers? Once again, a critic is trying to make something out of nothing.

[GSWarrior]

I would think that you would see atheists as potential Christians.

[The Energizer]

Hmm . . . I don't remember this writer authoring a screed when Bubba carried that Big Black Bible or when he talked about creating a "New Convenant."

[warpsmith]

I don't recall ANY president specifically referring to unbelievers. Did Clinton routinely - or ever - refer to unbelievers? Once again, a critic is trying to make something out of nothing.

As an aside, Blair has been fairly inclusive in his speeches, mentioning those of all faiths and no faith.

[Khepera]

It is just my opinion.

[Khepera]

Possibly

[stands2reason]

Why can you not have morality without faith? What if you realize living morally makes you happy? Or is morality only a way to get into heaven?

[stands2reason]

Under your definition, Buddhism is not a religion. But here in my Merriam/Webster 9th New Collegiate has here in definition #4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

[ffusco]

atheism is a belief system, yes. But it is not a religeon. I think most 5 y.olds would understand that a religeon needs a supreme being (other than man himself)to be properly called one. Likewise many cults are organized like religeons but are still called cults.