Linkmeister

Church and state

Jon pointed me toward this article in the current Newsweek titled Bush and God. The subtitle reads: "A biography of his faith, and how he wields it as he leads a nation on the brink of war." I grew up Roman Catholic but lapsed after high school, and I can understand the satisfaction of believing that one is doing God's work. I question whether the White House is a place to rely solely on a Supreme Being for guidance, though. Additionally, mixing one's faith into one's work when the majority of the rest of the world doesn't necessarily believe the way you do can create misunderstandings, at the least.

Interestingly, there's an interactive poll in the sidebar of that story; polls are notorious for skewing answers, and this one is no exception. The question is:

Does George W. Bush's religious faith inappropriately dictate policy?

Yes. Church and state are supposed to be separated.
35%
No. What's wrong with bringing morality to the White House?
63%
I don't know.
3%

Now, who the heck would disagree with bringing morality to the White House? But that isn't an answer to the question. The question is, is his personal moral view affecting his policies? Fineman argues, and I agree, that it is; then the question becomes, what impact is that having on his relations with the rest of the world, not to mention all those citizens of his own country who don't share his faith?

Look, for example, at the domestic agenda of this White House, and see how faith is being interjected into the civic life of the nation:

as a matter of politics and principle, the president knows that he needs to deliver on his faith-based domestic agenda, especially since his party controls Congress. The wish list compiled by Rove is a long one. It includes conservative, pro-life judicial nominations; new HUD regulations that allow federal grants for construction of “social service” facilities at religious institutions; a ban on human cloning and “partial birth” abortion; a sweeping program to allow churches, synagogues and mosques to use federal funds to administer social-welfare programs; strengthened limits on stem-cell research; increased funding to teach sexual abstinence in schools, rather than safer sex and pregnancy prevention; foreign-aid policies that stress right-to-life themes, and federal money for prison programs (like the one in Texas) that use Christian tough love in an effort to lower recidivism rates among convicts.

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." I think Mr. Bush, perhaps unconsciously, is creating a de facto state religion.

Posted by Linkmeister at March 6, 2003 03:24 PM