The Liberal Patriot

Bush’s Christian Nation, More Than Just Diatribe

J.G. Schwam - May, 4 2004

George W. Bush’s definition of the USA as a Christian nation is more than just a narrow diatribe of his personal belief.  It is a grab to consolidate power.  It is the planned inflection of the well-defined agenda of narrow but highly vocal minority into government.

It is sometimes even silly sounding in it’s interpretation as Bush’s furthers his un-constitutional plans to bring his loyal fundamentalist supporters beliefs into governmental policy.  His statement that "freedom is a gift from God" is just another not so veiled attempt to de-secularize a government that has done well to remain secular for more than two hundred years.

Bush is quietly funding his faith based initiatives plan out the excessive discretionary funds allotted to the White House for purposes clearly intended for purposes other vote gathering projects that benefit groups such Bush’s fundamentalist campaign financiers and supporters such as son Reverend Billy Graham, Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse.

To date, George W. Bush faith based initiatives organization has not funded a single non-Christian group.   This writer questioned two years ago what would happen when a Muslim, Jewish, Sikh or religious group applied for funding?  Would they deny them out of hand?  Let them prove that none have applied.  This is not a Christian faith based initiative it is a ploy to funnel taxpayer dollars to groups loyal to Bush for them to use those dollars shore up and expand this sector of his political base.

Prior to 2002 it was illegal for federal funds to be given to any non-avowedly secular charity.  Bush took the extremely rare step of issuing an executive order to set aside the law.

“The president issued an executive order in 2002 that removed regulatory barriers prohibiting church groups from seeking federal funding. For example, HUD's regulations required a church to remove crosses and other religious symbols from its buildings before it could receive funding for a program housed in the facility”, said Jim Towey, the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.1

Some groups have taken the vain and cynical step of requiring the recitation of specific prayers or requiring membership before providing aid funded by federal dollars to those requesting it.  I doubt Jesus required allegiance to him before allowing the hungry to partake of loaves and fishes he provided.

Reports that this practice occurs continue to surface. Towey, has said this should not go on, but no reports that his department has withheld aid admonished groups that have engaged in this practice have surfaced either.

Dr. C. Welton Gaddy of the Interface Alliance, a group representing 70 faith traditions that support the first amendments statement, congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion said, "If we turn religion into a tool for advancing political strategy, we treat it as anything other than a sacred part of life from which we draw values and strength," Dr. Gaddy addedd. "Any time that religion has identified itself with a particular political movement or a particular government, religion has been harmed by that." 2

Congress would not fund his faith based initiatives funding request.  Bush however has chosen to interpret the constitutions prohibitive statement as directed to “Congress” alone, exempting the White House from the same requirement.  His actions have proven so.

Richard Land. a director of the conservative evangelical Southern Baptist Convention a friend and adviser to President Bush has said of Bush, “I think that there's no question that this president expresses his faith in overtly evangelical terms in a way that is much more recognizable, much more identifiable as being quote, "one of us" than the presidents that I've known in my lifetime. And I can remember every president from Eisenhower on”.

It is the inside “one of us” track that Bush gives to specific groups such as the outspoken Southern Baptist Convention that elucidates his disregard for a non-secular tradition in government that has prevented the appearance of religious preference in Washington for the 214 since ratification of the constitution.

In politics few dispute that appearance is everything.  By funding the activities of religious organizations Bush effectively maks them government wards or employees, dependent on state funds. This is more than appearance. It is as the first amendment says, “respecting an establishment of religion”.