Schroeder: Bush's religious talk worried him

[malaise]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1564792006
<snip>
"I can well understand if someone is devout and strives for a dialogue with God, in this case prayer. The problem that I have with that starts when the impression arises that political decisions are the result of a dialogue with God."

"Anyone who tries to legitimise political decisions that way (in dialogue with God) simply cannot allow these decisions to be changed through criticism or an exchange of ideas. Because if you do, you then breach the mission from God," Schroeder wrote.

"This absoluteness I saw in the American president in 2002, not only in our private talks but also in his public comments, reinforced my political scepticism -- even though I personally like America and its president."

"Quite rightly we criticise that in most Islamic states the role of religion in society and the secular character of the legal system are not clearly separated. But we haven't taken note as readily of the U.S. Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the bible that show similar tendencies.

[Hav]

1. .

I think these are realizations that were or should have been well known many years ago. Yet, it is important that a former statesman spells it out like this.
I hope that more will follow and start raising these questions as well.

[bryant69]

3. I would imagine it would be hard to gauge the depth of the problem

Most politicians have played the religion card - both Clinton and Carter were/are church goes. The difference is that President Bush's sense of entitlement merged with his faith, so that God becomes a holy trump card allowing him to do whatever he wants, because he and God just happen to always have the same opinion.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[C_U_L8R]

2. Bush hears voices

and apparently speaks in tongues too

[zanne]

4. Have you ever used the "get-out-of-jail-free card"...

I have to admit, a couple of times I've used the excuse "Because it's in the Bible" for some predicament I wanted to get out of. These people didn't know me, obviously, because I'm an agnostic who knows absolutely nothing about the Bible. What I found out, though, is that most people know nothing about the Bible, because they believed me. (I used it with an ER doctor once when I was trying to get my mother admitted). It also shows the power religion has in this country. You just can't argue with someone who claims to have a personal relationship with God; they have "faith", and that replaces reason sometimes.

[cyclezealot]

5. is it religion or the affects of cocaine.

As much cocaine as he ingested , it take a couple decades to get over the voices. It's all about addiction, anyway.