GW The Politician
Posted by johnhouk on Oct 08, 2007John R. Houk
© October 8, 2007
It is doing interviews on anti-American Mohammedan media and saying things like “whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God” that makes old GW an enigma to people who dearly wish to support him and validates the views of his enemies.
I myself wish to believe GW is a man of faith, but ultimately the above statement proves he is an American politician. GW has accomplished and acted on things that I believe another leader such as Gore or Kerry would not have had the cajones to put into action; however it has become apparent the motive was viable but the execution was a debacle.
As a politician his public erudition will be skewed to gain the approval the audience which is listening to him. Does GW truly believe that ALL religions pray to the same God? Due to being a politician he may never find out until history can scrap together the snippets of private conversations, private correspondences and actual witnesses to the practice of his personal faith.
I pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that Judeo/Christianity represents that it is the GW-politician making those deluded statements and not the actual personal faith of GW in Jesus’ Name (and here is a point of belief separation Judaism and Christianity – Name of Jesus).
The politician GW is screwing some things up (my perspective) and fixing others. It is all about the politician’s maxim to formulate a political agenda and attempt to accomplish it by building a political power base and compromise (give and take) with the political enemy.
GW’s current problem current problem is alienating his political base and negotiating with an intransient enemy that senses it has the current political upper hand.
JRH
***********************
Bush: All religions pray to 'same God'
'That's what I believe. I believe Islam is a great religion that preaches peace'
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Posted: October 7, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
President George Bush has repeated his belief all religions, "whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God" – an assertion that caused outrage among evangelical leaders when he said it in November 2003.
Bush made the statement Friday in an interview with Al Arabiya reporter Elie Nakouzi.
Al Arabiya is Al Jazeerah's top competitor in the Mideast.
As the president and Nakouzi walked from the Oval Office to the Map Room in the White House residence, Nazouki asked, "But I want to tell you – and I hope this doesn't bother you at all – that in the Islamic world they think that President Bush is an enemy of Islam – that he wants to destroy their religion, what they believe in. Is that in any way true, Mr. President?"
"No, it's not," said Bush. "I've heard that, and it just shows [sic] to show a couple of things: One, that the radicals have done a good job of propagandizing. In other words, they've spread the word that this really isn't peaceful people versus radical people or terrorists, this is really about the America not liking Islam.
"Well, first of all, I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace. And I believe people who murder the innocent to achieve political objectives aren't religious people, whether they be a Christian who does that – we had a person blow up our – blow up a federal building in Oklahoma City who professed to be a Christian, but that's not a Christian act to kill innocent people.
"And I just simply don't subscribe to the idea that murdering innocent men, women and children – particularly Muslim men, women and children in the Middle East – is an act of somebody who is a religious person.
Friday's statement echoes one made by Bush in November 2003 during a joint press conference with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. A reporter noted Bush had frequently expressed the view that freedom is a gift from "the Almighty," but questioned whether Bush believes "Muslims worship the same Almighty" as the president and other Christians do.
"I do say that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person. I also condition it by saying freedom is not America's gift to the world," Bush replied. "It's much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same god," reported the London Telegraph.
Reaction from U.S. evangelical leaders was swift and strong.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, was quoted in the Baptist Press as saying the president "is simply mistaken."
According to a Washington Post account, Land said in an interview: "We should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief. The Bible is clear on this: The one and true god is Jehovah, and his only begotten son is Jesus Christ."
The Rev. Ted Haggard, then-president of the National Association of Evangelicals, also contradicted the president in a press statement. "The Christian God encourages freedom, love, forgiveness, prosperity and health," said Haggard. "The Muslim god appears to value the opposite. The personalities of each god are evident in the cultures, civilizations and dispositions of the peoples that serve them. Muhammad's central message was submission; Jesus' central message was love. They seem to be very different personalities."
In November 2006, Haggard was forced to resign from NAE following allegations of drug use and sex with a homosexual prostitute.
Gary Bauer, former presidential candidate and president of American Values, said Bush's comment was "not helpful to the president. Since everybody agrees he's not a theologian, he would be much better advised to punt when he gets that kind of question."
In Friday's interview with Al Arabiya, Bush emphasized his outreach to Muslims.
"We are having an Iftaar dinner tonight – I say, 'we' – it's my wife and I," Bush told Nakouzi. "This is the seventh one in the seven years I've been the president. It gives me a chance to say 'Ramadan Mubarak.' The reason I do this is I want people to understand about my country. In other words, I hope this message gets out of America. I want people to understand that one of the great freedoms in America is the right for people to worship any way they see fit. If you're a Muslim, an agnostic, a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, you're equally American.
"And the value – the most valuable thing I think about America is that – particularly if you're a religious person – you can be free to worship, and it's your choice to make. It's not the state's choice, and you shouldn't be intimidated after you've made your choice. And that's a right that I jealously guard.
"Secondly, I want American citizens to see me hosting an Iftaar dinner."
"That's a strong message for the Americans," said Nakouzi.
Last year, WND reported criticism of Bush from Wafa Sultan, a native of Syria, who said the president was empowering terrorist leaders whose ultimate aim is for Islamic law to govern the world by proclaiming Islam a "religion of peace."
"I believe he undermines our credibility by saying that," said Sultan. "We came from Islam, and we know what kind of religion Islam is."
_______________________
GW The Politician
John R. Houk
© October 8, 2007
______________
Bush: All religions pray to 'same God'
Copyright 1997-2007 All Rights Reserved. WorldNetDaily.com Inc
powered by [ stevencopley.com ]
