Gokul43201 said:
From USAToday, April 2003 :
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-01-bush-cover_x.htm
Slate article by Stephen Waldman,editor in chief of beliefnet.com , Sept 2004 : http://slate.msn.com/id/2106590
I'll end with a slightly, though often, misquoted statement attributed to Professor of Psychiatry, Thomas Szasz.
When you talk to God, you’re praying; if God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
–Thomas Szasz, M.D.
Yes president Bush is a Christian. This is hard to follow after 8 years of Clinton/Gore, people have trouble seeing a president who actually belongs to a Christian church doing what comes naturally, praying and being a Christian.
Perhaps people assumed the president should be an adulterous, lying, crooked scam artist? Clintons affairs were his personal business, any adultery? we forgive him, that's between him and his wife. Lying? hey its okay to tell lies, if you need to. Lying under oath to a grand jury? Its really ones first amendment right to free speech. Being a scam artist? Hey all politicians are crooks.
But wait, I am confused, people on the left seem ...upset? that Bush is a "liar" and not your average scam artist, but the mastermind for overthrowing other nations against their will, illegally. Unless there is a double standard, democrats should be endorsing president Bush.
Its okay for a Christian to perceive that God wants them to do this/that. But in context, Christians do not have the ability to say "God spoke to me and said (name), you tell the people I said to... " then rattle off some long sacerdotal instruction. That kind of message from God ONLY came to the writers of Scripture and to select historical figures, all such messages stopped about 2000 years ago. If any new messages like that came along? We would be required to add them to the Bible. but read what it says about adding anything? Its probably in your bible in the last page of Revelation.
You might hear a "self proclaimed prophet" claim to hear from God. But they have a problem with authenticity. There are NO Apostles of Christ walking the Earth in 2005, those Apostles were personally appointed by Christ and had to have seen the physically resurrected Christ on Earth 2000 years ago. There is no official office of "prophet" in the Christian church. What is there to add? Hebrews 4 makes the bold assertion that Scripture is Gods living word, saying its not writing in a book, but the Scripture is active and alive and sharper than any 2 edged sword, able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Okay, so no prophets in 2005 as of yesterday;
Who ever claims "prophecy" ? Hopefully has good intentions, but many of those are cultists who have to deny that its all written, its all done. They have to claim to get new words from God, put the bible down, its obsolete, just listen to me as the supreme ruler, etc and the cult organizes around the claim.
President Bush CAN claim that God put him as president. Its a declaration God made in Old Testament times, God puts ALL world leaders into power and can cause them to fall. Notice also, Bush said he believed God "wanted" him to be president. He didnt say: "thus and lo verily thine words of my stock broker in the sky, the Lord, hath fallen upon thy servant whilst he was shaving near the dawn and watching thine financial show CNBC, yea the Lord spoketh unto me, audibly in the time of commercial break, saying..."
So nothing our Christian president has said or done in this context is in any way shape or form out of the ordinary. Those who pursue it relentlessly, do so likewise to pursue an Aquatic Fowl.