By Pastor Chuck Baldwin
I just finished reading my current copy of The Times Examiner newspaper, which is published by my good friend Bob Dill in Greenville, South Carolina. This is an excellent independent paper that I can heartily recommend to my readers, by the way. I believe one hundred newspapers such as The Times Examiner would go a long way in helping to save this once-great republic. One does not have to live in Greenville to subscribe. I believe it is important that we support those brave, independent men who are fighting to preserve America's historic principles. Bob is doing just that through The Times Examiner newspaper.
Visit The Times Examiner.
In the Examiner, I could not help but notice the report which chronicles the release of a new film "on the life and faith of President Bush." The film is entitled "George W. Bush: FAITH in the White House." According to the report, the film claims that "not since Abe Lincoln has a sitting president talked so much about God as has President Bush."
The article also states, "Like no other president in the history of our nation, George W. Bush boldly, publicly, and genuinely lives out his faith on the job. According to BBC correspondent Justin Webb, 'Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W. Bush. The Bush administration hums to the sound of prayer. Prayer meetings take place day and night. It's not uncommon to see White House functionaries hurrying down corridors carrying Bibles.'"
When I read things such as this, I am reminded of why I wrote a previous column entitled, "Why Are Christians So Gullible?" Christians do seem to be among the most gullible people in the world. And nowhere is this gullibility observed more than in the way Christians relate to politics.
It seems that many Christians are willing to swallow just about anything if it is camouflaged in the garb of "Christianity." And George W. Bush is the ultimate example of this tragic reality.
Are there sincere Christians in subordinate positions within the Bush administration? Of course there are. Some of them may even "[hurry] down corridors carrying Bibles." Karl Rove was a master strategist. He constantly fed the Religious Right mega-helpings of carrots to bring them into the trap. Private phone calls, invitations to dinners and lunches, letters of appreciation, and the employment of many believers are among the many such tactics employed by Rove. But as Jesus plainly told us, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."
I invite readers, especially Christian readers, to take the time to examine the record of George W. Bush. My staff has compiled a very thorough listing of Bush's record, which one may use to examine the "fruit" of this President. To view the Bush record, click here:
Don't get me wrong. Nothing would please me more than to know that our President was a true Christian man. I believe our country is in desperate need of genuine Christian leaders. We need leaders who fear God, leaders who believe in honesty and truth, and leaders who will honor their oaths of office. Then again, I would be pleased to have such a leader in office, regardless of his or her Christian profession. One does not have to be a Christian to fear God, believe in honesty, and take seriously his obligation to obey the U.S. Constitution. In fact, I know some unbelievers whom I would trust much more than I would trust some professing Christians.
And speaking of praying, we know G.W. Bush has participated in prayers to the Muslim god, Allah. In fact, he is the first U.S. President to celebrate Ramadan in the White House. He is the also the first U.S. President to honor the Koran (a book that promotes the killing of non-Muslims) in a presidential inaugural address. And as far as I can tell, he is the first U.S. President to pray in a Shinto temple. So, can someone please tell us exactly which god it is to whom Bush prays?
However, it is President Bush's infatuation with fascism and globalism that should be of utmost concern to all Americans, especially Christians.
Without a doubt, George W. Bush has done more to threaten our constitutional liberties than any President since Woodrow Wilson. (Oh, yes, he claimed to be a Christian, too.) More than that, because Bush has convinced the Religious Right that he is one of them, they are willing to follow him down this pernicious path.
George Bush has allowed America's borders and ports to remain open, not only to illegal aliens, but also to potential terrorists. Our security agencies know that terrorists from the Middle East are coming across our southern border in great numbers. They know that America is just as vulnerable to a terrorist attack as it was before 9/11/01. How can a "Christian" president sleep at night, when he knows that his attempts to appease and accommodate Mexico and China are putting America's safety at risk? Yet, even this week, President Bush was in Canada to push forward with his plans to integrate the United States into a North American Community, which only serves to further facilitate increased illegal immigration.
At the same time that President Bush throws open the door of illegal immigration with its potential for terrorism, he hammers away at the constitutional liberties of the American people. Furthermore, his administration is fraught with secrecy and duplicity. It seems to me that the Bible has a little something to say about honesty.
Just last year, President Bush removed the historic protection of Posse Comitatus, which prevented U.S. troops from being used against American citizens. Would a true Christian do this? Adding more suspicion to an administration laden with suspicion, the Department of Homeland Security is currently enlisting the assistance of pastors to help promote gun confiscation in the event of another terrorist attack. Again, why would a Christian president authorize or condone such a thing? Beyond that, his infatuation with warrantless wiretaps and eavesdropping puts the liberty of every American at risk.
In addition, while claiming to be waging a war on terrorism in Iraq, President Bush is sending hundreds of millions of dollars of arms and munitions to his oil buddies in Saudi Arabia. This is in spite of the fact that Saudi Arabia has been the most aggressive supplier of Islamic terrorist activity of any nation in the world. Have Christians forgotten that the vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers (along with Osama bin Laden) were not from Iraq, or even Iran, but Saudi Arabia?
Even if President Bush is a sincere Christian, he is, more often than not, sincerely wrong. Many would say that Jimmy Carter was a sincere Christian, but evangelical Christians did not give him a pass on bad policy decisions. Why should we give G.W. Bush a pass just because he calls himself a Christian? We shouldn't.
We don't need a President who claims to be a Christian but who runs roughshod over the Constitution and treats the liberties of the American people with frivolity. We don't need a President who says he is a Christian but who calls people who are concerned about his secret agreements with Mexico and Canada "comical." (Which is exactly what Bush said just a few days ago.) We don't need a President who bathes himself in the aura of Christianity but who leads America into an era of imperialism (and that is exactly what the world now perceives about us) with a penchant for preemptive war.
What we need is an old-fashioned AMERICAN President. A President who will put the interests of America above the interests of internationalists. A President who will stop selling out American workers to China and Mexico. A President who will keep his word to support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. A President who will protect America's borders. A President who will stop using America's fighting men as the world's policemen. A President who is more concerned about the economic well-being of Americans than he is about constructing some "global economy" for the multinational corporations and international bankers. And, yes, a President who believes in telling the American people the truth. Show me a President that will do this, and I will be happy to support him, whether he tells me he prays or attends church or calls himself a Christian or not. And any President who does not do this, George W. Bush included, I will oppose, no matter what he calls himself.
Instead of watching blatantly biased films, which are only designed to deceive and dumb down Christian voters, we should be watching the actual actions and policies of our elected leaders. Perhaps, then, we would not only be less gullible, but we would also be able to hold our leaders accountable to the principles of good government--something most Christians are not doing now.
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