George Bush: Legacy of Bad Theology
I know a president is not a theologian. But, when anyone is an outspoken “born again” Christian I do hope that they can as
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) What do you think faith gave you that you needed?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) It gave me strength and - strength and understanding there is love, universal love. My faith at this point in my life has enabled me to accept people's prayers and has made a huge difference in my life. Obviously there's a lot of dramatic moments and a lot of, you know, pressure. But there's calm in the oval office. And people say, well how do you know it's because of prayer? People go oh, it's just a crutch. Well for me it's not a crutch. For me it is a - it is the realization of a power of a universal God, and recognition that the God came manifested in human and then died for sins.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) So do you believe that God actually intervenes in human affairs?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) You know what, it's - I'm not so presumptuous as to act on - as to kind of be God I guess is the way to say that. In other words, it's one I get asked all the time, well if you're religious, therefore you must think that you were picked out of all the people on the face of the earth to become president. I just don't - I can't go there. I'm not that confident in knowing, you know, the Almighty to be able to say, yeah, God wanted me of all the other people. But, you know, did God want me to be president? I don't know. My relationship is on a personal basis, trying to become as closer to the Almighty as I possibly can get. And I've got a lot of problems I mean, I've got, you know, ego. I've got all the - you know, the things that - you know, anxieties and all the things that prevent me from being closer to the Almighty. So I don't analyze my relationship with the good lord in terms of, well, you know, God has plucked you out or God wants you to do this. I know this. I know that the call is to - is to better understand and live out your life according to the will of God.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN So how do you know - I mean, does God talk to you at all? I don't mean like - well, I don't know what I mean.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) Well I told you I quit drinking. I mean I don't hear voices. It's like somebody said, do you see
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS)) People of faith throughout the ages have wondered about this. How do they know when it's their own ego, when it's their own desires and when it's actually God's will?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) I guess that's one of the universal questions. I think on way you make sure it's not your ego is you stay in the bible, at least that's what I have found. And I'm still learning. The bible is an amazing book.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS)Is it literally true, the bible?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) You know, probably not. You know, the idea that - no, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) So you can read the bible and not take it literally? I mean you can - it's not inconsistent to love the bible and to also believe in evolution say?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) Well, I think you can have both. I think evolution - look, you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president, but I think that God created the earth. Created the world. I think that the world - the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an Almighty. And I don't think it's incompatible with, you know, the scientific proof that there's evolution.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) But we resume now with his view of God and the Muslim world. Do you believe that when you pray to God that that's the same God that a Muslim prays to?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) I do. I do.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) That's gotten you into some trouble with your base.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) Oh, I don't know. Maybe it does. I do believe there is an Almighty that is broad and big enough, loving enough that can encompass a lot of people. I don't think God is a narrow concept. I think it's a broad concept. I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God and I believe we pray to the same Almighty. I do.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) So the leader of the Taliban is praying to the same God...
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) No, I'm not sure he's praying to a God. I think anybody who murders innocent people to achieve their objective is not a religious person. They may think they're religious and they may play like they're religious. But I don't think they are religious. They're not praying to the God I pray to, the God of peace and love. And that's one of the great ironies about this. You know, we're in a so-called religious war. I don't view this as a war of religion. I view this as a war of good, decent people of all faiths against people who murder innocent people to achieve a political objective
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) I'm just wondering what do you ask for forgiveness for?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES)Oh, gosh, a lot of things. I ask for forgiveness for anger at times, you know? You know, in this world this is a world of slights. And there's a lot of stuff said about you. And, you know, sometimes I don't react well to that. Not publicly of course, because I don't want to denigrate the office, but in my soul, you know, I get kind of wrought up and so I ask for forgiveness. I ask that my ego be - that I understand that just because you're president of the
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) So many of the decisions you make are monumental. Do you feel that God has been here with you?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) Sure, yeah. Particularly, you know, with prayer and, yeah, I do. I do. But see, the danger with your question is like, okay, God is making decisions. No, George W Bush had to make these decisions with a lot of other people. And, you know, it's like saying when you - did God tell you to run for president and if so, did he guarantee you victory? And the answer is absolutely not. Did it help to know that prayer would strengthen me during tough moments? Absolutely.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS) There are so many people who are comforted to have a strong - strongly believing Christian in the White House. Some people feel excluded by it though.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) Probably do. Yeah, I'm sure they do. I'm sure people say, you know, well, Bush says that - or Bush must feel that I'm inferior because, you know, he believes in Christ and I don't. Or, you know, - look, one time early in my governorship - not early, but in my governorship, you know, a guy asked me do you have to believe in Christ to go to heaven? And I told the story about, you know, Billy Graham saying to mother and me when we having a discussion about this, look, either of you don't play God, but he left out of the part of the story where I said the bible says that, but Billy Graham said don't play God. Well, he left out the Billy Graham don't play God stuff and a lot of Jewish people in Texas read in their newspaper Bush to Jews, go to hell. And it was unbelievably unfair, but it was an interesting lesson that, you know, you cannot underestimate how people can misread religion and religious intent. I'm sure people say George Bush is a Christian therefore he can't possibly relate to me or he doesn't like me or he thinks I'm condemned and I'm sorry that's the case because that's not the way I feel.
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN (ABC NEWS)As we concluded the interview we talked about what was next for him and whether his faith would inform his next step. Does that tell you what you should do next with your life?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH (UNITED STATES) What, be a preacher? Are you kidding me? I'm the last guy to be a preacher. I'm going to be - I'm going to be trying to stay on the walk to the last day on the face of the earth. It is - the interesting thing that I have come to this conclusion, maybe I'm wrong, I don't know, but that the full understanding of Christianity is going to take a full lifetime of study.
What statements troubled you or bothered you most about what the President said and why?
Do you feel that most Christians today would have a problem with what he said?
Are you praying for our next President as you should?
Have a great new year! Phillip
And here is your laugh. I hope God forgives me, but this is funny!
3 comments :
The problem I have with this is that He says that the Bible is not always literally true. I have always been taught that it was God's word and that it was all literally true. I do think He knows that the only way to God is through His Son Jesus Christ. That I will not dispute with anyone.
I guess we could spend our entire lives debating about the small differences of opinion about religious matters we may have, or we could embrace the thousands of common beliefs and get our tails to work spreading the word and lifting up all of his children.
Bush "I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God and I believe we pray to the same Almighty. I do."
Is this a minor point of theology? AM I just splitting hairs?
Which God do you pray to? Is God the Father is the same as Allah? Do all paths lead to salvation? I am for sharing the word but do we spread the Gospel of the Bible or just whatever we feel in hearts to be true for ourselves? Do we ignore Scripture for the sake of lifting up?
So here is the real issue at stake here "Is Jesus the only way to salvation?"
Answer: "I'm basically a good person, so I'll go to heaven." "OK, so I do some bad things, but I do more good things, so I'll go to heaven." "God won't send me to hell just because I don't live by the Bible. Times have changed!" "Only really bad people like child molesters and murderers go to hell."
These are all common rationalizations, but the truth is that they are all lies. Satan, the ruler of the world, plants these thoughts in our heads. He, and anyone who follows his ways, is an enemy of God (1Peter 5:8). Satan is a deceiver and often disguises himself as someone good (2 Corinthians 11:14), but he has control over all the minds that do not belong to God. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
It is a lie to believe that God doesn't care about small sins or that hell is reserved for "bad people." All sin separates us from God, even a “little white lie.” Everyone has sinned, and no one is good enough to get to heaven on their own (Romans 3:23). Getting into heaven is not based on whether our good outweighs our bad; we will all lose out if that is the case. "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). We can do nothing good to earn our way to heaven (Titus 3:5).
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 7:13). Even if everyone else is living a life of sin in a culture where trusting in God is not popular, God will not excuse it. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:1-2).
When God created the world, it was perfect and good. Then he made Adam and Eve and gave them their own free will, so they would have a choice whether to follow and obey God. But they were tempted by Satan to disobey God, and they sinned. This separated them (and everyone that came after them, including us) from being able to have a close relationship with God. He is perfect and holy and must judge sin. As sinners, we couldn't reconcile ourselves to God on our own. So God made a way that we could be united with Him in heaven. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus was born to die for our sins so that we would not have to. Three days after His death, He rose from the grave (Romans 4:25), proving Himself victorious over death. He bridged the gap between God and man so that we may have a personal relationship with Him if we only believe.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus is the only way of salvation because He is the only One who can pay our sin penalty (Romans 6:23). No other religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin and its consequences. No other religion offers the infinite payment of sin that only Jesus Christ could provide. No other “religious founder” was God become man (John 1:1,14) – the only way an infinite debt could be paid. Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Taken from gotquestions.org
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