Why does the "christian" president bush not follow christian philosophy?

Question

I was thinking specifically of the verse of JC's about "turning the other cheek" & non-violent solutions to the worlds social problems.

Answer 1

I think that the basic problem lies in the idea that Christianity and governing a nation are incompatible with each other. The earliest ruler to accept Christianity, the Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire, refused to accept baptism until he was on his deathbed, knowing that his role as emperor would be in conflict with Christian philosophy of the time. A nation must do things that are opposite to what an individual Christian should do, otherwise the nation would collapse.

I think that this dichotomy has been lost due to the emergence of Church temporal power, when the Pope was ruler of the Papal States and could check the power of kings and emperors in other lands. A hybrid of Christian thought and political necessity emerged, and it more or less still exists today.

In the case of President Bush, he may be a Christian as an individual, but he is also President of the United States, and that requires him to sometimes engage in "non-Christian" duties. I don't exactly agree with a number of foreign policy decisions that his administration has made, but at least I sympathise with his position.

Answer 2

Romans 13 gives a different mandate to governments. As an individual, you are called to battle evil with non-resistance. (By turning the other cheek.) But governments are instituted of God to "wield the sword against the evil-doer" and protect the people. (That's not how it was originally set up in the garden, because then men only had authority over creation....not over each other.) But governments came later, to restore and maintain order in a godless, fallen society.

Remember, contrary to the media's propoganda, or any partisan propoganda, (Republican and Democrat) the bottom line is this...we didn't start the wars. But our president has responded appropriately - both politically and biblically - to the situation. I know I'll get ALOT of thumbs down on that one, but you asked, and I'm not going to tell you a lie.

Hope you find the answers you're looking for. You're asking the right questions.....

Answer 3

Jesus said we can tell a tree by the fruit it bares. If it's an apple tree, we'll know by the apples, etc...

I have several Christian friends who prayed that Bush would treat 911 differently than he ended up doing. I mean, can you imagine if Bush had called for a national prayer, and chosen to forgive the terrorists 911? And instead of attacking Iraq, put faith in God, knowing that HE will take vengeance on the terrorists?
It'd be pretty tough to accept and follow for many, I'm sure, but on the other side of the coin, wouldn't that have been awesome!?

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's really possible to have a solid Christian in the presidential office. I mean, Reagan, but I understand he wasn't as Christ to everyone.

Answer 4

Who said he was Christian?
He goes to Church.
Does that make him Christian?
He totes a Bible with him when he goes to Church does that make him christian?
Bill Clinton did too.
Along with most of the other presidents.

I wouldn't want his job.
It's tough.
He has to make decisions that will be popular with this side and bad with the other.
I think that any one who wants to be president has a head problem.

Now lets look at violence. It is the international language.
Everyone understands it.
You don't have to speak the language, you point and if the person doesn't move to that direction, whacker-roo.
The others see that and when you point again, everybody moves to that direction.
When you discipline a child, you say don't do that, the kid pushes the envelope and does it again. You say don't do that with a louder voice, the kid pushes the envelope again. The next time it goes through the skin in the form of pain. The kid doesn't do it any more.

Answer 5

Turning the other cheek:
If I say something or do something and you take offense and strike me, I turn because it may have been my fault. I said it the wrong way, I did it all wrong.

Strike out at another, for no good reason, and you will think Satan was just released from hell as I rip your head off, with a big christian smile and love.

Answer 6

As I'm not American, this is probably none of my business, but it seems like your president is using religion for his own ends.

It's world leaders who do this who make Christians look bad.

Like Hitler. He was supposedly Christian. Yet look what he did. He ironically persecuted the Jewish people. Jesus was Jewish.

I've heard a lot of arguments on here claiming how many people Christians have killed. But only God knows if they were Christians in their hearts, or if it was just political spin.

Answer 7

Turning the other cheek is Jesus telling that we would allow others to insult us, not beat us. The description is of a man being struck on the left cheek, that would mean he was slapped with the back of the right hand. That is an insult slap, not an attack slap. Jesus is saying you should allow the insult and not retaliate.

What Jesus is NOT saying is that if a man breaks into your house and starts raping your wife, you should turn the other cheek and allow him to rape your daughters as well.

OR

If you see someone being raped and beaten just let it happen. Turn the other cheek. They should be turning the other cheek as well.

Answer 8

God instruments the rulers of the international of their places. (solid or undesirable) President Bush became what we mandatory today in heritage with 9/11 and all. God judges the hearts so i do not recognize if he turned right into a Christian or not. He looks to imagine that Jesus isn't the purely thanks to God it truly is unbilical.

Answer 9

The same reason other Christians don't follow Christian philosophy (whatever that reason may be).

Answer 10

Could it be because his a liar, a hypocrite, and a wolf in sheeps clothes, who only pretends to be Christian so the religious right will throw him their support?