Since when does Bush see religion as a ‘personal matter’?

April 29, 2005

At last night’s press conference, Bush distanced himself from the demagogic attacks on Dems, who’ve been attacked as religious bigots by the president’s allies in the religious right and in the Senate. Good for him; it was the only answer of the night with which I could strongly agree.

There was, however, one comment in the response that didn’t quite work.

“The role of religion in our society? I view religion as a personal matter.”

He does? George W. Bush, who’s been exploiting and manipulating his faith since his days as governor is now insisting that he believes religion is a “personal matter.” Talk about your dramatic conversions…

This is, after all, the same person who:

* cited Jesus as his favorite political philosopher

* declared June 10, 2000, “Jesus Day” in the state of Texas

* told the New York Times that non-Christians don’t get to go to Heaven

* has endorsed state support of the Ten Commandments, a constitutional amendment on school prayer, and creationism lessons in public school science classes

* included sectarian prayers at his 2001 inauguration, which told Americans, “May this be the beginning of a new dawn for America as we humble ourselves before You and acknowledge You alone as our Lord, as Savior and our Redeemer. We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.”

* has issued more official declarations encouraging Americans to pray than any other U.S. president

And now Bush believes religion is “a personal matter”? What a pleasant surprise.

What can you say? He’s a douche-bag.

  • Bush and people who think like him make no distinction between “personal” religion and public advocacy of that religion. We are making an assumption that for Bush and the religious Right, “personal” means “private” — it clearly does not. As far as Bush is concerned, he is now standing behind the most influential bully pulpit in the world. For him, this is just an opportunity to put his “personal” religion to work shaping public policy. He can say “I view religion as a personal matter” without the slightest sense of being hypocritical because for him and his religious Right sycophants, their “personal” religion grants them a mandate to proselytize.

  • Asterisks 1 and 3 seem to be personal matters to me. #3 is actually much more intellectually consistent than usual for Bush. Isn’t an important part of Christian belief the idea that proper worship and behavior in this life will be rewarded with an afterlife in Heaven? It’s kind of the whole point.

    Asterisks 2 and 4, certainly, seem out of line. Asterisk 5: eh, I’ll give him benefit of the doubt. Not the first president to invoke God.

  • Six years ago the country was going through one of the longest periods of prosperity that we have ever experienced. Y2k was the biggest problems that we faced in the near future.
    Now we waste all our time dealing with all this crap and meanwhile nothing important is being accomplished.
    Republicans, the party of destructive and selfish children.

  • What a fucking and hypocritical liar. They don’t get into heaven, either, because as Jesus said, “Faith without works is death.” Or how about, “You can’t have two masters, serving both God and Mammon.” Bush’s efforts on behalf of the poor, compared with his efforts on behalf of the “haves” and the “have mores”? Where has he had the greatest BENEFICIAL effect, and where has he had his greatest DETRIMENTAL effect? The questions answer themselves, and when he stands before the dread judgment seat of Christ on the last day, He will then tell Bush, “Get thee away from me, ye cursed, for when I was hungry, and cold, and naked, and in prison, and sick, you crossed to the other side of the street and did nothing. Go to the left with the goats, into the ever-lasting fires of damnation.”

    Until that day, the poor will continue to suffer, and slime like Bush will live in the lap of luxury without lifting a finger to really help. After Jesus casts Bush into the fires of damnation, Bush the rich man will see Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, and Bush will ask Lazarus to dip his finger in water and put a drop on Bush’s agonized tongue, or to at least go to Bush’s brothers and warn them to change their ways. And God will say, “They have the saints and the prophets, they that have ears let them hear.” One such thing to hear is, “As you sow, so shall you reap.”

    This is not my judgment for Bush, but just as in the Parable of the Talents: of those to whom much is given, much is required. Bush was born on third base, has all the money and political power one could ever hope to weild to shape our destiny and the lives of those caught in the gears of “civilization,” and instead he diddles or actively uses that money and power to foment corruption and evil.

    I know that I have many failings and I tremble to think of the answers I will give and God’s judgment on that final day. I fear that I’ve wasted my gift of life, and that brings me great sorrow. I have even greater rage at people like Bush who refuse to do the slightest things that could make a huge difference in the sufferings of humanity. My only solice for myself AND for people like Bush is Jesus’ admonition for the day of judgment: “As I see, so shall I judge, and my judgment is just – enter into your just recompense.” And, at that time I will say, in the words of a very wise and good friend of mine, “Lord, I don’t want justice, I want mercy.” Amen.

  • “We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,…”

    At most civic events where prayers are said, they usually go with a generic
    prayer; “Heavenly Father, we thank You for…” aWol’s inagural prayer really was in your face, eh?

  • I’m not disagreeing in the slightest with this post — but I do have to give Bush just a bit of credit for one thing. He routinely goes out of his way, when this sort of question comes up, to mention that people who don’t pray at all, who have no active religious faith Christian or otherwise, are no less decent and no less real Americans. I only give him this credit because I doubt there’s any significant constituency who cares about hearing that kind of statement, so I guess it’s just something he really thinks. And it’s good that someone’s saying it.

  • I was very happy with what Bush said. He was publically distancing himself from the religious right and all the crazy things they have been pushing for lately, like impeaching judges.

    People say that Bush is a tool of the religious right, but it’s not true. Actually, he has been using them. He talks the fundamentalist line and gets them to work like crazy to elect and re-elect him, but they get very little in return. Think, for instance, of how Bush lead them on about being totally anti-homosexual, but then just before the November election he said he thought gay civil unions were ok.

    Bush is a practical politician. He knows if does what the religious right wants, then he loses the rest of conservatives, not to mention moderates. The reason the religious right has gone crazy the last few months is they finally realized how he has been using them all these years.

  • LB, I was outraged by what Bush said…he lied…again. He’s playing his customary word games, saying one thing while doing exactly the opposite. He wins by using words in support of one faction, and deeds in support of the other. This is true on most of the issues, not just religion. Bush is a slimy politician of the worst kind. Tammany Hall and Robber Barons revisited.

    Bush is the biggest Presidential tool of the religious wingnuts imaginable. What crazy religionist things HASN’T he supported by his actions?

    Bush may have said gay civil unions were OK, but just how is he actually working to further that position? He’s not. He is still pushing that bigoted Constitutional Amendment.

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