The Word according to Dubya: 50 religious insights from George Bush

George W. Bush talks to God but he also talks about God. Here are his top 50 quotes about religion, the Almighty, and putting words into God's mouth. Update: Bush recently said that he saw "God" in the eyes of Pope Benedict XVI.

1. I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did. Sharm el-Sheikh August 2003

2. I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job.
Statement made during campaign visit to Amish community, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Jul. 9, 2004

3. I'm also mindful that man should never try to put words in God's mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being, play God. Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2005

4. God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear. Los Angeles, California, Mar. 3, 2004

5. I tell people all the time, you're equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. You're equally American if you believe in an Almighty or don't believe in an Almighty. That's a sacred freedom.
Washington, D.C., Mar. 10, 2006

6. Well, first of all, you got to understand some of my view on freedom, it's not American's gift to the world. See, freedom is God -- is God given. Interview with TVR, Romania, Nov. 23, 2002

7. I'm sure there is some kind of heavy doctrinal difference, which I'm not sophisticated enough to explain to you. Explaining the issues involved in his switching from attending an Episcopal church to attending a Methodist one, (date is approximate:), Jul. 1, 1994

8. I don't think you order suiciders to kill innocent men, women, and children if you're a religious person. Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, Jul. 14, 2004

9. And there's nothing more powerful in helping change the country than the faith -- faith in Dios.
National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C., May 16, 2002

10. We believe in an Almighty, we believe in the freedom for people to worship that Almighty. They don't. Martinsburg, West Virginia, Jul. 4, 2007

11. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.
5th anniversary of the Sep. 11 attacks, White House, Sep. 11, 2006

12. Churches all across the country are reaching out -- synagogues, people from different faiths understand that it makes sense to help their parishioners realize the benefits of this plan.
Sun City Center, Florida, May 9, 2006

13.We can never replace lives, and we can't heal hearts, except through prayer.
Enterprise, Alabama, Mar. 3, 2007

14. God bless the people of this part of the world. Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aug. 4, 2007

15. I believe there's an Almighty, and I believe the Almighty's great gift to each man and woman in this world is the desire to be free. This isn't America's gift to the world, it is a universal gift to the world, and people want to be free. Manhattan, Kansas, Jan. 23, 2006

16. I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah
White House, Dec. 10, 200117.

17. I see an opportunity at home when I hear the stories of Christian and Jewish women alike, helping women of cover, Arab American women go shop because they're afraid to leave their home.
Washington, D.C., Oct. 4, 2001

18. It's a sign from above. Comment made when television light caught fire above crowd, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Mar. 9, 2001

19. I did denounce it. I de- I denounced it. I denounced interracial dating. I denounced anti-Catholic bigacy... bigotry. Responding to attacks on his visit to ultra-conservative Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, Feb. 25, 2000

20. We are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, grateful for the loved ones who give meaning to our lives, and grateful for the many gifts of this prosperous land. On Thanksgiving we acknowledge that all of these things, and life itself, come not from the hand of man, but from Almighty God.
Washington, D.C., Nov. 30, 2002

21. We say in our country, everybody matters, everybody is precious in the sight of an Almighty.
Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota, Oct. 31, 2002

22. We love the fact that people can worship an almighty God any way they see fit here in America.
Phoenix, Arizona, Sep. 28, 2002

23. And I just -- I cannot speak strongly enough about how we must collectively get after those who kill in the name of -- in the name of some kind of false religion.
Press appearance with King Abdullah of Jordan, Aug. 1, 2002

24. We are commanded by God and called by our conscience to love others as we want to be loved ourselves. Ohio State University, Jun. 14, 2002

25. By being active citizens in your church or your synagogue, or for those Muslims, in your mosque, and adhering to the admission to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself, that's how we can stand up.
Remarks to the cattle industry annual convention and trade show, Denver, Colorado, Feb. 8, 2002

26. And we base it, our history, and our decision making, our future, on solid values. The first value is, we're all God's children. Washington, D.C., Jul. 16, 2003

27. One of the great things about this country is a lot of people pray. Washington, D.C., Apr. 13, 2003

28. And there's no doubt in my mind, when the United States acts abroad and home, we do so based upon values -- particularly the value that we hold dear to our hearts, and that is, everybody ought to be free. I want to repeat what I said during my State of the Union to you. Liberty is not America's gift to the world. What we believe strongly, and what we hold dear, is liberty is God's gift to mankind. And we hold that value precious. And we believe it is true. White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Feb. 9, 2003

29. This great, powerful nation is motivated not by power for power's sake, but because of our values. If everybody matters, if every life counts, then we should hope everybody has the great God's gift of freedom. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jan. 29, 2003

30. The short-term objective of this country is to find an enemy and bring them to justice before they strike us. The long-term objective is to make this world a more free and hopeful and peaceful place. I believe we'll succeed because freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
Portsmouth, Ohio, Sep. 10, 2004

31. And if you choose to -- if you believe in the Almighty, you can -- you're equally an American. If you're a Jew, Christian or Muslim or Hindi or whatever. It is one of the great traits and traditions of our country, where people can worship the way you see fit. Interview on Larry King Live (CNN),, Aug. 15, 2004

32. By the way, to whom much has been given, much is owed. Not only are we leading the world in terms of encouraging freedom and peace, we're feeding the hungry. We're taking care of, as best as we possibly can, the victims of HIV/AIDS. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jul. 20, 2004

33. Faith-based is an important part of my life, individually, but I don't -- I don't ascribe a person's opposing my nominations to an issue of faith. Prime time press conference, White House, Apr. 28, 2005

34. I believe liberty is universal. I don't believe it is just for the United States of America alone. I believe there is an Almighty, and I believe the Almighty's gift to people worldwide is the desire to be free. Fort Irwin, California, Apr. 4, 2007

35. What a powerful statement to the world about the compassion of the American people that you're free to choose the religion you want in our country. Washington, D.C., Sep. 29, 2006

36. The United States of America must understand that freedom is universal, that there is an Almighty, and the great gift of that Almighty to each man and woman in this world is the desire to be free.  Nashville, Tennessee, Aug. 30, 2006

37. Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious  abuses of medical research. ...Human life is a gift from our Creator -- and that gift should never be discarded, devalued or put up for sale.  2006 State of the Union Address, Jan. 31, 2006

38. One of the most -- I think one of the most important and interesting  domestic initiatives, which I agree has created an interesting philosophical debate, is to allow faith-based programs and community-based programs to access federal money in order to achieve the results we all want. I mean, for example, if you're trying to encourage people to quit drinking, doesn't it make sense to give people somebody an alternative -- he can maybe go to a government counselor? Or how about somebody who calls upon a higher being to help you quit drinking? All I care about is the results. Sterling, Virginia, Jan. 19, 2006

39. Every new citizen of the United States has an obligation to learn our    customs and values, including liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God and tolerance for others, and the English language. Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 28, 2005

40. We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom, and America will always be faithful to that cause. Washington, D.C., Jan. 19, 2005

41.Secondly, it's really important, Pete, that people not think government is a loving entity. Government is law and justice. Love comes from the hearts of people that are able to impart love. And therefore, what Craig is doing is -- he doesn't realize it -- he's a social entrepreneur. He is inspiring others to continue to reach out to say to somebody who is lonely, I love you. And I'm afraid this requires a higher power than the federal government to cause somebody to love somebody.

42. We don't believe that freedom is America's gift to the world. We believe freedom is the God Almighty's gift to each and every person in the world. California, Oct. 15, 2003

43. I believe that, as I told the Crown Prince, the Almighty God has endowed each individual on the face of the earth with -- that expects each person to be treated with dignity. This is a universal call. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Jun. 3, 2003

44. All of you -- all in this generation of our military -- have taken up the highest calling of history. You're defending your country, and protecting the innocent from harm. And wherever you go, you carry a message of hope -- a message that is ancient and ever new. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "To the captives, 'come out,' -- and to those in darkness, 'be free.' Aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, a couple of miles away from San Diego May 1, 2003

45. It's so inspirational to see your courage, as well as to see the great works of our Lord in your heart. Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 10, 2003

46. As Dick mentioned, we mourn the loss of seven brave souls. We learned a lot about them over the last couple of days, and Laura and I learned a lot about their families in Houston, because we met with them. My impressions of the meeting was that there was -- that Almighty God was present in their hearts. Washington, D.C., Feb. 6, 2003

47. It's also important for people to know we never seek to impose our culture or our form of government. We just want to live under those universal values, God-given values. Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2002

48. Yet we do know that God has placed us together in this moment, to grieve together, to stand together, to serve each other and our country. Ellis Island, New York, Sep. 11, 2002

49. The reason I'm -- asked [these AmeriCorps workers] to join us here is because I want you to know, America can be saved one person at a time. Green Tree, Pennsylvania, Aug. 5, 2002

50. Government can hand out money, but it cannot put hope into people's hearts. It cannot put faith into people's lives. West Ashley High School, Charleston, South Carolina, Jul. 29, 2002

Source www.dubyaspeak.com

Comments

[geoffrey max Mordecai]

I'm sending this to my loved ones on my E-mail. I can feel the Jewish-Christian brotherhood and hope some Muslems will be ready to join the ranks and wipe out idolatry, because unfortunatly it is rampant. President Bush implores us saying that governments cannot solve the problems and as such acts as a leader and not just an administrator. Are we willing to be brothers and open our hearts for each other, if you think about it we don't really have so much to loose!

[Michelle Wetzler]

Very interesting, and terrifying. The separation of church and state is a joke in this country. The next election might bring us a minority president if Barack or Hillary are elected, but how long with it take before we have a non-Christian leader?

[Jason]

Separation of church and state (which technically doesn't exist, but we'll pretend you meant non-establishment or state religion) does not mean that the President must never speak about his faith, even in reference to matters of public policy. Understand what non-establishment means, then bitch about it.

[James Gray]

The list forgets his quote of September 16, 2001, when he said "This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while." Or his "I really appreciate leaders from around the globe who have come to share in prayer with us today. It reminds me that the Almighty God is a God to everybody, every person." Which he said at the 51st Annual Congressional Prayer Breakfast on February 6, 2003). Which is better, of course, than his own father, who during an official press conference answered a question by saying "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." I wish the Bushes would learn that being an American means following the principles of the Constitution, not the Bible.

[Jon Wayne]

Here's a great quote about religion that somehow missed the list...

I appreciate that question because I, in the state of Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge between church and state.

~George W Bush January 29, 2001,

Here's another...

Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are Atheists?

Bush: No, I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

He is dangerous.

Be Well.

[Swishi]

Far too dangerous mixing religion and politics, you can expect a war any-time soon they combine.

[Marie]

I don't see the problem with a Christian leader in a predominantly Christian country with Christian ethics and moral systems. True Bush doeson occasion make irrational judgements which are not adequately thought through but he is only human, give him a break and bring on more Christian leaders. I'd rather a conservative Christian than an extremist Muslim any day!

[hallie lund]

Inarticulate babble.

[stoneskyman]

One of the most important sayings he mentioned came from the writings in :LUKE - If youre not with us - youre against us - does this not make himself sound like he is playing god

[Miko]

Personally, I'd rather a conservative Muslim than an extremist Christian. In fact, I'd rather an extremist Muslim than an extremist Christian, considering that all the extremists and fundies with power in the US are Christian. A balance of terror might be desirable.

[AtheistUK]

I am an atheist. I find such rhetoric to be entirely and deeply distressing. It is illiberal and symptomatic of the innate authoritarianism of monotheistic dogma. It is dangerous. A Christian President must accept that any atheistic/agnostic minority (though being Western European, I am a part of the majority) must be accomodated.

[sal]

if bush means every american is free, than why are native americans still living on reservations???? god is used as an excuse by humans to hide behind when they do the things they do aganist other humans in the name of god.

[E.M.]

It's sheer, unmitigated lunacy: America is supposed to be "better" than this.
That said -- and with the understanding that Mr Bush's malapropisms will one day be his undoing -- the fact that I can wake up one day and practice as a Jew and go to bed that night having discovered Buddha (or Jesus, for that matter), and NOT be stoned to death for it...well, that is the point here. THe rules of life have changed; the best we can do is assure the citizens of a free world that they can practice however they choose to, and remain safe.
Nevertheless, the man is something of a dope, but I get his point.

[Shani-Schindler]

He has no idea what he is talking about, nor has he got any idea to what christianity is. Because of his actions and words, the world has a different and negative perspective on christianity.
In my point of view, how much freedom should one be allowed to have? Moral values have been set to limit the freedom that we have so that we would not lead ourselves into destruction.

I still wonder now, as I wondered then, "how did he became the president?"

[frank, sydney]

George Bush snr:

"I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
"I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists."

George W. Bush:

"For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America."

"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right."

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - so long as I'm the dictator."

"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being President."

"Our nation is chosen by God and commissioned by history to be a model to the world."

No comment needed.

[Chris White]

Mentalist.

[Max, Wien]

I dont understand why people have to get so offeneded every time God is mentioned. Half if not more of these comments say how Christians are fanatics, and so forth... What is so bad about being Christian?

[KC]

If you are a true believer, you should take a rational look at the huge damage George Bush has done to the reputation of Christian faith in the past few years.

[CS]

That does not answer the question really - What is so bad about being a Christian? Or, for that matter, holding any other belief system including Atheism. Just because George Bush has weakened the reputation of Christians and the Christian faith, one should not restrict his freedom to declare what he understands - no matter how incomprehensible that might be to the rest of the world. People who decry Bush's statements about his faith as being inappropriate or "mentalist" or "dangerous" should have a look at the proverbial log in their own eye first (excuse the Christian overtones); in saying such things they are effectively supporting a restriction of the freedoms of belief and speech that they claim to hold so dear.

[Brien Comerford]

As an American I am really miffed about George Bush's horrible record on the environment. He always mentions profound reverence for God but he has decimated and massacred God's creation and creatures with the utmost, ungodly irreverence.

[M. Bright]

Please, this guy hasn't a religious bone in his body. And neither do 99 percent of the rest of the Republican politicians. They make a big show of religion because they're required to cater to the most ignorant, silly hillbillies who make up an important constituency in the Southern states.

This kowtowing to a bunch of religious psychos is what happens when you enfranchise too many people. You end up with a dictatorship of the mad and the stupid.

[michael]

He is definitely unable to think or he would have rejected all religion as false. Religion also does immense harm to millions around the world. that is why many are not atheists but antitheist. Religion is the enemy of intelligence.

[Nicolette Ladoulis]

41.Secondly, it's really important, Pete, that people not think government is a loving entity. Government is law and justice. Love comes from the hearts of people that are able to impart love. And therefore, what Craig is doing is -- he doesn't realize it -- he's a social entrepreneur. He is inspiring others to continue to reach out to say to somebody who is lonely, I love you. And I'm afraid this requires a higher power than the federal government to cause somebody to love somebody.

--Not sure where this came from, but this is as interesting as it is scary. I think I´m American. I might still be Christian...It´s sad to read all this. But #41 takes the cake. I guess he's never heard the term "social justice." The idea of which, interestingly, came from the Jewish culture. But I guess it´s what our constitution intended, limited government, freedom from government and tyranny. Democrats and Republicans alike have this way of thinking. Even JFK held the same belief in a way. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.." I really don't know what it means to be "American" any more actually. I think Americans are maybe going through an identity crisis, which is why the religious theme is coming up. Government's only mandate is to basically not exist, it would seem. At least government in a democracy is supposed to be of the people,i.e. consumers, taxpayers. You´d think they´d at least understand, they get what they pay for..

[David]

I love this President. He is of the highest moral quality and character. What a breath of fresh air compared to the Clinton years. God bless you Mr. President

[Sam]

So its ok for George Bush to bomb the hell out of Iraq because he thinks God told him to, but yet he condemns the twin towers attackers, even though they claim God told them to bomb America?? Mr Bush is the same type of terrorist, just following a different religion- you can't use God as an excuse to bomb other countries!

[JesseK]

Why don't we just spell it out: Bush believes in ghosts. Oooh! Scary!

[Ross Hamilton Henry, Humanist Minister]

George Bush calims that he believes that god speaks to him. Many people from both sides of every question religious and political make that claim. But, In fact, the god hypothesis has not one shread of evidence to support it so that people who make this claim are essentially reporting on the content of their delusions, and in effect they are worshipping their own opinions. Do we really need a Delusional person leading the most powerful naton on Earth.

[Marita]

Dont forget. Bush is not the enemy. He is a monkey in a suit. A puppet and an actor.
He doesn't write his speeches nor make all the decisions. He's merely the scape-goat.
While we focus on blaming Bush and (sometimes) the US, we're letting the real culprits get away.

[LucyQ]

American presidents have to pose with the OT/NT book of superstition as that is how the hierarchy manipulates the dumbed down population. Does anyone else find it rather disturbing that something like 65% of people in the the US believe that Adam & Eve is a true story? Yikes! Religion festers like a disease perpetuating an emotionally infantile population. It the root cause of the catastrophic failure of the USA which is decaying minute by minute. Who wants to be long US dollars these days? Yeah we know that if Bush hugged a Koran or put a statue of adorable Ganesha (Hindu Elephant God) on his desk that there would be a lot of whining and he would be impeached. Yes of course its an act but no one ever got rich expecting above average intelligence from the American people.

Religions are superstition products marketed to those with infantile emotions. I think Saul of Tarsus, the guy who invented the myth of Christ, was the Karl Rove equivalent spin meister for Constantine and we the people of the world still suffer today thanks to the Vatican's diabolically cruel and anti social imposition of the Holy Roman empire.

Dare we hope for a world free of religious superstition where all people are well educated and everyone enjoys a reasonable quality of life?

Oh and please people don't invoke the Hitler excuse. He was a Roman Catholic. The Vatican probably still holds masses for him on his Bday. He got his monster in trainer classes from the Catholic Church a secret, cruel misogynist organization that purged everyone who got int he way of the priests. The Vatican like Saudi Arabia refuses to sign the International Declaration of Human Rights.

[Nic]

Such pseudo-enlightment is what is leading to the slow decline of Western Europe with it's God-less socilist institutions and lack of family values. (Notice I said FAMILY, not MORAL) Motivation, spirit, faith, and love drive Americans in their daily lives to build and take care of their families, which is the pinnacle of American life. If it's not, people are free to do whatever they want, anyway, regardless of Bush's religious zeal. At least Americans are not overly burdened with fast-aging population and a declining work-force that stand to cripple social institutions.

[angry_diane]

The whole article is scary and sad at the same time - if he really and truly believed as he says, there would NOT be a war on, there would not be any scandals, no one would have to hide behind "executive priviledge" to scheme and plot to take this country over. And for Bush senior to say that atheists are NOT PATRIOTS, where the hell does he get off? I for one, do not believe in the mainstream christian view (why should I when these folks are doing what they do in the name of God) - so I am mortally offended that I am not a patriot - I don't remember reading in the Constitution that is is mandatory to believe in a specific deity to be a patriot!!!! We have to get these extremeists OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!

[Paul J. Norton]

I have one question.

Who would Jesus torture?

"By their works ye shall know them".

Best,
Paul

[Marcus Aurelius]

Some posters here have stated that GWB is moral and/or ethical and/or good for our country.

These people need validation for their corrupted and hypocritical understanding of their own "faiths" as well as the Constitutional basis of our country and the philosophical beliefs of our founders.

These peope need to be correct at all costs.

In the coming devaluation of the American economy, stature, and ideology, these people will have to learn the hard way: If there is a God, he doesn't like us very much. The truly blessed among them will come to understand the truth: There is no god.

[Stu]

Family values? USA? Is this the same USA that spews out endless porn onto the WWW? Tell you what - servicing personal debt drives the Americans to keep working. The divorce rate illustrates that many US citizens don't give a damn about family values.

[Garth]

Being a non-American, everytime Bush comes up for discussion, people I talk to want to understand why Americans voted for this man? Electing him once was bad, twice was incomprehensible. I suspect that people all over the world are confued buy this and end up asking: if this is democracy then it must be broken.

[Gary Marks]

Hearing voices in their heads is a common phenomenon amongst schizophrenics and religious folks. Some people won’t see the redundancy there.

[smike]

RE: Posted by: angry_diane | 14 Aug 2007 16:36:06
"I have one question.
Who would Jesus torture?
"By their works ye shall know them".
Best,
Paul"

That is good. Concise.

First of all, I am surprised this conversation is ongoing.

Second of all, what a precise, pithy quote (of whatever origin - I know, I know...).

"By their works ye shall know them"

If you really know them, there should be no question as to what your next decision is in regards to them. If your value system is based on Christ, you should have no problem deciphering what Christ thought about the matter, as long as you have a New Testament. Then you can choose to follow Christ or not. You can be the decider, not Christ, if you so choose.

Sounds like a lot of "Christians" have opted to become "Deciders".

[smike]

To STU (re: Bush winning 2 elections), who posted: “…if this is democracy then it must be broken.”

As an American, I can say, “That is correct, sir!”.

[Dave]

Folks -

As an Englishman who moved over to the US a few years ago, I think I understand why the yanks voted Dubya in for another four years.

Fact is, he's not the worst man for the job.

Sure, his ability to speak lucidly in public ranks somewhere below a toaster. Sure, we can debate the dubious nature of his motivation to be president. He's done nothing to repair his appalling approval rating, and seems woefully unable - or disinclined - to play politico. But, the economy has done pretty well under his tenure, despite what you may have read.

His religious statements? Well, he's the former governor of Texas, and as a southern politician he has to play the God card pretty heavy to accommodate the strong southern base in congress, who in turn have to play that same card to draw support from rank and file conservatives, who are the ones who actually show up on election day and vote. It's a carefully considered ploy, as you'd expect from a guy who spent the 80's snorting coke and running around playing oil baron.

Bush isn't crazy, and he isn't dumb (at least, no dumber than any other politician). Additionally, the majority of the US population who voted for him - twice - are not red-state, bib-wearing, eight-toed inbred rednecks with shotguns in the Chevy and a penchant for incest. They are - in the main - intelligent, level-headed people who adore the republican party for it's stance on taxes; particularly the elimination of the estate tax which is crippling small farms and businesses.

So, no. Democracy isn't broken. No news is good news, so you only read about the parts that don't work, not the ones that do.

Oh, and don't fall into the trap of confusing foreign policy with the whims of the executive branch. Bush could decide that Timbuktu is a refuge for the godless, but he couldn't do crap about it without the house and senate voting for war. It's always convenient to push out the president as a totem for this and that, but he's not constitutionally able to do much by himself, save veto.

[Jon]

Who would Jesus torture?

Can I introduce you to the concept of pain? Disease? Hunger? Drought? Suffering, malnutrition, a thousand other very unpleasant things that God/Jesus allows or wills to happen.

He either tortures, or is complicit in the torture of, everyone!

[Tony Gosling]

Delusional comments from the most powerful man in the world. God told me to is the excuse of madmen and fanatics. How scary that Americans voted him in twice. Astonishing how hypocritical he is as well, he talks about the sanctity of human life and yet signed off more death sentances as governer of Texas than any state governer before or since, and has been responsible for hundred of thousands of deaths and injuries with his wars.

[Tom O'Connor]

There is nothing wrong with a Christian president having christian beliefs and pursuing those beliefs in his private life. There IS, however, something very wrong with a president who uses his personal ideology as a basis for the crafting of policies that affect people who do not share those beliefs, or using his power to promote the agenda of a particular religious group.

Didn't the founding fathers go to pretty great efforts to guard against concentration of too much power with any one group?

What about if we elected a muslim president? Would those who say there is nothing wrong with Dubya's constant invocation of his religious beliefs feel ok about a muslim president spouting personal religious beliefs in the context of making national policy?

[doug home]

I, an Australian citizen, would ask US citizens (voters) who see no wrong coming from the increasing intertwining of policies of faith to the policies of state; to do the following things:

1. Study George Mason's Declaration of Rights.
2. Study Thomas Jefferson's Bill for Religious Freedom.
3. Study James Madison's amendment to the fledgling US Constitution. What is known as “The Establishment Clause” wherein he wrote, in part: "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state."
4. Study the US Constitution. Start with the First Amendment.
5. Study the Supreme Court Lee v. Weisman, 1992.
6. Read a little on the consequences of State Religions. I would recommend European history, the period 1525 to 1648.

If, after doing all that; you still cannot see the inherently and historically proven dangers associated by this progressing union; may your god be with you and your enemies.
To those who are a little confused, think on this: If the majority of citizens in a particular country freely choose to follow a particular faith; that faith is not a state religion. That step would require an alteration, freely acquiesced to by a majority of the electors, to the contract existing between the governed and their representatives to adopt that faith as a state religion. This is the position in counties which have adopted the Western European model of constitutional democracy as a form of government. Countries where the elected or, in some case the un-elected, governing class do not ask the governed for their input but merely dictate which religious beliefs will be followed are called theocracies. Some recent examples are Iran or Saudi Arabia. Is it your wish or the wish of the politicians that you favor that the US, the self-proclaimed bastion of democracy, should follow that route? If so why don’t those politicians, people of undoubted principle as they are, clearly state this to their constituency - the US voters?
By the way, my favorite definition of theocracy is: "the belief in government by divine guidance". Ref: WordNet® 3.0, Princeton University, 2006. That part has already begun!

[Emily]

"Who would Jesus torture?

Can I introduce you to the concept of pain? Disease? Hunger? Drought? Suffering, malnutrition, a thousand other very unpleasant things that God/Jesus allows or wills to happen.

He either tortures, or is complicit in the torture of, everyone!"

Jon, this is said with such enjoyment it is worrying. God/jesus/allah - whoever you may believe in, does not torture any of us. Nature goes about her own sweet way, indifferent to any of us tiny humans who share this planet. To give over responsibility to some make-believe fairy tale is what is causing so many of our problems with polluting the planet. We must take responsibility for everything ourselves, it is not up to 'god' or any outside force. Nature is not cruel, it is merely indifferent and some of us obvoiusly feel the need to find meaning in that by calling it gods work.
Why would anyone want to believe in a cruel and jealous 'god' who happily tortures people for their human nature which HE gave to them? Only a sociopathic human could come up with such drivel and then convince half the world to believe in it for their own ends. When will people wake up.

We will only get peace when we stop thinking of christians/hindu's/mohammedans/jews etc and start thinking of HUMAN BEINGS. We are all that.

[raul]

Who does Bush think he is? --A chosen one from God? ...and what's with the marginalization of athiests? ....and "those Muslims"? Fortunately and Unfortunately, Christianity will, for the indefinite time period, be a rock for ideals in leaders. ...and we all have seen how Christianity has been exploited throughout history... I don't know about you, but Extremist Muslim or Conservative Christian...either way, America loses.

[Chris Gregory]

Religion has always been a tool of power, an organizing principle for societies, an instrument of mind control. Nothing different today from how it was at the dawn of civilization.

If God exists, why would God need people to have a religion? Why would the omnipotent God depend upon its human creations to have faith in it? The converse seems much more likely true: If there is a God which created or creates everything, it would be humanity which would depend upon God's faith for its continued existence. If God gave up on all of us, wouldn't we just cease to exist?

The plea to a human to have faith is really just a demand to suspend thought and accept a belief system some external entity -- the people who control and administer a religion -- force upon you, for their ends. If you paid attention in history class in school (unless you went to a religious school maybe) you would have been provided examples of this over and over again. This is why most nations have had an official religion. It allows the ruler(s) to be placed in a higher position of authority in the supposed power chain from God -- or Gods or whatever divine source of power each religion claimed. The rulers of nations with state religions have been able to perpetrate horrible acts which are OK because God said it's OK, and they are the voices of God.
Generally speaking, a lot of BAD THINGS have happened because of this, which is why the founders of our country decided on the separation of the state from any religion:

They knew that the granting of religious power to a government leads to its corruption.

Try googling "divine right" if you're not familiar with the idea, and why the founders of our country were so opposed to incorporation of religion into the state. It's the basis of absolutism, which the USA was designed to be very different from. George Bush has more or less bestowed upon himself in his speeches a divine right. Just see the quotations from his own mouth above.

The USA was designed to be the opposite of an absolutist state: a pluralistic democracy, in which all are created equal, in which the state derives its authority from the consent of the governed.

I'm not an atheist. The founders of the USA were not atheists. But they understood that in order to have better government, the separation of the state from religion was necessary.

[Mani]

A nation which put god first shall be blessed. I am praying for a more christian President of america.

[heroicdose]

I'm a white, agnostic, buddhist leaning american that is so frightened and fed up with where this country is headed, that if another republican is elected in '08, I may very well take my family and leave the country for more enlightened pastures.

[Elnur Musayev]

Spiritual life remains spiritual as long as it is between the God, the one Almighty God, and the His creature, a humble human being. It does not change much whether person is a believer or not. Non-believing is still very personal. I say personal, if not intimate. Judgmental and messianic rhetoric from the high tribunes does not seem to foster intimacy and spiritual consistency.

[adam]

19. I denounced interracial dating... Responding to attacks on his visit to ultra-conservative Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, Feb. 25, 2000

Sounds like Bush is a racist to me.Someone who supports the concept of no ethnic mixing.

[Gabe]

As an American I am really miffed about George Bush's horrible record on the environment. Posted by: Brien Comerford | 12 Aug 2007 02:35:48...
Maybe this would be an elightening reading?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp

[Dvavid M. Christhilf]

Thanks for the photo of Bush standing by the cross! I find that he does an excellent job of standing by his beliefs while also accommodating the views of others.

If Humanism is so tolerant, why does it attempt to squelch the views of others. It sounds like "all views are acceptable, unless they go contrary to our own," i.e. happen to involve absolutes. Sheesh. Even so, why not spend time bashing Al Qaeda as the worse of two evils vs. George Bush? Under Shari law, almost no one is happy, and no one is free. Where does the women's rights movement weigh in on Shari law? It seems very quiet about that.

[michael]

Those that espouse Sharia law and the extremes of Islamic law as ideals for state laws would be far worse, I agree.
The principle that church and state should be separate is an important one. I don't know how Islamic countries should best follow that, but it would help propagate world solidarity and unity if they could.

[Pierre]

When I think of GW Bush (rarely, I assure you), I always think of the man who signed death warrants as Governor of Texas, and claimed, before taking action, to ask himself, "what would Jesus do".

[Traute Klein]

I thought that American televangelists are presumptious when claiming to be favored by God above Christians of other countries. They don't measure up to the outrageous claims of Bush, though. I have read some of the quotations to friends here in Canada, and they simply do not believe that any human being, never mind president, would dare make such statements.

[petunia]

How did we elect him twice?

WE DIDN'T

the first was in question until 9-11
that was a distraction that worked

the second election was on electronic voting machines that can all be hacked
I personally don't believe he won either one.

But it really doesn't matter. We are all too comfortable in this country to do anything.

I am ashamed.

[monkey]

It seems to me that even if you arent part of a particular christian religion in America, you are judged harshly. For instance, it is not acceptable to even be Catholic anymore. Each person has to answer to their higher power alone, each and every person has to walk their own path in life. It seems that we all, no matter what relgion we are, will have to adopt the old pagan tradition of keeping silent about our beliefs.

[penny]

I read almost all the comments til I got tired of reading all the slandering of Christians. We all need to believe in God, beacause history proves that those who believe in God will survive.The majority of Christians stll live and more coming.I hope we will have a true Christian as President someday soon. Because they can bring changes where they are needed.

[jack]

Yes when religion and politics meet usually war results. One of Bush's most outragous remarks about atheists really was not that outragous. Islam by definition is a cult and biblically we Christians are bound to try and convert. We are to love our neighbor but the 5Th (or 6TH) commandment states though shalt not murder not though shalt not kill. Jesus is a radical (yes is He is eternal , only limited when in human form )...And Pres Bush did win two elections , no legit media ever gave Gore a recount victory b4 or after the US supremes had to step in to stop the FLA supremes from rewriting their constitution and in 2004 the Democrats were just plain stupid in running Kerry

[Anch]

The sooner we all can get beyond our imaginary friends, the better, safer, smarter and more enlightened we'll be.

[James Deppeler]

Okay, so he isn't always the epitome of an orator.

A reader above mentioned "the separation of Church and State in this country is a joke."

I might ask two questions. First, where, in the U.S. Constitution, do the words "separation of church and state," or something meaning roughly the same thing, appear? (They don't.) Second, which church do you believe runs the U.S.A.? Or is it a secret council of all of them?

The truth is that there is nothing in the Constitution that says a leader must leave his religious values at the door. What the Constitution does say is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." It was meant to keep Congress from interfering with people's private religious beliefs, but NOT to keep people's private religious beliefs from interfering with Congress.

[R Davis]

God help us, G.W. thinks he is god, clearly showing signs of a delusional nature me thinks.

[E.]

The whole thing strikes me as being purely Machiavellian ploys. Notice how he changed the degree of "faith" he had depending on his audience.
This list is ultimately useless though, because it shows such narrow, arbitrary view.

[d.Pepe]

Nothing wrong with this!. It's refreshing to see one of our public servants living in REALITY! This is really why the Left hates this Man.
God Bless W!

jOHN 14:6

[arthur marson]

The World Must Come Down To Earth.
This is the title of a document listing some thirty headings, which if implemented, would bring it to
fruition.
It points the way to bring about peace on earh and at the same time, contentment to mankind !
All we need is someone to take up the cudgel and lead the way !
Is it you ?

[Andy]

They kill, torture, and maim innocent people and that is bad.

We kill, torture, and maim innocent people and that is bad.

When this is done (as it is on all sides) under the aegis or the rationale of religion, that is bad.

[Cherry]

I'm English, but with close American connections. Three things occur to me:

1) England has had a state religion for several hundred years; it hasn't done us any harm at all within living memory - in fact, while we regularly see our Queen and her Prime Minister worshipping in/visiting churches (synagogues, mosques) of all kinds, as a result they rarely, if ever, feel the need to speak about their own personal stances on the issue of faith. It hasn't prevented us having a Jewish Prime Minister (C19th Disraeli), or a quasi-Catholic (Blair). The law that a Catholic may not sit on the throne still stands, but only because we all know it's an anachronism that would be changed quicksmart if Prince William even looked like falling for a practicing Catholic. So what's so evil about mixing church and state? It might help formulate and enforce laws to regulate the most extreme stuff that gets produced in Hollywood and on the web and so damages young minds.

2) Your debate up to now has almost entirely ignored the fact that George W., with all his oratorial shortcomings, is a perfect illustaration of that which you rejoice in, and trumpet so loudly as your American birthright: freedoms of speech and faith. The day your president is forbidden to speak of his beliefs - however bizarre they may seem to you as individuals - is probably the day before all of you are forbidden to speak of yours; and the day after that, you're forbidden to hold them. Stop bleating about the content and thank your God (or no god at all) for the principle in robust action! Seems to me that many of you only want your President to spout views that are the same as yours, and would like him forced to button his lip because he dares to believe differently. In some of your expressions of this, to an outsider you sound dunber and more extreme than he does. (Bet that'll put the cat among the pigeons!)

3) Don't take his particular brand of Christianity as representative of Christian belief the world over. The parent church, the Church of England, is currently under fire here for being too tolerant of gays, women priests, and so on. Inter-racial dating? I'm white alglo-saxon who married a Nigerian in the CofE in 1978; nobody turned a hair. So I ask again - what's so evil about a state religion? Its very existence serves to enforce tolerance here, so why not there?

And one observation, finally - especially for Jon: 'Can I introduce you to the concept of pain? Disease? Hunger? Drought? Suffering, malnutrition, a thousand other very unpleasant things that God/Jesus allows or wills to happen.

He either tortures, or is complicit in the torture of, everyone!"

Blaming God for all that stuff gets you off the hook, right, my friend? Check out how many NGOs in the developing world are Christian; Universal education, the abolition of slavery, free hospital care across Africa - all concepts thought up and begun by Christians. It isn't God or Jesus that watches the starving on tv every night while gorging on his Big Mac and hardens his heart to their needs - it takes a human heart to do that.

[13112911]

Who is this "God" being anyway?

[Kitty]

Well said Cherry! People find it so easy to blame some unprovable deity rather than themselves for the ills of this world.

What I'd like to add to your comment is that while Jon and his ilk like to blame God for all the ills that beset us humans (war, famine, plague, etc), they conveniently forget that it is in fact us humans that are merrily destroying this earth, paying no regard or respect for any of God's creatures but themselves.

I have no idea if God exists or not. But if he does, I can't help thinking he must be awfully disappointed in the mess we've made of this beautiful planet and ashamed at how we use his name to inflict our own belief systems on others...

Bush won't take steps to protect the environment. One can only assume that in this circumstance he's hearing God's voice via the US Oil companies'/steel workers'/manuafacturer's lobbyiests he's clearly so afraid of.

[Noah]

As an aetheist I do not find GBs comments so very controversial. They are poorly formed, contradictory, unsophisticated and largely unflattering to GB but if this is what he believes I would rather he said it than not. The most owrrying aspect for me is how well intentioned but poorly thought out these feeling are. The road to hell is, as they say paved with good intentions.

[Lisa the GP]

Cherry, maybe a review of the times when your state religion was established might cause you to reassess your stand on the nature of state religions. Among other things, the newly Protestant church utterly destroyed the great Elizabethan theatre tradition. Religious intolerance is also part of what drove people to the American colonies, and contributed to England's subsequent loss of control of said colonies.

(I can't believe a Yank has to lecture a Brit about history...)

The reason people like Bush like to invoke religion is that people feel 'safe' there and don't question religion, they take it as 'the word of god'. By association, invoking religion tends to lull people into being non-critical of what the politician is saying or doing; thus it becomes a tool of scoundrels.

[Renee Jones]

I don't always agree with President Bush I do believe he is a good man with excellent morals. I too am tired of this war and ready for my friends and family to come home. But if we all remember correctly Bush Sr. pulled out of Iraq way too soon...at least his son has the balls to see this thing through. As for his religious beliefs, he has every right to say and share them as he sees fit. I don't agree with everything he has said but I do admire the man for standing up in a country that has removed any religion from our schools and court systems. It is the decay of our society. Open your eyes people!!

[King]

Christ was speaking of freedom from persecution because of your belief in him. He spoke of freedom from man's reign over you because of your religious beliefs. Religious Freedom is what Christ teaches us, plus many other things that should not be discussed in politics. No one on this earth speaks to God nor does God speak to them if you believe in Christianity. The Son of God is head of man and in this respect, what God has to say to man goes through the Son, as we go to the Son to beg Gods Mercy and forgiveness. So those of you that speak to God, putting yourselves above Christ, might ought to try and figure out who's really talking to you. You know satan is still around!

[Youran Swer]

Bush has made some statements that included his own personal belief and the belief of others. In many of the sayings, if he acts the way he talks - then he is actually a man of decent morals - maybe everything he is doing can be justified (by his belief) through what goal he is trying to achieve. And I agree particularly with the statement that there needs to be:

an elimination of the "false religions"

no god will want innocent people to die (and calling upon suicidal methods to massacre them).
If we actually look deeper and study the religious background of the Iraqi, we can realize that there is actually an invisible border between what is "morally correct" compared to what is "morally incorrect" in their religious teachings (particularly in the extremists of the Islam).
And those of the pre-Islam group has mentioned and supported their teachings by saying that there is no need to ever reach the extreme of suicidal bombing or massacre of populations.

So, what is really the "morally" correct take on religion? Ask yourself that.

And in reply to 'King' who posted on OCT 15;

A suggestion would be to get
your arguements through facts first. Christianity does NOT and NEVER have taught of religious freedom. I'll even make reference to the Bible: DEUTERONOMY 13 (you can read King James Version, New International Version, Today's New International Version, OR ANY of the OT/NT versions.)

And once again, you haven't gotten your facts right. Because in Christianity, the whole point is that individuals of any identity CAN connect and communicate with God directly. Christ (meaning Messiah, or The Anointed One) in the Bible is the SON of man (not head)and thus he is the saviour of man, not the "loud speaker" for man to God. [Read the book of Matthew]

And again, in the Bible it clearly mentions (in too many books to name) that through the holy act of prayer/worship/devotions, one can already communicate with God directly.

My first suggestion to you, is that you should become more educated in what you are stating, therefore it does not just seem like a blunt theory coming from your own perspective.

Thanks.
-Youran Swer

[Rob]

How about doing a like piece on atheists - or at least anti-Christians.

[MATT]

read these quotes and keep in mind that religion is an attempt to establish hierarchical society at it most fundamental.
then read these quotes and keep in mind that this is a man who is using religion to appeal to every person who believes in anything supernatural.
then stop giving this man power by by not using your rational mind to govern faiths seeded in you since birth.
dig deep and rise farther.

[Dion]

Remember some English PMs? You know, Pitt, Wellington, Peel, Gladstone, Lloyd George, Churchill. What were some of the things they had in common? How gauche of them to have religious belief.

Give me an earnest and inarticulate Yank over any smart-arse armchair Pom, any day and every day. Clearly your country has been soooooooo successful since 2000 compared to the the USA (sarcasm alert). Bush makes the UK Govt look like a bunch of anaemic pre-schoolers, led by a Liberace impersonator, and now succeeded by a wannabe Brussels organ-grinder. Instead of appreciating Bush's underlying message, your comments are so banal as to be self-mocking. How irrelevancy irks you all. Ta ta, old things, and enjoy that long, long goodnight.

[San Ying]

Poor man. He is stark, staring bonkers.

[Bob]

After someone is hounded day and night for eight years by the press, there will surely be frequent moments of less than perfect grammar, recorded in innumerable whistle stops which a leader must make, and cherished by small bitter pedants who, while well versed in diction, have neither the spine nor the audacity to attempt to gather their peers, and become leaders themselves. No rather, they are the cringing curs at the edge of the collective pack, ready with an opportune tooth or whimper, or in this case a 'Top 50' list. Such is the condition of the Fourth Estate, that this banality passes as news. I would have thought better of the Times.

[Matt]

God bless George Bush ... he is a President with a true insight into the truth ... the truth that God is supreme and Jesus Christ's sacrifice equals true atonement for all mankind. And I agree completely with the post above ... all our great Premier's ... Pitt, Peel, Gladstone, Lloyd-George, Churchill and Thatcher ... they all believed this truth ... this truth that truly sets people free!
So a message to all my fellow Brits ... stop being so humanist ... after all ... it is recognised on the Charity register as a RELIGION, and start being more tolerant!

[Steve Hodges]

We all know GB is a buffoon but voices in his head telling him to bomb countries into the dark ages. The only difference between Dubya and Bin Laden is that Dubya has killed hundreds times more innocents in the name of his religion. They are both evil religious fanantics. Terrifying.

[Andrew Milner]

In your guts you know he's nuts.

[Edward Bernays]

As civilisation has become more complex, and as the need for invisible government has been increasingly demonstrated, the technical means have been invented and developed by which opinion may be regimented.

An entire party, platform, an international policy is sold to the public, or it is not sold, on the basis of the intangible element of personality.

[AO]

History will vindicate this enlightened, albeit often inarticulate, president.

[QSH]

I would rather a leader who has his own set of belief system than one who is a moral chameleon.

In Britain, the ridiculous idea of taking out Christ from Christmas in a bid to be a more tolerant community (olive branch to the Muslims?) is a joke.

If you want to teach the world what it means to have freedom, show us a place where your children, your leaders, your teachers, your elders can speak about their faith and beliefs without being called a lunatic. And allowing people to seek truth without dictating what is truth.

In Malaysia, a country seen as less 'democratic' and 'free' than the US and the UK, we worship freely without worrying if we're making our neighbour uncomfortable.

Christians sing of Jesus in shopping malls at Christmas. Hindus carry their kavadis (a dedication ritual) through the city streets - and all this in a Muslim country.

This freedom however, is increasingly threatened, as the supposedly developed countries tell us how freedom is to be lived out.

Britain is fast losing its soul. In their endeavour in staying relevant to global changes, they've abandoned their roots. You've grown a people who are not willing to have their ideals challenged, and by suppression of these beliefs you label it 'tolerance'.

Don't tolerate, Understand.

[Bill Peter]

To Penny, "People who believe in God will survive." Does that include the 6,000,000 members of God's Chosen People in WWII?

[Brian]

Re; 6m of God's chosen people in WWII...

As suggested by David Berlinski recently, God smote their enemies in the end and gave them a new country, did He not? Try not to allow your (non)belief system to slip into antisemitism next time. Try not to look so foolish doing it, either.

[Oscar Wilde]

Oh dear God...

[Mac]

Jason said:
Separation of church and state (which technically doesn't exist, but we'll pretend you meant non-establishment or state religion) does not mean that the President must never speak about his faith, even in reference to matters of public policy. Understand what non-establishment means, then bitch about it.

The disestablishment of the church from the state, or "separation of church and state" is a solid understanding of the founding fathers.
It is important to remember that most people complain about our leaders being religious people because it generally means that they have no foundation for making ethical decisions.
Check this out - then "bitch" about it as you say. http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/qmadison.htm

[Mac]

Folks,
The rabbit hole goes so much deeper than this. Religion has been co-opted by our sociological model. Paul and Muhammad both opened their tribal religions to the model of civilization that had overcome them. Paul was dealing with his world being transformed by the Roman Empire, and Muhammad was dealing with the Qurashi's great wealth from opening up a trading empire across the Arabian peninsula.

Add to that the separation of the material and the spiritual as ascribed by the greeks about 2500 years ago and what you have are entire cultures that have turned on each other because of their loss of group identity. Capitalism now becomes the foundation for social construction and picks up religion as another social control.

[Bill Peter]

To QSH in Malaysia, "we worship freely without worrying". Unless, of course, you are a Malay who wants to convert to a religion other than Islam. Then you are in real trouble, aren't you.

[Julia Iskandar]

For Bush to say he sees God in the Pope's eyes is blasphemous in all three Abrahamic faiths. Christianity, Judaism and Islam expressly forbid us to make ourselves a representation of God. Plus, all Dubya could have seen reflected in the Pope's (or anyone else's) eyes is himself. That's exactly what's wrong with him in the first place: He's moved to tears by HIMSELF and HIS OWN fantasies of grandeur, nothing else matters to him. We all pay the price.

[Tony Coughlan]

I think GW Bush has been a disaster as president but I will never doubt his sincerity or his faith and tolerance for which this country is very well regarded. He is a man, doing his level best, as a man and as a world leader. We should not confuse the fact that he has made bad decisions with his intent to do good.

[Swaraaj Chauhan]

Religion, like sex, should be practised within the four walls of the house. Worship, prayer and sex are very private/personal activities.

They remain sacred in private...but once you take them out in the open and make an issue of it then they become a pain, create confusion, lose their luster, or worse.

Many people with uncontrolable/failed/failing libido make a big thing of their religious calling by making strange/loud claims from a high perch.

If I am not concerned about the sexual performance of a person, unless he turns into a rapist, why should I be concerned about a person's religious calling unless he becomes a militant/terrorist?

I have been a student of different religions. All religions provide basic guidelines for a decent, cooperative and peaceful living in the society.

The problem arises when a religion falls into the hands of monkeys who make a deadly football out of it!!!

[EAG]

Perhaps this says something about the differences in three centuries between the U.K and North America despite two established churches in the U.K. Here in North America 72 percent of President Bush's statements would not even cause the blink of a eyelid. Now the other 28 percent are another story. . .

[Lucas]

"All religions provide basic guidelines for a decent, cooperative and peaceful living in the society."

This is the one positive aspect of religion. However, This "basic" guideline can stand without the prejudice, hatred, bigotry and ignorance that religion spawns, and often encourages.

We should not put up with this disease any longer. I'd like to see how many rational, intelligent and educated Human Beings found a traditional religion after the age of 25. The fact is that the majority of people who follow a religion are forced into religion as children.

If you look at it like this: religion is at the root of far more ignorance, hatred, bigotry and prejudice than it is of anything else, you start to see the divisive and evil thing that it is.

The reason that the aforementioned, rational, intelligent and educated Human Being doesn't become religious as an adult is because there is no longer any appeal in religion. We are not nice to the people around us because we are afraid of Hell, it's an inherent characteristic of most people.

Have a little more faith in us to be kind, compassionate, empathetic and caring people without the EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL!

[Petee]

Many of the comments here are judgmental self-righteous clap-trap being spewed by anti-religious bigots. While George Bush has done many things differently than you or I would, he is definitely far more tolerant and compassionate than many of the critics here. Another thing, to clear up what George meant to say regarding Bob Jones University, was that he denounced the policy which prohibited inter-racial dating. "A person who believes in nothing will fall for anything."

[Jaap den Haan]

Glamour is illusion on the astral or emotional plane.

[Tom]

I came on these posts by accident, but am appalled at what I'm reading here.

First of all, it scares the heck out of me that there are people who are saying things that are Osama-sympathetic in their attempt to bash Bush. Sometimes war is necessary, but it is all too common for people to lose sight of the bigger picture and get tired of war, hence turn on their leadership. That's understandable, but to start saying things that intimate that 9-11 isn't as bad as the war in Iraq is ludicrous. Are these children making such claims on this site? Have you no understanding of history?

Secondly, this set of posts seems to have attracted the most illiterate bunch of clowns I've ever seen in one place. Many of the above quotes (supposedly of GWB) are NOT true! Some of them are made up and/or misquoted. And let's not even talk about context. Typical.

Thirdly, these posts seem to have attracted people who lack a basic understanding of the US Constitution regarding the supposed principle of the "separation of church and state". What a joke. The Constitution guarantees us the right to practice our religion freely and publicly. We are not required to keep it at the door...even in politics, else God would never be mentioned in our Constitution or on our money.

Fourthly, this seems to have attracted some religious folks who probably mean well, but could stand a lesson in Christian Theology. Of course GWB didn't mean he sees God in the eyes of the Pope as though the Pope were God. It's common to use such terms to describe "Godliness" seen in an individual when we say things like "we see God in their eyes." Blasphemy? Hardly.

Fifthly, when reading these posts, one could easily get the impression that the atheists, anti-Christians, and "Bush blasters" are the majority here in the US. Hardly. The reason GWB got elected again is because there are a whole lot of people in this country that are more rational than the sampling of anti-God, anti-American posters we seem to have an abundance of in this particular discussion.

Sixth, some seem to think religion is the root cause of the evils in our world. Please. It's fanaticism, not religion itself and Bush is hardly a fanatic. Any belief system can turn into fanaticism and become dangerous to a society. Darwinism for example... Anyone remember eugenics? How about the affects of Darwinism on the racist fabric of American society?

Seventh (and last), how can anyone in their right mind claim to know the heart of a man? People on this site have stated outright that there is no way GWB is a Christian. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Only he and God can know the true answer to that question. You extremists out there will compare him to Hitler, thus making the claim that you can know GWB isn't a Christian. Come on... that's not even rational. Every Commander-in-Chief that takes a country to war will be attacked in this fashion. However, I assure those reading these posts, this doesn't represent most Americans.

These posts are nonsense written by arrogant, ignorant people who seem to prefer regurgitating rhetoric rather than thinking for themselves. Pure rubbish. Go find a better source for information and intellectual discussion than here...that's my recommendation.