Leading a Christian Nation
Leading a Christian Nation
When President George W. Bush describes himself as a ‘born again’ Christian he obliges himself to meet a very high standard of conduct in all of his activities. This is especially true of Mr. Bush because of his position as President of the nation. The people being led by him look to him to set a Christian example worthy of his position and which they can follow in good faith. When a person achieves the status of ‘born again’ Christian it is assumed that he has been blessed with special knowledge and has been granted a special, close relationship with Jesus Christ. We dare not question this relationship.
We hesitate to discuss whether Mr. Bush recognizes the obligation he has assumed by asserting his ‘born again’ status. Yet, his assertion and repeated reference to his religious beliefs indicates a willingness to permit full discussion of the subject. This has led us to question some of his attitudes and actions during his last four years as President of the United States. These questions are raised with the full knowledge of our personal weakness in this area and that we have fallen short in our living out of the Christian faith.
It is impossible for me to believe that the Prince of Peace would approve of a pre emptive attack on another nation which had not made any threats of attack against our nation. This becomes even more unlikely when we find that the reasons for the attack have been found groundless and, in at least one case, false. The obscene and cruel treatment of soldiers and civilians captured or detained in the course of the war should have been a severe shock to all Christians, and unbearable to any ‘born again’ Christian. Yet, the President’s response to the action was a delayed denial of responsibility.
The attitude and actions of Jesus regarding the rich and the poor were always in favor of the poor and downtrodden. President Bush, to the contrary, has favored the very rich through such devices as huge tax cuts; revision of rules to permit mining and drilling companies to extract products from public lands which belongs to all the people. He has favored the rich with government contracts worth billions of dollars without competitive bidding and has favored employers in labor matters and refusal to support legislation to increase the minimum wage. He has attempted to revise the Labor Department guidelines requiring overtime pay for time worked beyond 40 hours per week so as to deny this benefit to millions of workers.
In the long run we must believe that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” and that we are responsible for the care and maintenance of the land, the sea and the atmosphere. As caretakers of the earth and its creatures we are obligated to protect nature and leave it to future generations in as good shape as we received it. President Bush came into office after pledging to preserve the environment, but he has revised rules and regulations to permit contamination of land, streams and the atmosphere and has allowed the destruction of the habitat necessary for the survival of many species of animals.
The people of the nation must call upon President Bush to reframe his plans for the next four years to truly reflect the Christian standards of conduct he professes. Only then can we deserve the blessings of the Lord we so earnestly seek.
Jerry Clements 11/8/2004
When President George W. Bush describes himself as a ‘born again’ Christian he obliges himself to meet a very high standard of conduct in all of his activities. This is especially true of Mr. Bush because of his position as President of the nation. The people being led by him look to him to set a Christian example worthy of his position and which they can follow in good faith. When a person achieves the status of ‘born again’ Christian it is assumed that he has been blessed with special knowledge and has been granted a special, close relationship with Jesus Christ. We dare not question this relationship.
We hesitate to discuss whether Mr. Bush recognizes the obligation he has assumed by asserting his ‘born again’ status. Yet, his assertion and repeated reference to his religious beliefs indicates a willingness to permit full discussion of the subject. This has led us to question some of his attitudes and actions during his last four years as President of the United States. These questions are raised with the full knowledge of our personal weakness in this area and that we have fallen short in our living out of the Christian faith.
It is impossible for me to believe that the Prince of Peace would approve of a pre emptive attack on another nation which had not made any threats of attack against our nation. This becomes even more unlikely when we find that the reasons for the attack have been found groundless and, in at least one case, false. The obscene and cruel treatment of soldiers and civilians captured or detained in the course of the war should have been a severe shock to all Christians, and unbearable to any ‘born again’ Christian. Yet, the President’s response to the action was a delayed denial of responsibility.
The attitude and actions of Jesus regarding the rich and the poor were always in favor of the poor and downtrodden. President Bush, to the contrary, has favored the very rich through such devices as huge tax cuts; revision of rules to permit mining and drilling companies to extract products from public lands which belongs to all the people. He has favored the rich with government contracts worth billions of dollars without competitive bidding and has favored employers in labor matters and refusal to support legislation to increase the minimum wage. He has attempted to revise the Labor Department guidelines requiring overtime pay for time worked beyond 40 hours per week so as to deny this benefit to millions of workers.
In the long run we must believe that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” and that we are responsible for the care and maintenance of the land, the sea and the atmosphere. As caretakers of the earth and its creatures we are obligated to protect nature and leave it to future generations in as good shape as we received it. President Bush came into office after pledging to preserve the environment, but he has revised rules and regulations to permit contamination of land, streams and the atmosphere and has allowed the destruction of the habitat necessary for the survival of many species of animals.
The people of the nation must call upon President Bush to reframe his plans for the next four years to truly reflect the Christian standards of conduct he professes. Only then can we deserve the blessings of the Lord we so earnestly seek.
Jerry Clements 11/8/2004
posted by Jeremiah | 2:53 PM
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