Tuesday December 23, 2003 at 8:05 PM
What's God's Idea of Freedom?
Appearing in Politics
Although President Bush has gone to great lengths to characterize the ongoing conflict between the Western world powers and Islamic terrorism as something other than a religious war, his closing comment at last week’s press conference indicates a different belief. The comment was part of a longer answer the President provided regarding his reaction to the capture of Saddam Hussein. The exact quote is as follows:
- “I believe, firmly believe — and you’ve heard me say this a lot — and I say it a lot because I truly believe it — that freedom is the almighty God’s gift to every person, every man and woman who lives in this world. That’s what I believe. And the arrest of Saddam Hussein changed the equation in Iraq. Justice was being delivered to a man who defied that gift from the Almighty to the people of Iraq.”
- U.S. President George Bush
December 15th, 2003
Such a comment, as well as the obvious passion and conviction that underlies it, is but another indication that the President believes himself to be a part of a divine mission, sanctioned by God, and aided by the Lord himself. Now I don’t know about you, but there is little I find more frightening than the realization that the Commander in Chief of the most destructive military in the history or the world operates under the assumption that he is acting in the service of his God.
What is so disturbing about Bush’s belief is not only that it leads to delusions of omnipotence but that it also becomes a justification for acting without the consent of the popular will, world opinion, or international law. At it’s most extreme, it provides a rationale for whatever action the Administration deems necessary by simply stating that such an action is in concert with the wishes of the Lord.
The invasion, overthrow, and ongoing occupation of Iraq is a case in point. Critics can say that there were no weapons of mass destruction and hence no imminent threat from Iraq. The world community can state that a dictator’s violent repression and brutality does not justify unilateral overthrow of a sovereign power. And experts can conclude that the establishment of a democratic society in the Middle East is an extremely difficult, expensive, and perhaps impossible goal for American foreign policy. But in the end, Bush can simply ignore all the controversy and debate by claiming that his decision to invade Iraq is justified in the eyes of God. Who’s going to debate him on that that one?
The President may believe that this is not a war between Christianity and Islam but the manner in which he now justifies our actions in Iraq are built on a collection of beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions that are fundamentally rooted in religious teachings, philosophy, and convictions. Unfortunately, the more we come to see this as a religious war, the more violent and extreme will become our responses, and the more violent and extreme our responses, the more we will find ourselves alienated, isolated, and despised by the rest of the world. Exactly what the terrorists want.
