I think this is an excellent analysis. I'd start off, however, saying that I don't believe President Bush said these exact words. Although I don't agree with many of his policies, I don't think he would position America in that way. It is either a mis-translation, or a deliberate attempt to cast him as a 'crusader'.
However, the article makes some excellent points that our friends on the Religious Right should hear:
"When the president lets God tell him what to do, it violates the spirit of democracy. In a democracy, it is the people, not God, who make the decisions. The president is supposed to represent the will of the people. Yes, he must seek the best advice he can get and use his own best judgment. That means relying on facts, intelligent analysis, and rational thought-not divine inspiration. Once the president lets God's voice replace the human mind, we are back in the Middle Ages, back in the very situation our revolution was supposed to get us out of."
I believe that this statement is at the heart of the controversy about religion and its role in government. |
