Posted on 12/09/2008 12:32:05 AM PST by marthemaria
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush said in an interview Monday that the Bible is "probably not" literally true and that a belief that God created the world is compatible with the theory of evolution.
"I think you can have both," Bush, who leaves office January 20, told ABC television, adding "You're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president." But "evolution is an interesting subject. I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life," said the president, an outspoken Christian who often invokes God in his speeches.
"I think that God created the Earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution," he told ABC television. Asked whether the Bible was literally true, Bush replied:
"Probably not. No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it." "The important lesson is 'God sent a son,'" he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
” . . . traditional institutional Christian one, from St. Augustine on.”
Institutional Christianity must be like institutionally packaged mashed potatoes.
A big tent perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you water down your most sacred held beliefs. It’s like telling God he’s a liar.
That is not what he said.
“Institutional Christianity must be like institutionally packaged mashed potatoes.”
Right. Tell that to my aunt (a missionary nun) who has been bringing Christ to poor Africans and Asians for forty years. Multiply her by hundreds of millions, and you will approach the truth.
Asked whether the Bible was literally true, Bush replied:
“Probably not. No, I’m not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it.”
Then what did he say? It’s pretty clear to me from the above quote.
Thanks.
Thats YOUR belief.
This tent (Christian and Republican/Conservative) include people with VERY different beliefs.
I do not beleive that what he said means that he is calling God a liar, and neither does my entire culture, society and ancestry going back over a millenium. You may believe that, but you have to accept that you need to deal with people (and there are many, many millions like me) who think you are very mistaken.
First thought -
This is the man that publicly proclaims that Islam is a religion of peace.
When the Word of God seems to conflict with our interpretation of our observations, what do we do?
Seems the worldly kneejerk reaction for believers in the divine inspiration of the Bible is to say “we’re misinterpreting the bible”.
How about “we’re misinterpreting the evidence”?
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord always and lean not on your own understanding.
There is much truth in what you say. My problem w/ W's statement is that athiests and others will use it to discount the entire Bible.
In my view the Sacred Word of God is written on many levels, ie dimensions. Things that make no sense to us in our normal daily lives are absolutely true in higher plains of understanding.
Just as the work of Einstein would be incomprehensible to the average citizen of ancient Rome, so too the word of God is often above common interpretations even as it instructs and guides us. The miracle of the Sacred Word, indeed what makes it Sacred, is that it works on every level.
It is true in 360 degrees x 360 degrees. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, ever written by men is as true as Scripture. And anyone that disparages it, regardless of intent, is a fool.
Unfortunately, that includes W.
He was saying “good doggy” while reaching for a rock.
Presidents don’t have the option of letting their opinions out willy-nilly. You and I do, but we aren’t the president.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
God has given us the way to heaven and the way out of hell. Whether President Bush has ever had the experience of salvation is unknown to me. The fact that He does not believe that Scripture is the literal, infallible, Word of the Living God is concerning vis a vis his eternal destiny; however, only God knows his heart and only God can change his heart to know truth.
I have no idea what President Bush's eternal destiny is.
Theistic evolution says that God “used” death, disease, predation, and mutation in His perfect Creation in order to create a universe that He saw was Good.
And the first thing He recognized as “not good” was that Man was alone without a suitable helper. Hmmm... death, disease, mutation, predation - all “Good”, but Man being alone is “not good”.
Just curious, how should we “reinterpret” this last little bit in light of “God used evolution”?
Not only that, but He set up the rules, and gave us a perfect "platform" from which to discover and explore.
Read "Privileged Planet" for a faith booster - especially if you're interested in cosmology at all.
Good for President Bush. Many Christians and others believe in theistic evolution. Evolution is just a process and God set it in motion.
Thanks for posting.
I doubt thats what W meant. The common literal interpretation of the Bible in some Christian sects does not, in fact, have any idea of multi-dimensionality, not does it acknowledge that there is a probable gulf of understanding. Thats what St. Augustine was getting at.
Bush was addressing the idea of a literal reading in its common and very crude sense. In this his opinion is very conventional.
Giovanna is right on.
All of you who have instantly determined we are ‘Bush haters’ because of Bush’s own words are very wrong.
His Biblical ignorance has little to do with how much we liked or disliked his terms in office.
Clearly Bush’s “faith” is limited, hmmmm....”lukewarm” maybe, by his own admission. Now some of you will have to explain, no maybe Mr. Bush needs to explain how he has been given the wisdom to discern which of the scriptures are fact and which are a lie. He will have to be quite intelligent to prove this out.
The Bible is not a ‘pick and choose what suits me’ kind of book. It would then become ‘my way’ rather than God’s Way, would it not?
We either follow God’s Way wholly, or not at all. Anything else takes away from God and his supremacy.
I’ll take 20 Bushes to one zer0 any day. I fully appreciate Bush’s use of God in his speeches and that he prayed often. That in itself brings glory to God. On the other hand to suggest evolution and creation have something in common is plainly ludicrous.
Adaptation of any species to a region has nothing in common with evolution. Did you hear that?
Some have said ‘Maybe your God is a monkey, but not mine.’
We are “...created in His own image...”. Last time I checked, none of you look like monkeys.
Oh Thank you Mr. President, you just called our Lord a liar, very good. I think you need to read, study and think on this a bit more, you are helping to destroy the faith of those coming up or who are wobbly in the faith who look to good men (instead of God).
Unconsionable. Evolution is really the great and pernicios evil that has caused us to get where we are with the murder of the unborn, euthanasia, the callous treatment of the elderly, the infirm, the needy, the list is endless and you have bought into the lie, the culture of death is strengthened by your support, thank you.
Believers are being marginalized bit by bit but those of you that know of what I speak are NOT surprised, rather we will be eidified that the Word still holds true regardless of fallen man and his pathetic pronouncements.
“Before Adam, there was no death”, one of many sticking points but then again if the Bible be false, don’t worry about it, better to read some comic books or something, enjoy life while you are able. That “great, gettin’ up morn” will be a horror for many, man is an eternal being but in two categories: one group eternally damned, the other eternally glorified, which group will you be in? And how?
And is used by our enemies, and their name is Legion, against us.
W is a Christian like W is a conservative; lukewarm.
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