Bush's Christian rhetoric is just a tool

[Nikia]

Does anyone else see that? I suspect that his goals are two fold:
1. Convince Americans that the ideals of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence aren't that important. He is trying to convince people that America was founded as a Christian nation and this is the American identity. The real American identity is the liberal ideals in the mentioned documents, but Bush is trying to convince Americans that this isn't the case.
2. Convinving Christians that Christianity isn't based upon the liberal "Love thy neighbor" teachings of Jesus. Evidently many Christians are now believing that unprovoced war is a Christian value.
By doing these things, Americans will be more accepting of a dictatorship because they will no longer consider their traditional values important.
Bush's actions are not a promotion of Christian values, but rather an elimination of Christian values while at the same time underminding democratic values.

[NMDemDist2]

1. Bush is a tool

:mad:

[KitchenWitch]

9. ???

Call me obtuse, but can you define the word tool as used in the phrase "Bush is a tool"

I am not joking, I honestly want to know (I am not familiar with the vernacular).

[sangh0]

11. It means very little

It's a derogatory term, like "asswipe" or "nimrod". Calling someone a tool doesn't tell you much about the person being attacked. It only reveals the speakers animosity towards the "tool"

[NMDemDist2]

17. right, it was just a disgusted post re: * and his "Christian" persona n/t

[Pepperbelly]

20. a tool's tool...

isn't that 2/3s of a trifecta?

[neebob]

2. Let me put it this way

I don't believe that he believes his own rhetoric. And I think he knows he's fooling a lot of people and that is his intention.

[acmavm]

3. bush*s profession of Christianity is just like everything else with the

guy. Like "I served honorably." There's not lie that he won't stoop to. Sort of like telling everyone he's a cowboy as well. Scared of horse but wants you to believe he's a real Texas cowboy born in Connecticutt, educated (excuse the exaggeration) at Harvard.

Please, take anything that comes out of his mouth and turn it around 180 degrees and you'll have the truth.

[SHRED]

4. It's all a snowjob

With the media's blessing. Of course they bless this bastard shrub...after all, the media is BIG corporate owned.

It's filtered media to feed the military/corporate complex. A complex that yearns to extract the world's resources at no accountability. The "media" runs coverup for them through redefining reality into a palletable gruel for the brainwashed masses..

[freelight]

5. Hasn't Christianty been used as a tool since its inception?

Of course Bush is doing this, but Western powers have been abusing the Christian faith since the establishment of the Catholic Church. This is nothing new.
The real problem isn't abusive leaders, it's gullible followers. Always has been.

[sangh0]

12. Oy vey

All religions have been used as tools. The question is "A tool for what?"

Tools can build things, and destroy them

The real problem isn't abusive leaders, it's gullible followers. Always has been.

Actually, I think it's both. Either one on it's own seems useless to me. A leader without followers? Who is he leading? Followers without a leader? Who are they following?

[freelight]

13. true...

I agree that all religions have been/are being used as tools. Christianity just seems to have a bigger history of destructive use. Not that I find anything wrong with Christianity itself, you understand. (Well, no more than other religions.)

However, I think that gullible followers are a greater problem, because they will always find someone to follow. Is Bush a real leader? Hell no. He's just greedy and ambitious. People who follow blindly and without question are very dangerous, and harmful to society as a whole.
Now a leader without followers? Worthless, I agree.

[sangh0]

19. Christianity took root in western civilization

and western civilization was the first to industrialize, giving it the tools for mass destruction. I don't think there's anything inherent in Christianity, or in any religion, that explains it. For example, atheistic govts (ie Communist China) has killed tens of millions.

And your point about gullible followers is an interesting one. I'll have think some more about it. Thank you.

[madrchsod]

6. of course

it always was from the day of his big conversion long ago. his great conversion story is pretty much a fabrication. this is one thing that really pisses me off about people who use bush`s "christian beliefs and statements" to attack the words and deeds of christ and people here who believe in what christ said about treating others. if people would study the life and times of christ they maybe would come to appreciate his impact and realize what happened when the roman/greek culture took over the christ`s words.

[BenDavid]

7. In my opinion,

the only problem I see with Bush and Christianity. Bush has not practiced it, in it's true meaning. Bush justifies whatever he does as being Christ-like but his words and deeds do not match. A great example of what I mean and if I recall; there is in the book of James a brother and sister in need of food and clothing, a man for sake of argument I will call "Bush Conservative", comes up to them and sees their plight. Says to them, "Let us pray". Afterwards, he goes away, but the brother and sister are still in need of food and clothing. Another man approaches, I will call "Liberal" comes up to them and sees their need, and takes them and gets them clothes and then feeds them. Then he says to them, "let us pray" and then goes away. Now which man practices the truer meaning of loving thy brother/sister as thyself? Which man practices words and deeds? When we as liberals have the chance to call them on their hypocrisey then we should. Prayer without faith does not work, as prayer without works and deeds either. " Thou shalt love the L-rd thy G-d with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (DO NOT PAUSE) and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"

[OutsourceBush]

8. This is Bushes brand of Chrstianity...

[biscotti]

10. He is the definition of phony

Not real or genuine, fake. Problem is there are "real"crazies that profess the dangerous rhetoric. They use george* to further their agenda. They are connected around the world. They are a delusional cult with power and zillions of dollars. They believe that you have to hurt people sometimes to "help" them. Not unlike w*'s spew,to liberate them even if it's by death. I will never forget an article I read last year in Harpers "Jesus Plus Nothing". Very insightful. It is about one of their pods that is right outside D.C. but they operate around the world. There are current Senators and Representatives who live and operate out of their conclave. ....Real spooky to me. Of course when you boil it all down, they are all about power and money using the pretense of religion.

[marlakay]

14. I read somewhere during the campaign that Bush and Rove

saw in Texas how one of the candidates was getting the christian vote and they decided to go after it. I just wish all the christians out there would know the truth about how he has used them for years and how coldly him and Rove went about it and couldn't really care less about what they believe, he just wanted the power and to be elected.

[erniesam]

15. Bush practices the "American civil religion"

"What we have, from the earliest years of the republic, is a collection of beliefs, symbols and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity ... American civil religion has its own prophets and its own martyrs, its own sacred events and sacred places, its own solemn rituals and symbols. It is concerned that America be a society as perfectly in accord with the will of God as men can make it, and a light to all the nations."
Robert Bellah, "Civil Religion in America," 1967

http://www.facsnet.org/issues/faith/sherrill_indy.php

[erniesam]

16. more about civil religion

Civil religion: good or bad?

In the political context, the language of civil religion can be used to inspire, but it can also be abused and used to manipulate.

“So much of it out there goes unacknowledged and unstudied that can be more dangerous than useful; it can be used to create fraudulent sentiments,” Sherrill said.
On the other hand, “civil religion involves some of the best resources we have as a nation. The power to compel and to elicit a sense of bonded-ness to one’s fellow countryperson is the best part of civil religion when it works. But it is potentially some of the most destructive stuff because it can be manipulated so easily by cynical people.
“I believe civil religion, if done with integrity and honesty, does represent the source of common aspirations if you don’t push it too hard and make it too specific,” he said.

Sherrill urged journalists, when they detect a politician using the language of civil religion, to make note and follow up with more questions.
“It would lift the level of political and religious discourse if you would stop and say, ‘Wait just one fine minute, what do you mean by that? What does ‘covenant’ mean?’ ” Sherrill said.

Summary

Bellah said he avoids using the term “civil religion” because it is so difficult to define, and ends up being the source of arguments about conflicting definitions.
“Inevitably, civil religion was understood by many people to mean the idolatrous worship of the state,” he said during the Santa Barbara lecture. “But, nonetheless, what I think is the significance of a public church is a church, which keeps its distance from power, which claims no constitutional authority – but which is actively involved in the common discourse about matters of public concern. The public church is a critical element in a society that must operate to keep that religious understanding of the nation viable.”

Sherrill believes civil religion is here to stay, in whatever form.
“Civil religion has gone through permutation after permutation throughout the course of our history. Every significant historical event that the country passed through had to get folded into it somehow,” he said. “There are signs and remnants of religion in places where you don't expect it. Civil religion is voracious and will gobble up anything it thinks useful.”

http://www.facsnet.org/issues/faith/sherrill_indy.php#bad

[thinkingwoman]

18. He is definitely a tool

But I don't honestly think he's trying to convince Americans of either points in your post.

I think he's saying whatever he needs to in order to consolidate power.

Think about it. He is moving fast to enact what he thinks is important. But what moves has he made to appease the Christian right?

Renquist is half dead and still won't step down. What do you make of that?

Bush doesn't need to trash the ideals of the constitution to achieve his goals. And I've never heard him spout the Christian nation crap. All I hear is God Bless and Jesus is the best philosopher dude and faith-based crap.

Now, the fundie freaks that he panders to are another story altogether. They are the ones actively doing what your posts says. Bush simply does nothing to counter or stop them.

[Disturbed]

21. Does it matter?

Whether the Bush Junta is for real in their religious beliefs doesn't matter does it? It is what the followers act upon that effects the nation, right?

What is the purpose of any religion?

[thinkingwoman]

22. the purpose of religion

is to explain why we are here and what here is and how here got here.

Didn't you pay attention in religion 101 in college?

[Oak2004]

23. Absolutely: he's really practicing Straussian politics

which is all about false piety for amoral leaders and crushingly moralistic religion for the control of the masses.