And I notice that you avoided the issue of whether God lied to Bush about the WMD when Mr. Bush apparently prayed for divine guidance.

I stick by Matthew 6:5. Mr. Bush saying that God guides him doesn’t say much for his god, and it says a lot about Mr. Bush’s hypocrisy as defined by St. Matthew.

Now please don’t growl at me.

One more thing. Any god who is guiding President Bush’s actions is not worthy of worship. The only explanation that seems to fit the result of W’s prayer is that Bush worships Satan by mistake.

Telling people that God guides his actions suggests that God told Bush to invade Iraq. Why did God lie to Bush about the WMD?

Well what’s arrogant about seeking guidance for decisions in prayer to God?

Telling everyone about it, according to the Gospel. Matthew 6:5

Awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krb2OdQksMc

It’s easy to see how you may not understand. Please. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying it that way with a nasty tone. But there are times when people of faith (in this case Christianity) dwell on doing something, pray about it and feel it is something that God is leading them to do. Are people always right? No. People often times convince themselves that whatever it is they’re doing is what God wants them to do.

I’ll give you an example. I have good friends of mine who opened a Christian bookstore about 2 years ago. The husband worked for the postal service and had it pretty good there. His wife worked in the school system. She continued to work full time while he opened this store. He was convinced this was his calling and convinced it was what God wanted him to do. To make a long story short, the store went out of business, and they had to file for bankruptcy. Unfortunately, while being a great guy and all, he wasn’t a very good business person. So, people can often convince themselves that what they’re doing is what God wants for them, but we’re often fooling ourselves.

So, did Bush feel God wanted him to run? Sure. As for winning, who knows? Life’s lessons doesn’t always involve winning. Remember, Bush said, “I sense my country is going to need me” not, “God said my country needs me.”

As for the arrogance factor, certainly it is there. There isn’t a politician around that doesn’t suffer from it and there are times when Bush has displayed hefty doses of it.

As to the second quote, I can’t see how you can read that as anything but “God wants me to win the Presidency.” Are you claiming that God wanted George W. Bush to run for the office and fail? That this was the way his country would need him?

As to the third, fair enough, although it’s also not denied anywhere that I can tell.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4320586.stm

While you’re debunking my dreck, feel free to debunk the below as well.

As to the first comment by Bush, so what? People talk all the time of doing what they feel is God’s will. Again, how is it personifying arrogance by saying this? If he had said, “God wants me to win the Presidency” then I could see your point.

The second comment is another one that cannot be verified. It appeared in one newspaper article in some small Lancaster newspaper and it was written that Bush “reportedly” said it, but who reported it is not known and it was never verified.

While you’re debunking my dreck, feel free to debunk the below as well.

“I feel like God wants me to run for President. I can’t explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen… I know it won’t be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.”

–George W. Bush commenting to Texas evangelist James Robinson in the run-up to his presidential campaign

“I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.”

–Statement made during campaign visit to Amish community, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Jul. 9, 2004

Hmm. Now why would you write that? What evidence do you have for this statement? Hmm….

I had a feeling you were going to bring that up. That conversation has never been confirmed (in fact Bush denied it) and even Shaath said the context was far different. I expect more from you than this kind of dreck.

Sure. And if Bush had merely said, “I pray for guidance,” then there’s nothing for me to harp about. Plenty of people speak to God; some even believe that God answers their prayers through actions and occurrences, or other “mysterious ways.”

Bush, however, doesn’t just talk to God; God talks back to him. Bush doesn’t just receive guidance from the higher power, he receives, quite literally, marching orders.

Let’s see what President Obama has to say:

“Lord — Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will,” reads the note published in Maariv.

An Instrument of God’s Will? Sounds like one of those hick, unhinged, bible-thumping theocrats that those on the left (and here) like to sneer derisively at.

More simply — Bush II and the Republican party have done a ton of damage to my country. I want to elect someone who can fix at least some of it. That man, given the current choice, is Obama.

McCain? No thank you. Eight years of Bush II was eight years too many. We don’t need four more. (Actually, I’m not sure if our country could survive four more.)

But please — someone tell me how I have a Messiah-worship complex when it comes to Barack.

Well unfortunately, what he says is what creates the hype and that stirs up supporters, many of whom don’t even know what the guy stands for other than “hope” and “change.” However, if you’re critical of him in any way, those same ignorant supporters will react with a fury to defend him in a way that is only reserved for those with a cult like following.

Don’t get me wrong. The same kind of attitude exists for people like Ronald Reagan and President Bush, but to deny that it is exists is to deny reality.

It’s a baseless and insidious attack, and I find it hilarious that anybody who looked the other way while Bush claimed God Almighty was personally guiding his decisions can then turn around and start sneering about Obama’s “arrogance.”

Well what’s arrogant about seeking guidance for decisions in prayer to God? Bush certainly isn’t the first President to say he does that.

Which is code for “uppity.”