Religion: Carter vs. Bush

[Jo March]

It is interesting to me how Carter and Bush, both professed men of faith, show their religious beliefs.

Bush seems to bring up his belief in God quite often. He has said that God leads him in all that he does. He never hesitates to bring up God or his faith in speeches. His actions, however, prove quite un-Christian. He is a firm believer in the death penalty, going so far as to mock a woman pleading for clemency. He has led us into 2 wars, which has caused the death of thousands of innocents.

Carter, on the other had, prefers to keep his faith quiet. He worships quietly and does not mention his faith in the public often. He does work for the poor, with Habitat for Humanity, for the oppressed in many Third World countries. He does so quietly and piously.

Yet Bush is the man that religious groups have elevated as a wonderful example of a Christian leader. Why is this? He is the antithesis of all that Christianity is. Carter, on the other hand, is reviled and dismissed.

To me, Carter is a wonderful example of a true Christian.

So, do not equate Bush with Christianity. He does not stand for what we believe in!

This just struck me today - the differences between the two men and how the religious right perceives them and treats them.

[Mandate My Ass]

1. By their works ye shall know them

IOW, Bush has a messiah complex and calls it religion.

[Jo March]

3. Amen to that

I just don't get my friends who say what a good Christian this man is! He is a hypocrite and a blasphemer. That is way obvious to me, darn it!!!

[Mandate My Ass]

5. Also, I heard he very rarely attends public services

His lack of interest in worshipping in fellowship with other humans speaks of a tremendous lack of humility.

[Zeke]

7. Close...

Bush has an Anti-Christ complex. :)

VOTE KERRY.

[madrchsod]

2. bush is not a christian

or should i say not a believer in what christ said..yes carter is a real christian-hell he still teachs sunday school-lucky kids!

[Jo March]

4. I didn't know that he still taught Sunday school

That is so cool. I admire Carter. He is humble and honest.

Bush is a fraud.

[Dob Bole]

12. I've been to his Sunday School Class...

He's a good teacher. I think he's been doing this since 1981.

[LeftHander]

6. Bush uses the Christian right for politcal purposes

The fundie right is easily hoodwinked by folks who proclaim that God and Jesus is on thier saide and their. People have been using ignorant bible bangers for years...Bush is no different. Youi only have to look closely at how Bush and his family have lived their lives. Christain values are WAAAYYYYY down on the list.

We all see it but unfortunately many in the bible belt do not.

[Jo March]

9. And that is what I don't understand

The Bible is very clear on a lot of things, not just homosexuality - which the right is so quick to throw out for their own political reasons. (Jesus Himself had nothing to say about homosexuality, btw, but lots to say about loving your neighbor and being kind, etc.)

I've noticed that the religious right doesn't really mention the teachings of Jesus because He is all about loving your neighbor. They tend to bring up versus from the Old Testament and from the writings of Paul.

[cmf]

8. I agree with you

Carter demonstrates his faith through actions. Bush professes faith in order to gain votes and to demonize the opposition ("he is a man of faith, therefore his opposition cannot be").

[wadestock]

10. We live in strange times....

Where the culture of greed has taken over....and terrorism has come to our doorsteps....and perhaps 1/4 of the people tend to think that someone who has "religious convictions" would be the best recipe for our times....

But as you say....in reality....he's a fraud using religion and "moral conviction" as do most neocons like a snake oil salesman.

This is hollow "infomercial" tactics that many people will buy because they're "tuned" for such responses.

Bush to me is the quintessential example of what our founding fathers feared in terms of mixing church and state.

No matter how you mix it....it immediately becomes (as you point out) non-religion and it spells disaster.

[Dob Bole]

11. Jesus was reviled by religious people too...

So Carter's in good company.

[Jo March]

14. I didn't think of it that way.

Awesome. That's a good way of putting it, Dob Bole. (I like your username, btw.)

[demosincebirth]

21. If Jesus were alive today...

he would also be reviled by the religious right.

[tom_paine]

13. Carter is a Christian; Bush is the anti-Christ

[rowire]

15. Reagan, Jr. Pegged It

Ron Reagan, Jr. pegged it at Reagan's memorial when he spoke of politicians who wear their faith on their sleaves (a vieled reference to Bush). As much as I disliked Reagan's dad, I don't remember him shoving his religion down our throats like Bush. In fact, I don't recall any President acting like Bush. Doesn't the bible say something about hypocrites who walk around publicly expressing their faith while ignoring private prayer and worship?

[newyawker99]

19. Hi rowire!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Kazak]

16. The right does not have a monopoly on religion,...

nor does Christianity, BTW, it's a trait that is unique to all of humanity.

[CarolynEC]

17. As a Born-Again Athiest, I must say...

... I admire the heck out of Jimmy Carter! He is a true statesman, and has done more to make this world a better place than any dozen repug bible-thumpers.

The American Prosepct did an excellent interview with him a while back:

TAP: How do you think the fundamentalist Christian right has misrepresented Christianity, as well as the democratic process?

Carter: Well, what do Christians stand for, based exclusively on the words and actions of Jesus Christ? We worship him as a prince of peace. And I think almost all Christians would conclude that whenever there is an inevitable altercation -- say, between a husband and a wife, or a father and a child, or within a given community, or between two nations (including our own) -- we should make every effort to resolve those differences which arise in life through peaceful means. Therein, we should not resort to war as a way to exalt the president as the commander in chief. A commitment to peace is certainly a Christian principle that even ultraconservatives would endorse, at least by worshipping the prince of peace.

And Christ reached out almost exclusively to the poor, suffering, abandoned, deprived -- the scorned, the condemned people -- including Samaritans and those who were diseased. The alleviation of suffering was a philosophy that was enhanced and emphasized by the life of Christ. Today the ultra-right wing, in both religion and politics, has abandoned that principle of Jesus Christ’s ministry.

Those are the two principal things in the practical sense that starkly separate the ultra-right Christian community from the rest of the Christian world: Do we endorse and support peace and support the alleviation of suffering among the poor and the outcast?

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=7572

[Dob Bole]

18. Hmm...that's an excellent quote that I will use later...

"Those are the two principal things in the practical sense that starkly separate the ultra-right Christian community from the rest of the Christian world: Do we endorse and support peace and support the alleviation of suffering among the poor and the outcast?"

[demosincebirth]

20. "Faith without works is dead."

[J Williams]

22. Great post! Quite true. And what's more ...

The fact is that the Religious Right in America is led by religious bigots and hypocrites who betray their religion.

The same is true of the Religious Right in the Mid-East who call themselves Muslims and Jews. They too betray their religion.

Most people don't realize to what extent Bush is playing to the cult of fear that is led by those pushing the "End Times" doctrine. But in fact, some preachers on the Christian Right even helped Bush to beat the war drums for the war on Iraq by claiming that it would fulfill the prophecy of the “sixth angel” who “poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates...” (Revelation 16:12) They don't understand biblical symbolism or the true meaning of prophecy.

That'pointed out in a book I recently read titled What IS the World Coming To? (ISBN: 059531998X) The author points out such facts and totally turns the tables on the Religious Right.

And it's about time.