Bush's Remark About God Assailed
The Christian God encourages freedom, love, forgiveness, prosperity and health. 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.
- Rev Ted Haggard
For those of you about to head off to church this Sunday morning, I offer this question for your consideration: is YOUR God better than the Muslim God? The self-righteous among you will no doubt say yes, but I would submit that the majority of you will say no, because you know that it is the SAME God, albeit seen from a different vantage point.
Of course, if you're a member of the Ignorant, Xenophobic Christian Right, the answer is so self-evident as to not even be worth answering. Anyone who thinks otherwise is beneath contempt- even, it would seem, Our Sainted Illegitimate President.
Evangelical Christian leaders expressed dismay yesterday over President Bush's statement that Christians and Muslims worship the same god, saying it had caused discomfort within his conservative religious base. But most predicted that the political impact would be short-lived.
At a news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair in England on Thursday, a reporter noted that Bush has often said that freedom is a gift from "the Almighty" but questioned whether Bush believes that "Muslims worship the same Almighty" that he does.
"I do say that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person," the president replied. "I also condition it by saying freedom is not America's gift to the world. It's much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same god."
Mark this down, y'all, 'cuz it ain't gonna happen often, but I agree with Our Sainted Illegitimate President on this count. Not only that, he has Scripture and the Koran on his side. Of course, those of you with the "Christians Aren't Perfect, Just Forgiven" stickers on the bumpers of your Ford Excursions are no doubt HIGHLY offended by the President's statement. Wake up and smell the cat litter, willya? What is it about your flavor of Christianity that gives you the right to look down your noses at those who believe and worship differently? Get over yourselves, already. In case y'all had forgotten, charity and tolerance are still Christian values.
Bush's remarks sent immediate shock waves through Christian Web sites and radio broadcasts. A Baptist Press report quoted Richard D. Land, president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, as saying that Bush "is simply mistaken."
"We should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief," Land said in a telephone interview yesterday. "The Bible is clear on this: The one and true god is Jehovah, and his only begotten son is Jesus Christ."....
Gary Bauer, president of American Values, a conservative public policy group, said it is unclear what the ultimate fallout will be. "But the one thing that's for certain is, it's 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," Bauer said.
The Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson, executive director of the Clergy Leadership Network, a new organization of left-leaning clergy that seeks to counter the Christian right, declined to say whether she believes Christians and Muslims worship the same god.
"I would rather you not quote my theology," she said. "But I have to say that I'm very pleased that President Bush wants to be so inclusive, and I think his inclusiveness in this particular comment speaks well for who we have been as a nation theologically. Not all of his policies and his actions have been as inclusive."
Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America, responded to Bush's statement with a single word: Alhamdullah, Thanks be to God.
"We read again and again in the Koran that our god is the god of Abraham, the god of Noah, the god of Jesus," he said. "It would not come to the mind of a Muslim that there is a different god that Abraham or Jesus or Moses was praying to."
And this, kids, is why you should NEVER mix religion and politics. If it were to happen in this country, we would be ruled by the ignorant, the fearful, and the xenophobic. People like Gary Bauer, Ted Haggard, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell leading us? Aagh...what a truly frightening though- but then again, Americans tend to get exactly the quality of leadership they deserve- the current occupant of the White House is Exhibit A.
Perhaps the Founding Fathers really DID know what they were up to, eh??
