June 10....Jesus Day in Iraq? Bush had it in Texas

[buycitgo]

http://www.snopes.com/religion/jesusday.htm

wouldn't this be perfect to help out our Iraq brothers in freedom?

from the proclamation he issued for the state of Texas:

I urge all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. By volunteering their time, energy or resources to helping others, adults and youngsters follow Christ's message of love and service in thought and deed.

Therefore, I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim June 10, 2000, Jesus Day in Texas and urge the appropriate recognition whereof, in official recognition whereof, I hereby affix my signature this 17th day of April, 2000.

if he's so proud of what he did in Texas, why not make it national...better yet INternational, and invite all those who couldn't enlist in the army to bequeath the wonders of freedom in Iraq a chance to volunteer their time in Baghdad, or Kirkut?

I'm ALL for a US Jesus Day...isn't everybody here?

Sure wish somebody would ask him about that sometime soon

from Tom Paine:

Last April, Governor Bush had his staff draft a proclamation, following requests from leaders of the Atlanta-based "March for Jesus." The full text is available. One can speculate about the relative importance of his much-publicized religious convictions and his desire to court the votes of evangelical Christians in this decision. But he clearly knew he was running afoul of the establishment clause, which he tried to sidestep in two ways. His first tactic was the audacious claim inscribed in the proclamation's first sentence, which made it seem that Jesus was being honored, not as the central figure of one religion, but because "people of all religions recognize Jesus Christ as an example of love, compassion, sacrifice and service." This is the same kind of mock-inclusiveness that dominated the Republican convention, and it reveals how much genuine concern Mr. Bush has for minorities. Jesus holds no special reverence in any religion other than Christianity, with the sole exception of Islam, where he is accorded the status of a prophet. Like the smiling people of color on display in Philadelphia, here Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, and others were drafted for purely symbolic service, in which form they were used to advance projects antithetical to their own concerns and interests.

Now a bit of Christian theology. Bush's proclamation treats Jesus almost exclusively as a model of human excellence: "Reaching out to the poor, the suffering and the marginalized, he provided moral leadership that continues to inspire countless men, women, and children today." It barely mentions his divinity, however, and this raises some problems, since the core doctrine of the Incarnation treats Jesus as simultaneously human and divine, insisting that both sides be acknowledged in equal measure. Privileging his human aspect over the divine is defined as a heresy -- that of Arianism -- and orthodox Christians are enjoined to recognize Jesus not just as a philosopher or role model, but as deity and savior.

The dilemma is inescapable. The proclamation is unconstitutional if it names Jesus as God and heretical if it doesn't. So Governor Bush attempted to blur the issues and have it both ways. On the surface, his proclamation concentrates on Jesus the man, but it also "challenges people to follow Christ's example" and has Governor Bush speak in the first person, urging all Texans to "follow Christ's message of love and service." Use of the title "Christ" attempts to solve the problem, with a broad wink to those steeped in the Bible, who can be trusted to know that this term acknowledges Jesus as Lord and means, most literally "the anointed, the Messiah, God's chosen."

Mr. Bush's "Jesus Day" shows sides of the Governor that are important to recognize. In his willingness to pander to core constituencies on the right, he permits himself to be slyly disingenuous in the language he uses and the postures he strikes. Particularly cynical is his misuse and misrepresentation of minorities (a strategy his father pioneered with the nomination of Clarence Thomas). Most troubling, though, is Mr. Bush's disregard for the Constitution. Indeed, it is striking to observe how someone so attentive to the Second Amendment can be so contemptuous of the First.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/3520

somebody ought to compile a list of all this crap, like the thread today, in which his talking to some sort of "god" is detailed, demonstrating just how FAR beyond the bend he's gone with this religious fanaticism.

the next time somebody demands Kerry reveal the names of those foreign leaders, the questionee should DEMAND to know exactly how many times dumbo has talked to "god!"

[buycitgo]

1. thanks to liberalmaniac from OC for this, btw

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1258358&mesg_id=1260003&page=

[neebob]

2. We already have two Jesus Days

One is called Easter; the other, Christmas. And I doubt Jesus would approve of either one.

[buycitgo]

4. oops....forgot that; was in hurry to get this up before leaving

thx

couldn't be more obvious, could it?

[buycitgo]

3. more on DANGEROUS religious loons in 'control' of our lives

In Dec. 2002, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman reported that House Majority Leader Tom Delay had openly admitted he was "on a mission from God to promote a 'biblical worldview' in American politics." On Monday, the Washington Times revealed that DeLay "is about to announce his own legislative agenda."

"One goal, said, will be to re-establish what he sees as the rightful role of religion in public places. . ."

In other words, look out.

The warning signs have been in place for quite some time, but went largely unnoticed until the walls started closing in on shock jock Howard Stern. When Project Censored listed "FCC Moves to Privatize Airwaves" as its top censored news story for 2001-2002 and shed its suspicious spotlight on FCC chairman Michael Powell, for example, few noticed. "he mainstream press has raised few warnings about the FCC's squashing of the public interest," Project Censored's Brendan Koerner wrote, while co-author Dorothy Kidd explained that "things have just gotten worse for the US public with regards to media democracy. Mergers are up and the number of dominant players controlling media production and distribution has shrunk to a handful." Or, as Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put it, "The bottom line is that fewer and fewer huge conglomerates are controlling virtually everything that the ordinary American sees, hears and reads."

Fast forward to 2004 and Howard Stern's woes. "What this company is doing is buying up every radio station, then they sign someone like me for five years at a time and renew my contracts and then wake up one day and have a whole new attitude," Stern said. "Now why do they have a new attitude with me, but not with that guy Savage who sits there and talks about infesting people with AIDS and all that stuff? He's just as controversial, but he backs Bush. They're being intellectually dishonest."

http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/03/far04007.html

[NJCher]

5. good grief

I can't imagine anything more stupid than state-sponsored "Jesus Day." I'll bet bush thought that up himself.


Cher

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. I don't suppose numbnuts would suggest an "Allah" day, would he?

:eyes: