Gott mit uns: religion as War propaganda

[pynchonoid]

Bush Mix of God and War Grates on Many Europeans
Fri Apr 4, 9:13 AM ET

By Tom Heneghan 

PARIS (Reuters) - The religious overtones in President
Bush (news - web sites)'s speeches increasingly grate
on many ears in Europe, where leaders invoking God in
times of war are widely suspect of misusing faith for
political purposes. 

No less than the German president, French prime
minister and Belgian foreign minister have joined
religious leaders in expressing concern about Bush's
beliefs and the place of religion in U.S. politics. 

Media commentators, especially in northern European
countries with Protestant heritages, have branded
Bush's evangelical views as Christian fundamentalism,
with some even comparing them to the Islamic
fundamentalism of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites). 

The discussion reflects both the widespread popular
anti-war sentiment in Europe and the deeper gulf
between a continent where faith is on the wane and an
America where religious values probably play a more
prominent political role than ever before. 

German President Johannes Rau, a Protestant preacher's
son who makes no secret of his own faith, reacted
sharply this week on n-tv television to press reports
that Bush believed defeating Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein (news - web sites) was part of a divine plan. 

"George Bush has got a completely one-sided message. I
don't think a people gets a sign from God to liberate
another people," he said. "Nowhere does the Bible call
for crusades." 

Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, a vocal critic
of the war, said before hostilities broke out last
month that he saw Christian fundamentalism gaining
influence in Washington and added: "That is, of
course, a dangerous point of departure." 

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, asked
about a U.S. weekly's cover story on Bush and God,
told Le Point magazine: "In no way can God be called
on for a vote of confidence." 

UNEASE AT GOD TALK 

Bush's firm faith, rooted in an evangelical
Protestantism that reflects an important voter bloc in
his Republican party, has also prompted questions in
mainstream U.S. media about how much it colors his
stand on Iraq (news - web sites) and his war on
terror. 

In his speeches, he has asked for guidance from "the
loving God behind all of life and all of history,"
hinted he believed there was a "divine plan" for the
world and warned Americans that "we are in a conflict
between good and evil." 

These references may not seem so out of place in the
United States, where all presidents say "God bless
America" and "In God We Trust" is emblazoned on dollar
bills. 

But they stand out and sometimes even shock many
Europeans who remember how German soldiers trooped off
to World War One with "Gott mit uns" (God with us)
stamped on their belt buckles. [...]


<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=615&e=19&u=/nm/20030404/pl_nm/iraq_bush_europe_dc_2>


... enjoy!

-Doug

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