Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening'

[deminks]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594.html?nav=rss_nation

President Bush said yesterday that he senses a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation's struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as "a confrontation between good and evil."

Bush told a group of conservative journalists that he notices more open expressions of faith among people he meets during his travels, and he suggested that might signal a broader revival similar to other religious movements in history. Bush noted that some of Abraham Lincoln's strongest supporters were religious people "who saw life in terms of good and evil" and who believed that slavery was evil. Many of his own supporters, he said, see the current conflict in similar terms.

The First Great Awakening refers to a wave of Christian fervor in the American colonies from about 1730 to 1760, while the Second Great Awakening is generally believed to have occurred from 1800 to 1830.

"He's drawing a parallel in terms of a resurgence, in dangerous times, of people going back to their religion," said one aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the session was not open to other journalists. "This is not 'God is on our side' or anything like that."

Oh my. Off his rocker, the president is. Make up shit about religion, too. Notice that the revolution and the civil war were at the end of these so called awakenings.

[Drum]

1. Time for this clown to join another circus.

Though can't think of another ocountry I'd wish him upon. Just go away, W!

[Tight_rope]

134. LMBAO....Too funny! But so true...Bush just go away!

[saigon68]

142. The CHIMPANZEE can go FUCK himself

[LynnTheDem]

2. The rise of the ChristoFascists. American Talebornagains.

So why exactly are we against theocracies in othe rnations when rightwingnuts themselves are so determined to make America a theocracy?

Aside from the fact that rightwingnuts are too MFing stupid to even realize their own idiocy & hypocrisy.

[Lisa0825]

89. Talebornagains - great word! nt

[okieinpain]

132. yeah, scarbrough, or what ever the heck his name is was calling

a lady on his show yesterday nuts for bringing up the fact that there are extremist in american religions too.

[gully]

3. Perhaps he envisions his pending impeachment.

That'll be an "awakening."

[IndianaGreen]

4. Bush's own Jihad

This clown is going to get us all killed in order to self-fulfill some apocalyptic prophecy.

[bdamomma]

76. he's psychotic really, what did he say recently

a "struggle for civilization" this man is totally jihadist, we have to do everything we can to get this guy out in November, get ready for a fight.

[Lindacooks]

5. Just because nutty fundies are speaking out more doesn't mean

this is an 'Awakening'. They just have permission from 'Our Great Moran' to impose their beliefs on others.

[Redneck Socialist]

6. Maybe that's because he only talks to pre-screened loony toons?

If he actually went out in public the the only talk of god he'd hear would be "goddamn you're a fucking idiot!"

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

56. Yep. Bubble Boy strikes again.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Gott Mit Uns

http://www.antiquemystique.com.nyud.net:8090/images/8105c_jpg.jpg

[smirkymonkey]

91. The first thing I thought of was "Is that like the Third Reich?"

Anyway, the terminology seems ominous to me.

[Fridays Child]

147. Me, too.

From dictionary.com, reich means "empire; realm; nation."

[patrice]

8. Jesus died for our sins. Everything we do is forgiven.

When you're feeling pretty bad about what you're doing, "Jesus" gets more and more important.

Jesus loves us, but do we love him?

[Supersedeas]

99. calculated spirituality motivated by self-interest?

[Erika]

9. He reminds me of a fanatic Mullah

and other religious nuts.

[truthisfreedom]

10. he's subtly trying to take credit for this so-called "third awakening."

he's attempting to prove that he'll go down in history positively, and all this time he's been denying that he cares about his legacy.

[Erika]

12. In his dreams

The poor Iraqi kids who had their limbs blown off in his shock and awe campaign will have their say. They and their country did nothing. W brought the wrath of hell on them. He, and his administration, will have to answer to that.

[Jawja]

94. Excuse me,

but what were the other two? I'm missing something here. :shrug:

[Lautremont]

11. Why is the U.S. so religious?

I've often wondered that. I know Puritans had a big hand in founding the country, but that's always seemed like too simple an answer. I'm a Canadian, and, looking southward, the difference is striking. Canada is not nearly as superstitious, and I'm curious as to why that is. Any ideas will be welcome.

[Erika]

13. A cheap guess

We've hurt so many that we hope there will be a divine figure who will forgive us and let us live forever anyway, regardless of the damage we've done to others.

It's called the GOP plan.

[mitchum]

18. I think that is the right answer, Erika

a country settled/stolen with a bible in one hand and death in the other

[Erika]

20. I've oftened wondered why so many are afraid of death?

Aren't they looking forward to meeting their savior?

Strange people. They act like little children pandering to anyone who will keep them from death as if it so horrible. Total disconnect there.

[shadowknows69]

131. I think it's called false faith

n/t

[bdamomma]

77. that sounds pretty right to me too, we have done so much

damage to others we are reaching out religiously and spirituality, my opinion is that all the praying we do will not help us, only we can help us.

[anitar1]

31. Attribute it to sheer ignorance. n/t

[krispos42]

35. Go read "American Theocracy"

by Kevin Phillips. The second section talks about the rise off the religious right, dating back to the 19th century. Apparently we have always been a hotbed of splinter religions, and the traveling preacher and tent revivals has something to do with it. Manifest Destiny, divine providence, plenty of Kool-Aid, that kind of stuff.

Of course, all three sections (oil, religion, debt) will scare the hell out of you. Well, it would if you lived down here in "ah-MIRR-ka". :-)

[Demeter]

38. Because of Strong Anti-Intellectual Convictions in South and Rural Areas

Where the needs-driven immigrants settled, education and good citizenship are valued, but where people went to hide out from progress, competition, and change, superstition, the Good Ole Boy network, and rigid class distinctions reign.

[Bridget Burke]

52. Ever heard of the Texas Freedom Network?

Founded in 1995, the Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization of more than 23,000 religious and community leaders. Based in Austin, the Texas Freedom Network acts as the state’s watchdog, monitoring far-right issues, organizations, money and leaders. The organization has been instrumental in defeating initiatives backed by the religious right in Texas, including private school vouchers, textbook censorship and faith-based deregulation.

http://www.tfn.org/aboutus/

I'm a member. Google shows a "Michigan Freedom Network"--but they appear to be Libertarians.

[Demeter]

58. Of Course; It's Based in Austin

[jus_the_facts]

104. Some of us break out of that mindset regardless of where we reside....

....born and lived in Louisiana all my life...please don't insult my intelligence because of where I live...

http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent."

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Francis Hopkinson, March 13, 1789
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

[ChairmanAgnostic]

39. you have a gooder edukashun sistim.

The inept way we fund it has hurt a lot.

[sweetheart]

40. political disempowerment

When you have no power over your life except to pray for santa clauze to come save you
from an thuggish police state of mass murderers, then you project all your own political
aspirations for change on to this saviour who's gonna come some day and fix all the
injustices in the world. Then people can sleep easy knowing that santa's gonna fix everything.

[The Wielding Truth]

90. "Children of God" only works if there are no agendas of greed and power.

:dilemma:

[screembloodymurder]

47. I love Canada.

Let me in!

[smirkymonkey]

92. Fear.

[jus_the_facts]

101. Thomas Jefferson "Christanity neither is, nor ever was part of the law....

""Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.

-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.



http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

Distortions of history occur in the minds of many Christians whenever they see the word "God" embossed in statue or memorial concrete. For example, those who visit the Jefferson Memorial in Washington will read Jefferson's words engraved: "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every from of tyranny over the mind of man." When they see the word "God" many Christians see this as "proof" of his Christianity without thinking that "God" can have many definitions ranging from nature to supernatural.

Yet how many of them realize that this passage aimed at attacking the tyranny of the Christian clergy of Philadelphia, or that Jefferson's God was not the personal god of Christianity? Those memorial words came from a letter written to Benjamin Rush in 1800 in response to Rush's warning about the Philadelphia clergy attacking Jefferson (Jefferson was seen as an infidel by his enemies during his election for President). The complete statement reads as follows:

"The returning good sense of our country threatens abortion to their hopes, & they believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: & enough too in their opinion, & this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me. . ."

Jefferson aimed at laissez-faire liberalism in the name of individual freedom, He felt that any form of government control, not only of religion, but of individual mercantilism consisted of tyranny. He thought that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.

If anything can clear of the misconceptions of Jeffersonian history, it can come best from the author himself. Although Jefferson had a complex view of religion, too vast for this presentation, the following quotes provide a glimpse of how Thomas Jefferson viewed the corruptions of Christianity and religion.

http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

[Tyo]

102. Cuz anyone with any sense of proportion and balance

probably ended up in Canada. We got all the malcontents, revolutionaries, get-rich-quick artists and especially the religious cranks. Made for a volatile mix.

[Arugula Latte]

107. A crappy educational system doesn't help -- people will believe

any shit thrown at them (yeaaaah, Jebus is comin' back aaaaaany day) when they can't think critically for themselves.

[PaulaFarrell]

115. Fear

when you're scared, you want someone omnipotent to look after you. Hence, the 'third awakening'.

[nebenaube]

130. Puritans..

The very first thing they did here is stumble on a cache of seed corn and steal it. (Corn Hill on Cape Cod)
They founded a colony and set up a puppet theocracy. Funny how everyone forgets that we rebelled against that system.

[earth mom]

138. Religion is BIG Business here.

Churches are simply raking in the cash and they aren't about to let the gravy train stop! Gotta keep their followers afraid of the wrath of God or bye bye money and profits! Churches here pay no taxes and get all their obedient followers to tithe a portion of their paycheck to their church. These days Churches also have the * administration giving them TAXPAYER money too, just like every other corporation in this country! :grr:

[newspeak]

141. actually, we get that Puritan thing in elementary school

but, the Virginia Bay company and business was far more a reality in the settling of the new land. Yeah, the Puritans went to practice their religion freely, unfortunately, they didn't believe the same for others. It's amazing how they wanted to control every part of others' lives, and yet speak about religious freedom.

[DLnyc]

14. Personally, I see a confrontation between those that lie, cheat, steal and

kill, on the one hand, and the other 99.9999% of the world which is not a part of the bushco disneyland fantasy delusion, on the other hand.

Let's get real here.

[gumby]

15. He gives the religio-wack-nuts millions and millions

of dollars to expand their ranks and then only invites the wack-nuts to his appearances and, guess what, they reflect what he wants to hear.

See how simple that is?

[Divine Discontent]

114. Gumby!!!!!!

I read down through the posts to see if anyone would catch on to what I was wanting to type, and voila!, you did!


When you select the audience, and their either good hearted Christians & fanatic right-wing Christofascists, you're going to hear constant "God" talk... duh GEORGE!


what a moron!


www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- check it out! 100's of new funny stickers/shirts

[sofa king]

16. "Third Retardating," maybe.

Is "retardating" a word? It should be.

[SharonAnn]

23. Yes, "The Awakening" is not anything to be proud of. It was largely

the uneducated who fell for this simplistic balderdash wrapped up in emotional fervor.

Something like today's "Rapturists".

Really, being part of that was not necessarily anything you'd be proud of.

[mitchum]

17. He is either insane or a crass panderer...

but very dangerous either way

[Erika]

19. Can you imagine what his legacy will be? n/t

[krispos42]

36. Yes, it gives me great pleasure...

First, duel impeachment. I have a mental image of George, Laura, Dick, and Lynn being hustled out of the White House by Park Rangers while Secret Service agents are standing there holding cardboard boxes full of bric-a-brac and plastic garbage bags full of clothing. Next to them is that guy who always is on vigil holding a "No Nukes" sign.

Second, criminal trial. It takes the US attorney three hours to read the charges against Bush and Cheney.

Third, matching orange jumpsuits, complete with their hands cuffed to their waists and leg irons.

Fourth, Bush and Cheney fighitng with Moussaoui over who gets the bottom bunk in the supermax cell in Colorado.

[screembloodymurder]

48. He's not planning on a legacy.

He plans on staying in power forever.

[Richard Steele]

53. Yes.

[Straight Shooter]

86. OMG. That is one hell of an image.

And I do mean hell.

Well done.

[Richard Steele]

88. I really can't take credit- that one is 100% a product of BushCabal™Inc.

That backround is an UNALTERED pic of
a shower-stall floor at Abu Ghraib, repeated 4x.

I simply duplicated and flipped it to make
a 4-panel mirror image, to provide an appropriate
backround for the Giggling MurderMonkey.

I was just trying for a simple "bloodsoaked" metaphor;
I didn't even NOTICE the demonic faces hovering above
the Little DictatorTot in the bloodsplatter until I had
completely FINISHED the image, and was giving it one last
"brightness/contrast" tweak.

[Straight Shooter]

100. There is definitely a face right above his head.

Looks like a cross between a leopard and a human.

In other words, you created the final image using other images? If so, amazing. It's also somewhat disconcerting how the Universe points out the obvious through the subtle.

[Canuckistanian]

93. That's a powerful picture

Of an Ugly man. And yes, rivers of blood are his legacy.

[Richard Steele]

96. One of my better pieces, IMHO. Pure luck on my part, though.

See above for a more detailed description.

And feel free to swipe it and pass it around, BTW- that's what it's for.

[Canuckistanian]

113. Thanks

Would look great blown up to poster size.

[PSPS]

21. "he notices more open expressions of faith among people he meets"

Of course. That's because those are the only people left who show up and are allowed near him.

[Lisa]

25. Does muttering "Ohmygod, I can't believe he's such a dimwit!" count?

Because I said that just this morning, and I'm an agnostic!

[lumberjack_jeff]

66. Like the ill-behaved kid who thinks his name is "Jesus H Christ!"

As in "Jesus H. Christ! Put down that BB gun and let that frog go!"

[pinto]

22. Whoa! President as prophet? Ugh. (fwiw, info from the Wiki Encyclopedia:)

The First Great Awakening:

The First Great Awakening was a religious movement among American colonial Protestants in the 1730s to 1740s. It made religion intensely personal to the average person, by creating a deep sense of spiritual guilt and redemption, Historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom sees it as part of a "great international Protestant upheaval," that also created Pietism in Germany, the Evangelical Revival and Methodism in England. <1> In America it brought Christianity to the slaves and was an apocalyptic event in New England that challenged established authority. Indeed, everywhere it incited rancor and division between the old traditionalists who insisted on ritual and doctrine and the new revivalists. It had a major impact in reshaping the Congregational, Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, and German Reformed denominations, and helped create the Methodist and Baptist denominations. It has less impact on the Anglican (Episcopal) and Quaker religions. Unlike the Second Great Awakening that began about 1800 and which reached out to the unchurched, the First focused on people who were already church members. It changed their rituals, their piety, and their self awareness.

The revival began with Jonathan Edwards, a well-educated Congregationalist minister from Northampton, Massachusetts, who sought to leave the Puritans' strict Calvinist roots but recognized the importance and power of immediate, personal religious experience. Edwards was a powerful speaker and attracted a large following; "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is his famous sermon. The Methodist preacher George Whitefield, visiting from England, continued the movement, traveling across the colonies and preaching in a dramatic and emotional style, accepting everyone into his audiences.

The new style of sermons and the way people practiced their faith breathed new life into religion in America. People became passionately and emotionally involved in their religion, rather than passively listening to intellectual discourse in a detached manner. People began to study the Bible at home, which effectively decentralized the means of informing the public on religious manners and was akin to the individualistic trends present in Europe during the Protestant Reformation.

Those attracted to his message and that of the itinerant preachers who sprang up across the colonies called themselves the "New Lights," and those who were not were called the "Old Lights." Some historians see the First Great Awakening as the first true "American" event, and as such represented a step towards a common American value system. In that way it provided a basis for a true "American" society, and increased the independent, self-determined spirit of colonists. However, Yale historian Jon Butler (1982) challenged the notion that there was in fact a "First Great Awakening" across the 13 colonies. According to Butler, though there were a number of local revivals, they lacked the sort of overarching associations and connections required to form a true national or international movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Great_Awakening


The Second Great Awakening:

The Second Great Awakening or the Great Revival was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of several kinds of activity, distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. In New England, the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism among Yankees. In western New York, the spirit of revival encouraged the emergence of new Restorationist and other denominations. It was also one of the influences on the Holiness movement. In the west especially at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and in Tennessee, the revival strengthened the Methodists and the Baptists, introduced into America a new form of religious expression—the Scottish camp meeting and helped the creation of new denominations, especially the Campbellites.

New England
1820s-1900s

The Congregationalists in New England set up missionary societies, to evangelize the West. Members of these societies not only acted as apostles for the faith, but as educators, exponents of Eastern, urban culture. Publication and education societies promoted Christian education; most notable among them was the American Bible Society, founded in 1816. Social activism inspired by the revival gave rise to abolition groups as well as the Society for the Promotion of Temperance, and began efforts to reform prisons and care for the handicapped and mentally ill. They believed in the perfectibility of people and were highly moralistic in their endeavors.

Some of the larger religious movements with roots in the Second Great Awakening are the Churches of Christ, The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Latter Day Saint movement, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Appalachia

In the Appalachian region, the revival used the camp meeting (probably borrowed from Scotland) and took on characteristics similar to the First Great Awakening of the previous century. The camp meeting was a religious service of several days' length, with multiple preachers. Pilgrims in thinly populated areas looked to the camp meeting as a refuge from the lonely life on the frontier, but mostly they wanted to save their souls. The sheer exhilaration of participating in a religious revival with hundreds and perhaps thousands of people inspired the dancing, shouting, and singing associated with these events.

The first camp meeting took place in July 1800 at Creedance Clearwater Church in southwestern Kentucky. A much larger one was held at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1801, attracting thousands of people. Numerous Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist ministers participated. It was this event that stamped the organized revival as the major mode of church expansion for denominations such as the Methodists and Baptists. This event was also instrumental in the birth of the churches of the Restoration Movement, particularly the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the Church of Christ.

The great revival quickly spread throughout Kentucky, Tennessee & southern Ohio. Each denomination had assets that allowed it to thrive on the frontier. The Methodists had a very efficient organization that depended on ministers—known as circuit riders—who sought out people in remote frontier locations. The circuit riders came from among the common people, which helped them establish a rapport with the frontier families they hoped to convert.

The Second Great Awakening exercised a profound impact on American history. The numerical strength of the Baptists and Methodists rose relative to that of the denominations dominant in the colonial period—the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Reformed. Efforts to apply Christian teaching to the resolution of social problems presaged the Social Gospel of the late 19th century. America was becoming a more diverse nation in the early to mid-19th century, and the growing differences within American Protestantism reflected and contributed to this diversity...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Great_Awakening

[anotherdrew]

24. since they last 30 years, we MUST be about done with this one, right? n/t

[0007]

26. junior has got us all faded

[LiberalFighter]

27. Awakenings? Like...

Spanish Inquistion?


How about this book? Inventing the "Great Awakening"

[Just Me]

28. Fascinating. I've actually had the same thoughts,...

,...only, mine involve an awakening to how people like him fuck people and the environment up so much,...all of which have NOTHING whatsoever to do with God although he'd like to believe and convince others that God destined him to fuck, kill, profit off other human beings lives.

*LOL* I'm sure we view one another as mutually "evil".

What else can I say?

[HuffleClaw]

29. WHO writes this crap? it sure as hell isn't HIM.

but its no surprise he sees it as a battle between good and evil. i expect that is about as much as he is capable of comprehending.

[bamacrat]

30. Why is he talking about this, when troops are still being killed?

[Eurobabe]

32. Dysfunctional dumbass, subbing one crutch (SNORT)

for another.

Hoping the Dems take the Senate in November so we can start impeachment proceedings against Bu$h the Quack.

[0007]

43. How about war crimes? Fuck the impeachment.....

[pinniped]

33. Did asshole procure a new drug?

?

[leftofcool]

34. Prophet George?

Good Grief! Shouldn't this puke be doing something constructive? Like coming up with an exit strategy or something? I think this country has enough idiots posing as prophets.........Swaggass, Fallout and Roberbaron to name 3.

Left of Cool

[GeorgeGist]

37. No matter how many times ...

Christian's 'awaken' the end result is the SOS from a different asshole.

[soothsayer]

41. Third Awakening = Third Reich

[RoveRage]

71. Bingo! My thoughts exactly!!!! n/t

[TheWatcher]

42. READ that article people. And then Read it AGAIN.

And then tell me about how these people, including Bush, are going to leave power legally and peacefully.

And then I will tell you about a Bridge I have for sale. It's near the East River in New York.

[Megahurtz]

122. Unfortunately, I don't think that

they will leave power legally or otherwise, let alone peacefully.:(

[Vinca]

44. And the conservative journalists asked

about all the innocent people he's responsible for killing, right? Would Jesus slaughter little children for no good reason, Dear Leader? Bush is, as they say down home, crazy as a shithouse rat.

[Jcrowley]

45. Theocracy

That's what he's talking about.



Join us at Greenpoint Reformed Church for:
A reading, book signing, and Q&A with The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right author, Robert Lanham:

With free, old-timey Baptist snacks and not-so-Baptist drinks specials

6pm-7pm: Free snacks and fellowship in a wholesome, Christian environment.

7pm: Hipster Handbook author, Robert Lanham, reads from his new book:
The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right

With a special introduction by pastor Ann Kansfield; an openly gay minister whose denomination published literature labeling her a "dyke" before firing her father from his post at the Reformed Church of America for supporting her decision.

And at 8:15 pm: Join us at The Pencil Factory for the after party with
Three Dollar Brooklyn Beers And Well Drinks All Night!

http://www.evangelicalright.com/

[screembloodymurder]

46. The session was not open to other journalists.

First they exclude dissenters, now they hand pick the "journalists". Only fundamentalist Christians are allowed an audience with the President. Folks, we've crossed another line. We must impeach this President.

[Triana]

49. So he ADMITS he's psychotic...

...how comforting.

[modrepub]

50. Always wonder about their logic

The heart of most fanatical religious types is that everything would be better if we could only reach some religious purity. If we were to follow "Gods" teachings the birds would sing, poverty would end and all would be right in the world.

My favorite example from these people is the fall of Rome. How many times have you heard that the fall of Rome was due to all of the decadence, moral corruption and paganism? That's a load of crap. All of the late Roman Emperors were Christian; take a look at their coins, they're all plastered with angles and chi-rho symbols. Heck even most of the barbarians that attacked the empire were christians. The papal church had supreme authority on doctrine and harshly enforced it with imperial help. If there was a more "christian" time in the west I don't know it. Guess what, even in this perfect christian world there were problems and it couldn't overcome the great changes that were about to occur after the fall of the imperial administration in the west (the eastern half, Byzantium, would last for another thousand years).

This is a prime example of Christian revisionism (changing the facts to fit their arguments). I don't know about these three waves of christian thought arguments but I doubt they really exist and I'm even more convinced these people are fooling themselves into believing if they can cause a second coming all things will be right with the world.

[rodeodance]

51. Bush likes to compare himself to othre Geat Hero's of the World (and

some believe him is the sad part)

[underpants]

54. Hey dumbass the only people left who will be seen with you are the nutjobs

who think YOU talk directly to god.

Jeeesh talk about being in a bubble.

[rodeodance]

55. "but National Review posted highlights on its Web site." for the curious:

The White House did not release a transcript of Bush's remarks, but National Review posted highlights on its Web site.

[rodeodance]

57. The “W” Is Not for “Wobble” ( few excertps from the original article

where this came from:

.........Bush’s faith in the rightness of his strategy in the broader war is deep-seated — it is, indeed, a product of faith. “Freedom is universal,” Bush says. “And I recognize there’s a debate around the world about the kind of — whether that principle is real. I call it moral relativism, if people do not believe that certain people can be free. I mean, I just cannot subscribe to that. People — I know it upsets people when I ascribe that to my belief in an Almighty, and that I believe a gift from that Almighty is universal freedom. That’s what I believe.”

So it is somehow appropriate that a wide-ranging conversation on the war and the capacities of cultures to change swings around toward the end to the role of faith in our own culture. “Cultures do change,” Bush says. “Ideological struggles are won, but it takes time. It just takes time. You look back at the ‘50s, I don’t know how evident it was that — I guess there was — when you think about it, there was a pretty stark change in the culture of the ‘50s and the ‘60s. I mean, boom. But I think something is happening here.”

“I don’t know,” he continues, “I’m not giving you a definitive statement — it seems like to me there’s a Third Awakening with a cultural change. And it would be interesting to get your observations if that is accurate or not accurate. It feels like it. I’m just giving you a reference point, if this is something you’re interested in looking at. It feels like it to me. I don’t have people coming in the rope line saying, ‘I’d like a new bridge, or how about some more highway money.’ They’re coming to say, ‘I’m coming to tell you, Mr. President, I’m praying for you.’ It’s pretty remarkable.”

And so is the confidence of the man they are praying for — ever calm in the political storm all around him, ever certain that the difficult task he has set for himself and his country is right and will be a success. At the end of the interview, he tosses his paper clip on a table next to him and thanks everyone: “I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.”


http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDdiZGNlMjgxMzUxYTI1OTdmMWFiMTE4ZmZiMzc2ZDM=

September 13, 2006 5:21 AM

The “W” Is Not for “Wobble”
Inside the Oval Office.

By Rich Lowry

[sendero]

59. I see a third gas attack...

.. from the administration. Pull my finger.

[stepnw1f]

60. Bush Using Religious Fanaticism for Politics

sick bastard. Soon people will be forced to go to his church. Buh bye, Freedom of Religion.

[XemaSab]

78. He's a Methodist

:eyes:

[stepnw1f]

82. yeah and, Rolling Eyes? So What?

Are you challenging my point? I could care less what religion he says he belongs to... he is using religious extremism to rally support for his political career, and in doing so, destroying our seperation of Church and State as well as radicalizing America.

[XemaSab]

125. I'm saying that the Methodists are not known for being flaming fundies

and that his whole religious fervor is as phony as a 3 dollar bill.

[stepnw1f]

152. Ok... Then We See Eye-to-Eye

I thought the rolling eyes were for me.

[JerseygirlCT]

129. There you have it in one sentence

Mind if I repeat that? It was so good:

"He is using religious extremism to rally support for his political career, and in doing so, destroying our separation of Church and State as well as radicalizing America."

This has about as much to do with honest faith as the war in Iraq has to do with 9-11.

That is to say, absolutely nothing.

[hatrack]

61. Just can't whip the Jesus Horse hard enough, can we Chimpy?

:eyes:

[Scout1071]

62. He only meets with his fundie supporters! nt

[Strawman]

63. Nappy time, mofos

[Ilsa]

64. He may be right. I've seen an awakening of people who

are finally realizing that you can't mix religion with politics without pissing a large part of the population off.

As for me, the whole deal about (paraphrasing) "God told me to do this" and "God told me there would be no casualties" has me wondering more about religion in general and how some people suffer from delusional thinking because of it. I wonder if this extremism, whether Christian or Islamic, isn't a form of "high" in a bipolar state.

[Javaman]

65. I'm waiting for the press conference when he* starts pounding his desk...

making grotesque facial ticks, spittle flying and expounding on the virtues of nationalism...

Oh wait, didn't he do that just last week?

Fascism takes many faces but still only requires on madman*.

[agio]

67. He could be right

... there could be a new resurgence of spirituality and belief in this country. It could be a response to the utter moral bankruptcy of its leaders, and could take the form of a sincere demand that our government pay more than just lip service to the ideals of peace and justice.

[kilaana]

68. A confrontation between good and evil?

I'm confused. Which side is the good one? The one that killed 3,000 innocent people on 9/11, or the one that killed another 100,000 innocent people that had nothing to do with it? They both sound evil to me.

[sattahipdeep]

70. The White House did not release a transcript of Bush's remarks

On another topic, Bush rejected sending more troops to the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas to find Osama bin Laden.
"One hundred thousand troops there in Pakistan is not the answer.
It's someone saying 'Guess what' and then the kinetic action begins,"
he said, meaning an informer disclosing bin Laden's location :eyes:

http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=8420

[charlottelouise]

69. Another possibility

Obviously the ravings of a madman.

But, what's occured to me is that Cheney et al. periodically give * permission to make a speech such as this -- which probbaly is an accurate reflection of *'s (delusional) thinking -- as a reward for being a good sock puppet and dutifully reading his lines on Iraq, etc.

[heliarc]

72. Hopefully people wake up...

And realize that they've hijacked religion for selfishness and greed.

[TexasLawyer]

73. a turd awakening?

[bdamomma]

81. thanks you made me

:rofl:

[Megahurtz]

119. It's the "Chistmas Poo"!

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!

[Jacobin]

74. In other words, we're back to the Middle Ages

Those dark times always coincide with religion taking control of government.

How lovely.

[bikebloke]

75. He just hit the "sleep" button on his alarm clock a few times.

Though awakening is relative, considering his obliviousness to the world.

[jsamuel]

79. Hitler talked of the "Third Reich"

[ryanmuegge]

80. Woah, is it an election year or something? Oh, that's right..it is.

.

[ArmchairMeme]

83. It's not all fairy dust!

I read that * failed at every endeavor he has tried in his lifetime. This must be one of the rationalizations he applies to his failures, the concept that even though he fails he will be absolved of responsibility and he will be picked up and placed in yet another endeavor which he will begin with a clean slate.

Oh, that life would work that way. When real people fail at a job/career they have to recover from it, learn from it and then choose a different path with the new knowledge that each endeavor takes work, hard work on their part.

[newspeak]

84. it's amazing he didn't make it a little bit earlier

on the first awakening, we could include the Salem Witch trials. And, that second awakening was a time of corruption, boondoggling increased-people were experimenting with not only religion, but communal living. Let's see you got an increase in some bizarre Christian sects-Shakers, Mormons, etc... It is not an awakening, it's a return to the Dark Ages. I don't want another Dark Ages-where enlightenment was destroyed, texts were either destroyed or hidden, and the church told you what to believe and controlled your life. No way-what a friggin nightmare!!!

[satya]

85. Another "coded" message to his cult?

"Corporate Chaplains of America" website publishes a book by that title.

The Third Awakening
– Mark Cress

Prepare yourself for a fun and fast paced story about how God uses events in the lives of ordinary people to change the course of history for millions. After reading this book, you may never look at yourself, your friends, or the world around you the same way again.

“This book describes in a fun, readable format something I long to see in the world today–a major ‘turning point’ for millions of people around the globe.” – Dr. David Jeremiah, Turning Point Ministries

“A great awakening may be underway through the workplace; and if it is, I have no doubt that people like Mark Cress and organizations like Corporate Chaplains of America will be at the forefront of such a movement.” – Zig Ziglar, Author and Motivational Teacher

This 131 page novel was published in 2004. The Third Awakening is also available as an audio book and in Spanish.

It's not enough for these people to force their religion into our government and our schools -- they've got their sights set on our places of employment, too.

The American free enterprise workplace today is both multi-cultural and extremely diverse spiritually. Although it employs only Christian chaplains, CCA is a non-denominational organization and pledges to care for all employees regardless of ethnic or faith background in a totally non-threatening manner. With literally thousands of employees under chaplaincy care, CCA has never encountered a complaint regarding a spiritual matter.

[Solly Mack]

87. LOL So Bush creates the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear

distrust and worry...with his constant fear tactics and grave warnings...and then "predicts" people are turning to religion for answers and comfort...that there's a revival of such taking place

lolololololololololololololol

[mhatrw]

95. Quakers for War!

Somewhere, George Orwell is rolling his eyes if not his entire body.

[AnneD]

97. He's right....

Since Bush took office I have found myself praying more often (and what I pray for is between me and God). I find that I also have to pray more for forgiveness for my thoughts, words and deeds too. Thanks for answering some of them God. :rofl:

[lovuian]

98. Bush starting his legal defense "Voices made me do it"

I was sitting on the can and Laura was having her coffee. And the Voices came to me...
Kick down those evil twin towers the Devil lives there
Go to war with Iraq and I asked prophet Cheney and he gave me the nod


Never to early to start my legal defense.......

[jazzjunkysue]

116. My personal fav, out of all these great comebacks. n/t.

[goforit]

148. ROFLMAO!!! Hats off to you LOVUIAN!!!

[VegasWolf]

103. Wasn't the First Great Awakening the Salem Witch Trials? nt

[Recursion]

105. The third Great Awakening already happened

in the 1930s. This would be the fourth.

The first Great Awakening brought us the Salem Witch trials
The second Great Awakening brought us the abolition movement
The third Great Awakening brought us the modern KKK

These awakenings are a mixed bag, I guess.

[undergroundpanther]

106. It is a battle of Good VS evil

Bush and his ilk(psychopaths authoritarians) are EVIL

The Good are the rest of us,who just want to live our lives and care.

[sadiesworld]

108. God talk, dropping gas prices, extra terra speeches...

must be election time!

[phrenzy]

109. Yep - Der Third Reichening (m/t)

[otherlander]

110. Could be... the other "great awakenings" were marked by

people preferring blind faith to logical thought, and religion influencing politics. That sounds pretty similar to what's happening now, but * talks about it like a good thing.

[young_at_heart]

111. He makes it very clear....NO separation of church and state

He wants us to be ultra scared....as he told Matt Laurer, "They're tryin' to kill your family".

[TrogL]

112. I was kinda hoping for the second Enlightenment

[jazzjunkysue]

117. The second coming (himself) ignites the third reich. Wonderful.

The United States of Eternal Religious War.

[Anakin Skywalker]

118. The World IS Black and White to this MORON!

"Good and evil". Still a simpleminded fool after all these years, I see.

[Megahurtz]

120. Scary. Truely Scary.

He's trying to hype up his Religious-Looney base
to turn against all of the rest of us who don't go along with the program.

It's like he's trying whip up a frenzy and turn Americans against each other.

Holy Shit this is getting really weird.

[FoxOnTheRun]

121. GWB

[VegasWolf]

123. Has Bush declared the date of the Rapture yet? nt

[FoxOnTheRun]

137. Don't forget he has nukes, that makes him more dangerous

[antonialee839]

124. He's auditioning for his next gig: the psychic hotline.

[Casablanca]

126. He hasn't seen his first awakening

So how would he recognize someone else's third?

[No Exit]

127. Is this "third awakening" anything like "helter skelter"?

Having this feebleminded fanatic for president is like having Jim Jones, or David Koresh, or maybe Charles Manson, as president.

[JerseygirlCT]

128. I'd go with the "make shit up" stuff, myself

I don't think there's a single sincere bone in his body, particularly on the subject of faith.

But this is purely calculated to yank back some of his right-wing fundamentalist Christian followers.

Were people truly turning to a more spiritual view of the world, we certainly wouldn't be listening to George Bush as president. Or fighting and killing thousands of Iraqis in a war of choice.

[meow2u3]

133. STP tells Bush (s)he sees a 'Rude Awakening'

Peddling fake religion is not going to work for as long as he thinks. The people, with the exception of the fundie kool-aid drinkers high on power, will see through the ruse when they realize they've been deceived by the antichrist, but hopefully not too late to remove him from the Oval Office and his false prophets, Cheney, Rove, and Rumsfeld, along with him.

[genieroze]

135. creepy n/t

[savemefromdumbya]

136. someone who killed his own people for power

[northzax]

139. Hey, Jackass! we've already had Three Awakenings, maybe Four

so this would be either the Fourth or Fifth, depending on who's counting.

[earth mom]

140. This shit is getting more whacked out by the day!

:crazy:

[demo dutch]

143. He's truly living under a rock! GW* and the Mullahs two peas!

[demo dutch]

144. He was made to apologize for using the word "crusade" but that's how they

see this so-called "War on Terror"

[maxsolomon]

145. for a preview, see "the handmaids tale"

[BreweryYardRat]

146. Eww...it's supposed to be A SECULAR GOVERNMENT, JACKASS!!!

[HeeBGBz]

149. When were the first two? n/t

[ckramer]

150. "I see dead people (in Iraq)!"

Third awakening or sixth sense?

[bdamomma]

151. Bush is a sick sick delusional man