You Tell Us:
Can President Bush really act as a Christian in the White House? Should he? Has he?
One of the beauties of the Internet is that you can tell the world what you think. So, we're inviting our readers to tell us what you think about the re-election of President Bush. Specifically, we're wondering whether you think Mr Bush can or should try to enforce Christian values from the White House. Mr Bush was re-elected by millions of Christians who approve of his moral stance. But has he been acting in a Christian way, and if not, what should he do differently?
We would like to thank one of our readers for the idea for this forum. To read her letter, composed shortly after President Bush's re-election, click here.
Submission guidelines: please keep your messages relatively short - no essays, please. We highly recommend that you sign with just your first name, and the city where you live. If you are an American, it would be interesting to know how you voted. We'll update this page regularly as letters come in. Please come back soon to read more of this debate. Thanks very much for joining in!
Click here to send your message. It will be posted within 24 hours on this page.
Your Messages about a Christian President.
Yes Bush can be a Christian president and I believe he
is a true God fearing Christian.
How could anyone but a strong believer have made it through 911 while
being the leader of a great country like ours ? There were major decisions
to be made and I for one wouldn't have wanted that on my shoulders . I
believe he done a good job in an enormous situation . This wonderful country
was attacked and we couldn't just set and take it . Bush stands up strong
and bold and is an uprightous man .We don't need a sissy trying to run
our country in times like these when the enemy intends to bring us down
. Having a man who loves God is a giant plus ! I'm behind him 100% until
I see him do something wrong .And we all could send up a prayer or two
for our country and our leaders . I myself came from a strong political
back ground . My daddy was born in 1897 and saw a lot of history made
and if he were here now he would probably still be a strong Republican
and be behind Bush . I feel that our Homeland security is intact now and
I feel safer than ever . The bible says that there will be wars and rumors
of wars so we should pray with our president and stand behind him . And
stop complaining so much .
Gail Harris
Texas ...of course !
To the Editor,
I think that if Bush was a REAL Christian he wouldn't
use God as a way to get elected. I also think that he
would live by Jesus' teachings. Many would ask "What
would Jesus do?" Well I'm sure he wouldn't say "I am a
war president," or anything like that.
Now a REAL Christian would simply live by the
teachings of God, Jesus and the bible. Bush has not
done this that I have seen. He has no compassion and
no sense of right and wrong.
I think that Bush's God is made up in his mind. It
almost seems like he dosn't do things because God
tells him to but rather God tells him to do something
because he (Bush) wants to. I really doubt that Bush
ever stops praising himself long enough to hear the
voice of God.
In conclusion I think that it would certainly be good
for a president to live by principles like honesty,
compassion and God but Bush has not. I sadly was not
able to vote for either candidate being 14 years of
age at the time of the election but my vote certainly
would have gone to Kerry. I don't really agree with
his polotics either but he was the lesser of two
evils.
Noah K.
Portland, OR.
On the Inauguration:
To the editor:
'Oh my God.' I just witnessed the inauguration of the President of the
United States. And I can only imagine what it was like in the days of
Rome when the Caesar was sworn in to lead the 'Holy' Roman Empire. In
truth, the 'Holy' empire was just as evil an empire as the 'God' that
is supposedly served in this republic.
And now, I pray to God, the God of the Bible, Jesus Christ, through the
power of the Holy Spirit, to make notations on that which I saw and heard.
Of course, the cold air of the day‚s proceedings were dispassionately
marred and masked as a completely irreverent God-ordained blessing from
an ethereal, misinterpreted, and dishonorable 'God' apart from Jesus Christ.
This God of the United States who has been enlisted to serve in the government
of the United States of God, is in no ways and by no means the Supreme
God in the person of Jesus Christ.
Continuing, I project, should this empire and the world exist as long,
that this pompous ceremony will one day all be done as rehearsed television
event. As the security issues of violent citizenry and warring indwellers
will cause prideful persons to defend and protect themselves even more.
I once heard a well-fortified and security-minded minister say, "Only
criminals need security."
The grandeur and gaudiness of any human being or beings, or governmental
leader, least of all, to be escorted by a motorcade as secure as the armored
black chariots that snaked through the paved roads from the White House
to the Capitol can and will never compare to the leader of the Universe,
and all of creation, who carried on His back all of mankind into salvation
aboard the a donkey.
Of circumstance and not of pomp, rather pompous behavior, the bands of
the armed forces and services (serving whom and for what purpose other
than death and destruction) played music and sang songs about this god.
With a disarming spray of gun salutes; powerless politicians, lost leaders,
and governmental gods gave inglorious thanks to this Anti-Christian god
whom they swear to serve, yet humanely insist they have the world, political,
governmental and divine power to rule over this nation, all nations, and
the entire world.
During the inauguration address of this one parcel of land in the Lord‚s
creation, as the wife of this world leader held his or someone‚s
Bible; this man swore to rule the home that is this United States, a distinct
dominion commonly referred to in the feminine tense as "she."
As family and friends, civil servants and military banded together to
celebrate and swear-in this appointed leader, the pride of clan in the
father and daughters of the George W. Bush was clearly evident. It was
noted, in jest, but truthfully sincere; that the girls had campaigned
for their dad in "Si-ox" City, Iowa. Of course, that uneducated
mispronunciation is an amazing irony as the ground this nation rests on
was basically robbed from the Native Americans who dwelled here.
As it were, the oath of office was given to this man by another man on
a supreme court of this country. A country that endorses war, killing
of criminals as a form of punishment, and child sacrifice in the form
of abortion; this 'Justice' preceded a president who spoke words like
"freedom," "liberty," "hope," and "unity."
Yet from a God of love, forgiveness, truth and life, these words were
not spoken or characteristics present in these men or the citizens of
this free, democratic, and united republic.
The view of the huddled masses, the faces in the crowd who mindlessly
looked and listened for guidance applauded at the mentions of "warring
against enemies," "economic prosperity," "homeland
security," and host of hypocritical and hypnotic speech by their
democratically elected leader. (It was noted that the people elected this
president, based not on principle, but on likeability- they liked him.
That says boatloads about the people of this nation and their nature and
what is important to them). Among the ostentatious array of costumes of
the civilians, civil servants and soldiers, a pair of armed governmental
agents brandished beige, full-length trench coats with armbands as they
poised to pounce on any unruly, single-minded, or subversive citizens.
Rest assured, Adolph‚s army of men would stand proudly in Hell at
this display. At one point, and later gunpoint, a woman centurion cop
worked feverishly to abort the attempt of a bearded, longhair to hold
up his hand in a sign of peace. Such outward displays of non-destroying
dissention must be stopped!
Certainly, when the benedictions, invocations, and prayers to God were
posed, planned, and presented; for sure, a man of God, representing Christ
Jesus the Lord, would represent, defend, and declare the Gospel of God
to the entire free world. Certainly, one would think? Think again. Ministers
of love, sacrifice, peace and salvation preached about the merits of politics
and government. Under the guise of prayer and the guidance of the god
of this world (the devil), this pastoring person spoke of financial statements,
power brokers, armed liberty, bi-partisan unity, and honor in the Koran.
Thankfully, he did close with hypocritically humble compromise of the
mention of the name "Jesus Christ."
In closing, the televised inauguration of one man into the role of leadership
symbolizing and embodying the united nation of people in this part of
the world, is not the end of the world; but rest assured Christian disciples
and followers of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Lord Jesus Christ;
the end is near, very, very near. In fact, the end is here.
Mark Anthony D.
Minister
Tampa, FL.
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Ladies and Gentleman:
Can a lying deceiver, a warmonger with innocent blood on his hands, a
man who spreads fear and hatred to advance his own wicked agenda be a
Christian? Would Jesus look upon such a person with favor? Would a
person who strives everyday to further impoverish the poor of this earth
be embraced by the humble carpenter of Nazareth?
Well, according to most of the supposedly good Christians of America,
this is a 'Godly man' doing God's work.
That such a conclusion could ever be drawn by those who profess to be
Christians is a sign of how far astray we have gone. George W. Bush has
blackened the name of America and of Christianity, and I for one feel
the shame he evidently is immune to.
George E.
Lawrenceville, NJ
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In response to your question "Can President Bush act as a Christian
in the White House? Should he? Has he?"I have read the commentaries
posted on your website and I would like to submit the following observations
and response, hopefully in a thoughtful manner.
Yes, and I believe that he has. Being President of the United States is
a difficult job,
and what has been left to this President is a task of enormous proportion.
He has
shown great leadership in the face of adversity. I would never have believed
that the
news media, film makers (we export more "smut" to the rest of
the world than any
other country) and others would have stirred up so much hatred for America,
it's citizens, and this
President for the sake of politics leading everyone in the world to hate
us or want to kill us.
I don't believe it is possible to straighten out all the wrong in this
country without a
complete collapse unless the good and decent people of this country demand
it, which is what
partially happened in the last election. However, I do believe that President
Bush is trying
to make this a better safer place for all of us although his power is
limited. People seem to be so
blinded by political hate that they cannot see a true picture. Most are
uninformed, cannot discern the truth,
and take on someone else's opinion as their motto.
Currently, this country has been affected by so many different factions.
We are just one step
away from chaos, self destruction, and communism. The subject of America,
it's safety, and it's future, is such a huge issue, but most of what is
wrong is the politics of it all. Congress has become increasingly incompetent
and people have lost respect.
I am grateful that President George W. Bush has come along in my life
time. I personally believe he
has given this country an extension, perhaps even a second chance at greatness.
He has indeed
shown calm in the face of fear. That's great leadership! He deserves support,
not constant criticism.
If he were not a Christian, I don't believe he would be able to withstand
the struggles that are before
him, and there are many. We should continuously pray for his sound judgement
and for his safety.
Now, I want to say something to all those doubters about WMD's. I get
my news and information
from MANY different sources. I am able to discern propaganda. There were
WMD's in Iraq, make no mistake about it. There were 45 trucks loaded with
VX nerve gas and other WMD's that crossed the border from Iraq into Syria
just before the start of the Iraq war. There are many reliable confirmed
eye witness reports from ground observers, and even from the King of Jordan.
And, if you were paying attention, this shipment/movement was picked up
on satellite. I, myself, saw the truck movement on television when satellite
pictures were shown.
Certain noteable individuals and scholars have staked their lives and
reputation on verifying these reports. To say that President Bush lied
about WMD's is pure ignorance. Leaving these WMD's alone for now is probably
the best course of action at this moment in time. I would worry if the
news media decided to stir up this situation.
Yes, there will be a World Government. Just how soon is the question.
We are fast moving in that direction,but it takes a watchful eye to see
the advancement. I believe this World Government will arise from the W.E.U.
not from the U.N. The European Union is now developing it's own collective
army which will emerge as the most powerful world force both militarily
and financially. That is their unstated goal. The United States will lose
it's power in the world for some reason. We see now that certain members
of our Congress vigorously want to turn U.S. Sovereignty over to the U.N.
Those people should be voted out of office. You have but to listen to
know who wants this demotion of American sovereignty.
In conclusion, and putting my response into a Christian perspective, The
Holy Bible does predict the rise of a World Government. It is my belief
that the Holy Bible is an accurate accounting of the past as well as a
predicter of the future.No one has ever disproven any fact, statement,
historical accounting, scientific data, or prophetical declaration in
the Holy Bible. How can a book, written thousands of years ago, predict
the future with such amazing accuracy? No other book can make that claim!
There is only one answer. If you don't know the answer, you may be in
serious trouble.
I voted for President George W. Bush. I am neither Republican or Democrat.
I am an Independent and vote for each individual candidate after thorough
investigation of what the candidate stands for. It is my duty to be informed.
Norma M.
Columbia, S. C.
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What's one more swaggering, miserly, war-mongering hypocrite in the larger
scheme of things? See this week's edition of Dubyatalk, a homespun website
that satirizes the special deceit of a very bad President.
http://dubyatalk.home.att.net
Jim D.
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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I do not think Pres. Bush is a Christian! I think he is a puppet to the
insiders. I think he is a globalize. I think he says a lot of different
things to please who ever is in the audience. Alex Jones said there are
photos of him and his father at the Bohemian groves in Calif. Its a occult
group of political leaders. I have been a republican all my life. So I
was pretty disappointed when I finally woke up and found out both parties
are corrupt. Go to infowars.com, and you will really find out the insiders
plan for America. We are on the road to a global governance. A true Christian
would not have revenge, and pridefulness. We cannot bring peace and freedom
to another country through FORCE.
I don't want to loose my freedom
NB in Utah
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No I don't believe Pres. Bush is a Christian, anymore than I believed
his father was a Christian!
A Christian should try to resolve all issues peacefully, not by slaughtering
innocent peoples in a war (especially over the issue we're in the war
we're in now due to him).
A Christian should tell the whole truth at all times, not modify it to
suit their personal agenda.
A Christian should help his fellow man whenever possible, not only when
it will benefit him or his cause.
A Christian should be charitable at all times, not just got get positive
PR in the public's eye during re-election times.
I must say, I'm more ashamed today to call myself an American than I've
ever been in my 51 year life. In my lifetime the best previous presidents
have been: Eisenhower, Kenedy, Carter and Clinton...even with Bill caught
with his pants down wasn't as much of an embarrassment to me or our country
as what the 2 Bush's have done in their terms!
Let's not make the mistake of putting the other 2 Bush son's in office
just to make history as the first father & son & son & son
in office!!!
B. Enyard
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A Christian is by definition a follower of Christ; one who believes and
lives by Christ's teachings.
George Bush is no Christian. He has no compassion. Christ preached 'do
unto others as you would have them do unto you.' Lying to the world about
WMD in Iraq and starting a war wherein 100,000 Iraqis and 1,000 american
soldiers have died has absolutely no place in Christ's teaching. At the
time of Christ women were simply chattels, objects men owned. They had
no rights. Christ treated everyone with the same respect and went out
of his way to tend to the sick, the poor and the downtrodden. George Bush's
base as he himself has said, is the haves not the have-nots. He pretends
to be Christian for political expediency. Christ forgave the thieves hanging
on the crosses beside him. Dubya as Govenor of Texas had them executed
and joked about it. A Christian, I think NOT.
VJ
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What exactly can you say to this quetion? Well I believe that "christians'' are followers of Christ and frankly if he was a Christian, he would follow the Word of God , and would do little more than just state his "religion". I feel that basically he is the type of person how claims to be religious when worse comes to worse, which to me is worthless.
Anonymous.
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Can President Bush really act as a Christian in the White House?
Of course he can!!!
Should he?
Absolutely
Has he?
No doubt about it.
What does God's word say about our presidents?
Romans 13: 1-2
Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established
by God.
2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God;
and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
1 Peter 3:13
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution
whether to a king as the one in authority.
Our Responsibility to Human Government---- It is impossible for a believer
to be a good Christian and a bad citizen at the same time. As children
of God our responsibility to human government is threefold:
1 We are to recognize and accept that the powers that be are ordained
by God. Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established
by God. The truth applies even to atheistic human governments unless,
of course, the law is anti-scriptural. In that situation the believer
must obey God rather than man. In fact, when Paul wrote those words in
Romans 13:1, the evil emperor Nero was on the throne.
2 We are to pay our taxes to human government.
3 We are to pray for the leaders in human government. “First of
all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings,
be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority,
in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and
dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.
Paul exhorts us to pray for those who are in authority that we may lead
a quiet life. We are to pray that they hold their offices in godliness
and honesty.
As Christians, we are to pray and support our leaders…..that
includes our president.
I voted for President Bush.
Ron in Columbia, Missouri
"A simple way to take measure our country
is to look at.....how many want in.......
and how many want out."
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NoGeorge bush is not a Christian. How can people say he is? He lied about
there being wmd in Bagdad, which has yet to be found. You see no matter
who
in his administration said it, the buck, as they say stops with him. It's
time for that so-called christian to fess up, and stop using Christianity
as
a crutch. We started impeachment proceedings against that other president
for his personal lies that, got no one hurt or killed. Now this president
got our young and old Americans killed and still in harms way over lies.
It's time for America to wake up and get real. I am a Texan but, not proud
of this president like I was not of the other one.
Thanks for your time:
WAKE UP AMERICA!
Calvin G.
Brownwood, TX.
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THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND SINS DU JOUR
The 2004 election is over and the pundits have been quick to point out
that George Bush won his re-election campaign because he advocated the
moral high ground of opposition to abortion, gay rights marriage, and
stem sell research. One woman who was interviewed by ABC gushed the morning
after the election that she was especially glad that "morality"
had won.
Maybe the pundits and the lady are right, and "morality" --or
morality related issues--did decide the election. George Bush may have
been re-elected because religious conservatives in the South, West, and
key states such as Ohio turned out in droves to vote for him. Certainly,
Jerry Falwell--a major guru of the religious right--thinks so. Shortly
before the election, he proudly announced that the religious right now
controls the Republican party.
Abortion, homosexual marriage, and stem cell research are the sins du
jour of today's radical religious right, but they has always been able
to righteously mine the Bible for sins. And certainly the Bible offers
a plentitude of sins to oppose. Over time, the religious right has successfully
used Biblical truth to support slavery, second class citizenship for women,
and prohibition. To paraphrase the great Puritan divine Jonathan Edwards,
the religious right wants to hold sinners in Their angry hands. They feel
that God is in desperate need of their help to control His Kingdom.
There are several ironies that religious conservatives seem unable to
face as they seek to decide how to resolve the sins du jour they so vehemently
oppose. First and foremost, they have nothing to say about divorce, certainly
the most destructive event that can impact on family life. Nearly one
half of American families experience divorce. And even the Catholic Church
which refuses to allow a remarried divorced person to receive communion,
annually allows up to 40,000 American to have their marriage annulled
so that they can remarry. Religious conservatives have done nothing to
lessen the divorce rate, but they are quick to condemn homosexual marriage
as destructive to family values.
Another irony is how they pick and choose what sin du jour they will oppose.
St. Paul was very explicit in what he says about homosexuality. Although
there is some debate that the word the Bible uses actually refers to homosexuality,
the religious conservatives are seemingly right to oppose homosexual marriage.
Yet Paul was also very explicit about condemning other things as well.
He said, for example, that no woman should worship in a church with her
head uncovered. Maybe not as important; but certainly as explicit. I would
bet every penny I have or will ever earn that I could enter an evangelical
church on any given Sunday, listen to the priest or pastor rage against
abortion, homosexual marriage, or stem cell research, and, at the same
moment, admire the women who had their heads uncovered.
Another of the ironies of the religious right is their failure to focus
on the actual teachings of Jesus Christ, certainly the key figure in Christianity.
Not too long ago, Pat Robertson--another religious right guru--divided
Christianity into the Petrine and Pauline traditions. The Petrine edition,
he explained, was followed by the Roman Catholic Church, and Pauline tradition
was adopted by most Protestant denominations.
Robertson's division of Christianity is strange because there is another
figure who is important to the religion's development, and that figure
is Jesus Christ. Religious conservatives, whether of the Petrine or Pauline
tradition, have always loved to mine Paul's teaching for sins, and ignore
Christ's teachings. Paul was a Jewish Pharisee, who persecuted Christians
until he underwent a profound religious conversion that brought him into
the Christian fold. But though he converted to Christianity, but he remained
a Pharisee when it came to sin.
What Paul did not seem to know or to understand, and what modern religious
conservatives completely fail to understand is that Jesus persistently
taught that the Pharisees were wrong. In the four gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John, Jesus repeatedly condemned the Pharisees. At his
angriest, he likens them to "a generation of vipers." The best
of example of Jesus' attitude toward them is found in the story of the
adulterous woman who was brought to him by the Pharisees. They questioned
Christ about what should be done with the woman since adultery was a sin
and should be dealt with by stoning to death. After listening to them,
Christ knelt down, drew a picture in the sand, and stood up with a stone
in his hand. Turning to the crowd he suggested that whoever had not sinned
should cast the first stone. After that the crowd began to disperse, the
oldest leaving first. Then Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more.
The strength of the Bible to Christianity is that it can be mined for
whatever individuals want to find in it. I once read a book written in
the 1920's, during the great golden age of American capitalism, that claimed
Jesus was a tremendous salesman with a remarkable ability to select other
salesmen. Too many evangelical Christians are like Falwell and Robertson
and are today mining the Bible to support their political agenda. They
are the modern Pharisees of American Politics; they are our "generation
of vipers." They ignore the fact that Jesus taught that tolerance
was the major virtue of a Christian. As he said we should not judge, lest
we be judged.
If we should be tolerant, then what is the role of the modern Pharisees,
this modern "generation of vipers," in American politics. The
answer is complicated. I do not believe that Jesus ever envisioned that
his believers would constitute secular government's official religion.
The Roman Emperor Constantine's decision to make Christianity the official
religion of the empire, and Christianity's subsequent establishment as
the official religion of the western world has complicated the issue of
what is moral and what is not moral ever since. Something which is legal
does not have to be moral, and something which is moral does not necessarily
have to be legal. Today's religious rightist refuse to acknowledge that
simple fact. They argue that what they consider moral must be adopted
as the legal standard for everyone. They certainly have a right to seek
to impact politics, and they have apparently succeeded in electing George
Bush. But their philosophy is a dangerous one.
Does their right to impact politics really mean that they have the right
to impose their views on others? Again, Jesus had an response which suggests
that the answer is no. He once held a Roman coin in his hand and told
his followers to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and render
unto God that which is God's." Jesus understood something that Falwell,
Robertson, and many religious conservatives fail to recognize. There is
a duality that every Christian must face. As long as Caesar--read government--
says something is legal--read abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell
research, or the next sin du jour, the pharisaical Falwells, Robertsons,
or religious conservatives should render under Caesar that which is Caesar's.
The hot button political issues about which evangelicals so vociferously
fume are political questions to be decided by the body politic. Once the
issue is decided politically, the evangelicals must acquiesce. But as
we know from watching how they have responded to Roe vs. Wade over the
years, it is something they have never done silently. Instead, they tend
to launch licentious, exaggerated, and untrue tirades. Rather than accept
that the woman who has had an abortion has done something legal, the libelously
accuse her of being a baby killer. The fact that she is no such thing
does not bother them a whit.
Finally, maybe there is one thing that the evangelicals should realize
when they rant against the sin du jour. God has periodically punished
men for their sins; He cast Adam and Eve out of the garden; He sent a
great flood to destroy the world. He also used Moses to provide the world
with a list of particularly egregious sins. But there have been times
when people think he has been punishing them when he really has not. After
the Great Flood, he ordered the people on Noah’s ark
to disperse over the world. Some did not, and instead congregated at Babel
where they began the construction of a great edifice that they wanted
to reach to Heaven.
The story of the Tower of Babel is especially instructive for the modern
day, much more than most people might think. As a child I was taught that
God punished these people by making them speak in different tongues so
that they could not finish the project. That is the traditional interpretation
given to the story. But I recently re-read it, and I was surprised that
punishment was not the reason why God made the people speak in tongues.
Instead he looked at what they were doing, and marveled at it. These people,
He said, are going to be able to do anything, so let's put a little confusion
in their way.
Being omniscient, God obviously realized that the confusion He placed
in the way of stem cell research would be George Bush, conservatives,
and evangelical Christians. He must be having a good laugh at what He
has done, because His people are still able to do anything. Just consider
this. Mankind eventually overcame the confusion God placed in their way
at Babel. Men of different languages found ways to communicate with each
other. All stem cell researchers must now do now, to accomplish the great
things they envision, is to overcome the confusion God has now placed
in their way in the form of conservatives, evangelicals, Republicans,
and George W. Bush . Just as mankind overcame the problem God forced on
the people at Babel, they will overcome the problems He has forced on
them now. The really good news is that God realizes we will overcome the
confusion He places before us, because He still believes we will able
to do anything.
Kenneth V.
Rhode Island , USA.
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Dear
Mr. President, November 4, 2004
I write
this letter to you as a plea for your help, not just as my President,
but as my brother in Christ. I am a history and government teacher at
a Christian school where I am called to teach my students about God's
plan for love for all his children through history. Our theme this
year is "If it's about Jesus, it's about love."
Mr. President, I can not begin to imagine the complexity of your job,
I know the pressures you face are above and beyond what any one man can
possibly bear on his own. That is why I am pleading with you to make your
second term about the policies Jesus would support. I imagine that sounds
very idealistic or naïve to a man like you, but you can do it, and
you are called to do it, because you claim to be a Christian, a follower
of Christ.
There are many of us who also claim to follow Christ and we take what he preached as literal commandments. "Forgive your enemies, pray for those who persecute you", "take the log out of your own eye before you point out the speck in someone else's." In these commands Jesus gives us the key to success, both in our personal lives, as well as in our government. We know that the most powerful tool is love, it is the only tool that will "win the war on terror." Hunting down and killing the terrorists only creates more terrorists. The war on terror will never end as long as we use tools of man made war instead of the tools God gave us for spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:10-18). Rome fell to Christianity not through military might, but through love!
Mr. President, this begins with diplomacy, and a dedication to peace through
non-violent change. We know it can be done because we've seen it successful
initiated in the Netherlands during Nazi Germany where 90% of the Jews
there survived because the Christians would NOT turn a blind eye. We know
it because of what has happened in India and South Africa and Czechoslovakia
and several Latin American countries. We know it because Martin Luther
King Jr. did what no one thought could be done in America after the legacy
created by the sins of slavery.
I heard your speech yesterday (November 3rd) and you said you would be
reaching out to supporters of Senator Kerry, let this begin with you asking
Christians to share their vision for winning the world to Christ. Consider
working with Tony Campolo and Jimmy Carter and so many other Christian
men and women who look at the world differently, who supported your opponent
and who are devoted followers of Jesus Christ who have both worked with,
and sat
in the chair you sit in today.
We too are pro-life, but we are pro-life in the womb, pro-life for the
two year old Sudanese girl, pro-life for the ten year old Iraqi boy forced
to carry a gun. We are pro-life for the men on death row who still need
to meet Jesus as their own personal savior, and pro-life for homeless
women in our cities. We are pro-life for all in Jesus' name. We can win
the war on
terror, but only with love. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peace-makers
for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
America has been blessed like no country ever known in human history,
your legacy Mr. President could echo through the ages as the man who spread
peace through the world not with the power of military might, but the
unimaginable power of God's love for all His creation. Please sir let
this be your legacy.
Your Sister in Christ,
Lisa S., history teacher
