22/12/2004 9:56:57 am
The Religious Compassion of George W Bush. Since my personal "religion" consists of rationality, humanism, science and progress, I don?t share much of the Christian faith of George W Bush. But I dislike the anti-religion hysteria that we can so often see in Europe - not least as part of the anti-US and anti-Bush propaganda. Many people here seem to care less if a Christian (or a Muslim) clearly separates his or her religious and political beliefs or not. And they neglect to see that religion can be inclusive instead of exclusive. Religion can also be the basis for strong universal values for human rights. Thus, it was very welcome when The Economist in the latest edition analysed the Christian faith of Predident Bush and pointed out that his faith is personal, rather mainstream and inclusive:

"Mr Bush has been careful not to sound sectarian when talking about religion. He angered many supporters by claiming, for instance, that Muslims worship the same God as Christians (a view espoused by Harry Truman but not by most evangelicals). He visited a mosque after September 11th. ?We do not impose any religion; we welcome all religions,? he said at a 2001 prayer breakfast. ?We do not prescribe any prayer; we welcome all prayers.?

By and large, Mr Bush has not associated the workings of providence with America or himself. The best evidence is his frequent assertion that ?the liberty we prize is not America?s gift to the world. It is God?s gift to humanity.? To many Europeans, this formulation seems unnecessary. They argue that liberty is good in itself, not because it is God?s gift. But to Americans the association is almost axiomatic, since it is rooted in the declaration of independence (?all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights?)."

Read the entire article - >