George Bush's God Is Not God
Dr. Gerry Lower, Keystone, South Dakota
In his "war on terrorism," George W. Bush has openly made claim to be doing
God's work in the world. To be sure, the elimination of religion-based
political violence (i.e., most violence) in the world would be a blessing
hailed by all people on a global basis. It is, however, an act of faith to
believe that the Bush administration's inadequate and failed "war on
terrorism" has actually made the world safer from terrorism (when quite the
opposite is the more accurate conclusion).
This situation exists largely because of the utter failure of America's
conservative citizenry to comprehend the theological coercion at the core
of
Bush's religiosity.
At no time during his war on terrorism has George W. Bush ever claimed to
be
on God's side. Had he done so, Bush would be maintaining a respectful
relationship with God, a relationship in which the human side makes effort
to be on God's side. After all, we are talking about God here.
Instead, George claims that God is on His side, watching over him, the
American people and their worldly interests. That might be the "good news"
truth for George and his compassionately conservative followers, but to
make
such claims on behalf of God has always required more unmitigated gall than
honesty or an interest in the truth.
If George were doing God's work in the world, the world would be quickly
able to recognize that fact in George's ideas, words and actions. One can
think and talk about God all one wants, of course, without changing a thing
in the world. One cannot, however, do the "actionable" work of God in the
world without others taking notice.
The world has been taking notice for three years and the world has yet to
see any of God's work. The world has, instead, seen the work of George W.
Bush and his "neo"-conservative, CEO administration. The world has instead
seen a global display of self-righteousness, belligerence, fabrication,
coercion, unprovoked war and now, in Abu Ghraib, perversion and depravity
to
boot.
Insofar as George's work has met with the approval of his all-seeing,
all-knowing Roman God, it is little wonder that George has lost the support
of the entire educated world outside of the conservative American "bubble"
(Pierre Tristam, Waiting for the Bubble's Burst to Free America's State of
Mind, www.news-journalonline.com, May 5, 2004), a bubble comprised of the
same ingredients as the Enron "bubble.
In other words, America's downward religious spiral into despotic Roman
imperialism has less and less to do with George W. Bush and the religious
cult inhabiting his White House. It has more and more to do with the
American people and their capitalized mindset. America's failure on the
global stage now has more to do with a failed American citizenry, a
citizenry admittedly knowing very little about the human rights basis of
nascent Christianity and Jefferson's Democracy, a citizenry that only knows
what it takes to survive the here and now of a shallow, greed-driven crony
capitalism, a citizenry that has been coerced into unprovoked religious
violence on the global stage.
In doing so, conservative religious Americans have crossed several moral
lines to reach the "Point of No Return" (Christopher Dickey, Newsweek,
April
28, 2004). The very thought of a return to secular human ground threatens a
complete loss of religious self-identity and self-assuredness, and the
self-righteousness and belligerence that have led to the current cultural
watershed.
Seeing with Liberty's light, after having doused her flames with lies and
fabrications, would require something of a spiritual rebirth. It would
require a change in how one is seeing the world as opposed to what one is
"knowing" about the world as a "born again" Old Testament "Christian" (a
notion which is an affront to Jesus and an oxymoron in Jefferson's eyes).
In supporting Bush's "higher" protocol, conservative Americans have loyally
left themselves no exit plan, no choice but to be as children in the eyes
of
George's Roman God. That coerced revisitation of Old Testament imperial
religion may be the righteous thing to do in the "bubble" of Bush World,
but
it has literally nothing to do with citizenship in a Democracy birthed from
natural philosophy and nascent (before Rome) Christian ethics.
Jimmy Breslin "can't believe that Bush is so dumb that he thinks he
actually
talks to God." George Bush, in turn, must believe that Jimmy Breslin is
dumb
for not being adequately stupid and gullible in the face of Bush's God (A
Frank Talk With God, Newsday, April 25, 2004).
For George's loyal conservative cult, it is a simple matter of being as
dumb
as George believes them to be and requires them to be. Bush is, after all,
attempting to run a democracy on faith instead of human rights-based
principles. That alone requires an enormous leap of faith. Faith in human
nature is essential to human progress. Faith in a bankrupt status quo is
the
substance of all bubbles, and why they always burst.
For George's dismayed detractors, it is an awkward matter of cultural deja
vu, abiding a mindless, meaningless, lawless, Godless world under King
George and Tory capitalism. For his contributions to taking America full
circle into the despotic religious world from whence democracy emerged two
centuries ago, George W. Bush simply does not deserve to have his religious
fantasies and apocalyptic dreams reach fulfillment.
If Bush's dreams do reach apocalyptic fulfillment, we will (at the least)
all know whom and what to blame for political violence in the world. That
knowledge of causation, generally held by the people, is essential to
social
medicine and efficacious therapeutic intervention. Even in losing, the
people win.
If Bush's dreams do not reach fulfillment and apocalypse, it will only be
because the people will have seen with the light of human rights that
shines
through Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin - all the way from Galilee.
In making this so, the people can't lose.
It is an honest human blessing to be able to see where things are going and
simply choose not to go there. This is a blessing from God, people.
Consider
how much bloodshed and death could be avoided in the world if the people
would only think for themselves.
It is the only path to miracles on earth. It is the only path to
Jefferson's
God. --posted 05.10.04
Dr. Gerry Lower lives in the shadow of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of
South Dakota. His book, "Jefferson's Eyes," can be explored at
www.jeffersonseyes.com. It provides a new paradigm for comprehending
America
history. No longer can we see our history as a fiscal success story. We
must
see our history as a departure from original values. Dr. Lower can be
reached at tisland@blackhills.com.
http://www.bushwatch.net
---
Scientology tries to disrupt terrorist attacks relief efforts: http://www.cosvm.org/
"Bush is doing what's necessary to keep the military in top form." -- David Wilson
"Top form for an S&M porno." == Jingo
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