August 21, 2004
God and Politics
from - Buck
Speaking of Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goering once said
God gave the savior to the German people. We have faith, deep and unshakeable faith, that he was sent to us by God to save Germany.
Speaking of George Bush, General William Boykin said in the October 17th 2003 edition of the New York Times
Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. Why is he there? And I tell you this morning that he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this
I do not bring up these two quotations to compare George Bush to Adolf Hitler. I bring them up to compare similar mindsets and to wonder whether or not this mindset is a healthy one.
America is a very religious nation. But it is a mistake to assume that since it is religious it is also morally superior to other nations. All nations are made up of religious people. It is also a mistake to assume that since we are religious we have somehow been chosen by God to implement His will on this Earth anymore than other nations can assume that they have been chosen by God to stop us. The will we attempt to implement is our own and the sooner we admit to that fact the sooner we can begin to present to the world an honest foreign policy. And in issues domestic as well as foreign, honesty is the best policy.
I have no doubt that the global intentions of America are good intentions. I am also a firm believer in the old adage that “good intentions are the pathway to hell”. We would be better served to rein in our aspirations of global hegemony and to at least once again consider the ideals of the republic we were envisioned to be.
Since that will never happen we should keep in mind the words of Aristotle concerning the men and women we choose to lead us
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side
I guess if there is a moral to my message it is don’t be suckered by any politician claiming to have the sanction of God for carrying out what amounts to be his own personal agenda. It is the oldest trick in the book.
Posted by Buck at August 21, 2004 10:37 PM
To the best of my knowledge, Boykin isn't a self-avowed manipulator propogandist and unabashed liar like Georing. If Rove or Carville had said it, I would put it into the same category. (Again, not comparing Rove or Carville to Georing -- there is enough of that already, and it is stupid both ways.)
In other words, I don't think the analogy is fair, because Boykin is most likely sincere and Georing is most likely not.
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Posted by Phelps on August 22, 2004 04:19 PM Link to comment |
A point well-taken however I was not considering the motivation. I was only considering the mindset. Even if Boykin is sincere it is my opinion that it is sincerely wrong to color the world or any politician as either black or white . Things are just too complicated for that. Suddenly it becomes one of those "you are either for us or against us" arguments and things slide progressively downhill from there.
As Stephen H. Holbrook once said
Almost everyone who has read history in a more than casual manner knows that when the great figure of God appears in a controversy, the shooting cannot be far off.
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Posted by Buck on August 22, 2004 07:27 PM Link to comment |
To people who believe that God appointed George to be President, I'd suggest that Yes, God did, as punishment for our sins. Dunno what we did wrong, but whatever it was, it really pissed Him off!
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Posted by VKW on August 22, 2004 11:51 PM Link to comment |
