March 10, 2006--Friday Fanaticisms XXV--Praying With Tony
Now we learn that George Bush and Tony Blair share the same Senior Advisor—God.
We’ve known this about President Bush for some time—when asked during an interview early in his first term if he sought advice from his earthly father, Bush Forty-One, he said, “I follow another Father.”
Blair, on the other hand, though he leads a country in which politicians typically do not talk publicly about their own religious beliefs, has long been suspected of being a Closet Catholic (in the UK this is not at all a good thing for the Prime Minister). Or, if he is under the influence of his wife Cherie as many suspect, it is speculated that he may be a Closet New Ager, listening to Cherie’s astrologer (a la Nancy Reagan) and fingering her crystals.
But in a recent interview with a reporter from Independent Television (ITV), Blair came out of that Closet—when asked about his decision to send troops to Iraq, he indicated that this judgment must be “made by other people . . . and if you believe in God, it’s made by God as well (see NY Times story linked below).
So now we know—both Bush’s and Blair’s foreign policies are being guided at least in part by God.
What else might be going on here beyond seeing this as an expression of their faith? And how might one characterize that faith? Considering the global consequences, spurring that Clash of Civilizations we have been hearing about for years, we need to have answers to these questions. But since neither Bush nor Blair are likely to provide them, allow me to speculate.
You’ve heard me opine here about how tens of millions of so-called premillenialists Christian Fundamentalists believe that we are close to experiencing the biblically prophesized Final Days. When Christ will make his second appearance (the Second Coming) and all life will end and there will be the Final Judgment. According to those who hold these beliefs there are certain preconditions that need to be in place before this can occur. From me and elsewhere you know that, among other things, one of the key preconditions requires all Jews to return to Israel.
Getting more specific, sort of like “It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is,” in this case, “It depends on what your definition of Israel is.” To premillenialists, and in this I for certain include George Bush and now suspect Tony Blair, their definition of Israel is all the land that stretchs from the Nile in the west to the Tigris and Euphrates in the east—in other words, all the way into Iraq.
So as Bush and now Blair declare that they await God’s judgment in regard to their foreign policy decisions, I suggest we might want to insist on pressing them to be even more explicit about this. And if we find that they in fact claim to be divinely guided it may be time for a Vote of No Confidence on both sides of the Atlantic.
We’ve known this about President Bush for some time—when asked during an interview early in his first term if he sought advice from his earthly father, Bush Forty-One, he said, “I follow another Father.”
Blair, on the other hand, though he leads a country in which politicians typically do not talk publicly about their own religious beliefs, has long been suspected of being a Closet Catholic (in the UK this is not at all a good thing for the Prime Minister). Or, if he is under the influence of his wife Cherie as many suspect, it is speculated that he may be a Closet New Ager, listening to Cherie’s astrologer (a la Nancy Reagan) and fingering her crystals.
But in a recent interview with a reporter from Independent Television (ITV), Blair came out of that Closet—when asked about his decision to send troops to Iraq, he indicated that this judgment must be “made by other people . . . and if you believe in God, it’s made by God as well (see NY Times story linked below).
So now we know—both Bush’s and Blair’s foreign policies are being guided at least in part by God.
What else might be going on here beyond seeing this as an expression of their faith? And how might one characterize that faith? Considering the global consequences, spurring that Clash of Civilizations we have been hearing about for years, we need to have answers to these questions. But since neither Bush nor Blair are likely to provide them, allow me to speculate.
You’ve heard me opine here about how tens of millions of so-called premillenialists Christian Fundamentalists believe that we are close to experiencing the biblically prophesized Final Days. When Christ will make his second appearance (the Second Coming) and all life will end and there will be the Final Judgment. According to those who hold these beliefs there are certain preconditions that need to be in place before this can occur. From me and elsewhere you know that, among other things, one of the key preconditions requires all Jews to return to Israel.
Getting more specific, sort of like “It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is,” in this case, “It depends on what your definition of Israel is.” To premillenialists, and in this I for certain include George Bush and now suspect Tony Blair, their definition of Israel is all the land that stretchs from the Nile in the west to the Tigris and Euphrates in the east—in other words, all the way into Iraq.
So as Bush and now Blair declare that they await God’s judgment in regard to their foreign policy decisions, I suggest we might want to insist on pressing them to be even more explicit about this. And if we find that they in fact claim to be divinely guided it may be time for a Vote of No Confidence on both sides of the Atlantic.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
2:58 PM
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