It is time for me to start unpacking Bush’s so-called christianity. As a former JW, I recognize cult thinking when I see it.

Bush even scares the Pope, who worked to convince leaders of nations on the UN Security Council to oppose Bush’s war resolution on Iraq.

"Bush’s blood lust, his repeated commitment to Christian beliefs, and his constant references to "evil doers," in the eyes of many devout Catholic leaders, bear all the hallmarks of the one warned about in the Book of Revelations – the anti-Christ."

Ok, I wouldn’t go that far, but only because I don’t like any sort of apocalyptic language that is based in the historical rather than the symbolic or spiritual/transformational.

Bush doesn’t pray, at least not publically, for the innocent civilians are dying as a result of the U.S. attack on Iraq. "He constantly "embeds" himself with the military at Goebbels-like speech fests and makes constant references to God when he refers to America’s "victory" in Iraq, as if God endorses his sordid killing spree."

Then there’s the issue of Bush’s religious language,
and that little confusion about whether or not Muslims and Christians worship the same god. He is officially a Methodist, but a read of their offical website doesn’t look much like Bush. Actually, he reminds me a good bit of Jehovah’s Witnesses, except that he’s not willing to wait for God to bring things about. Reread Revelation before you decide that he’s really all that pro-Israel. It’s just that Israel is necessary for certain things to proceed. The basic idea is that Jesus Christ will make a Second Coming after the scattered Jews have returned to Palestine – at which point (only) the Jews who convert to Christianity will be saved.

Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in a TV broadcast shortly after the World Trade Center attack spoke of Islam as being an inherently wicked religion, and this was later reiterated by the Reverend Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son and George W. Bush’s mentor.
Very fundamentally, Bush doesn’t seem to understand very much about the Christan message, as I think someone like Carter did. This President, who claims Jesus as mentor thinks nothing of lying, seems to be revenge oriented in his morality, and shows little tolerance for those who disagree. What is interesting is that the extremism that is at the fringe of the Moslem world is based on oppression and poverty, while the American variety (at least in terms of our current government) is based on dominance and wealth.

According to The Observer on Nov 2 2002, Bush stood in front of banners which read ‘King of Kings’ and’Lord of Lords,’ as he addresssed a crowd at the Dallas Christian youth center about his conversion experience.

His faith based funding excludes any but protestant christan groups, even nondenominational nonprofits.

The administration is keen to portray its ‘war on terror’ as non-religious, but it is fired up by ultra-evangelical Christians of a particularly authoritarian bent. They seem to have forgotten little theological matters such as compassion. The three major kinds of extreme fundamentalism share the belief that believe that they have a mandate from heaven, and they also share a destructive urge.

One writer puts it this way

"Israel bristles with the most modern arms and possesses biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, but its presence as an occupying power makes the entire region a powder keg and places in danger the lives of the Jews who have come to it as a haven. The Christian fundamentalists of the mighty American Empire too have their own kind of self-destructiveness. They look forward rapturously to Armageddon, the great final battle between good and evil foretold in the Bible. They are, therefore, in the forefront of an American imperialism that, drunk with power, is hurtling toward disaster. As the ancient Greek tragedian wrote, "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad."

The Faith of George W. Bush, is one example of a christan critique of Bush’s christianity. Written by Christian author Stephen Mansfield, it details numerous incidents where Bush’s faith has been shown to be at the centre of his political thinking. The book also shows that in the lead-up to announcing his candidacy for the presidency, Bush told a Texan evangelist that he had had a premonition of some form of national disaster happening.

Bush said to James Robinson: ‘I feel like God wants me to run for President. I can’t explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen… I know it won’t be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.’

Interesting.