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Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Republicans didn't invent blasphemy...

by Philocrites

But, if Sen. Elizabeth Dole is our guide, they sure do defend it. What is a serious Christian to make of her statement — which I can't believe I just heard her utter — that George W. Bush "has brought the peace that passeth understanding"? Excuse me! And although Dole inverted language from the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus uses to describe his own mission, I found it appalling to hear a biblical allusion to Christ's "yoke" and "burden" applied to the president of the United States.

Update 10:34 p.m.: Thanks to Rick Heller for locating a transcript of Senator Dole's speech. Here's what she said:

The Presidency tests all who have been there. It has tested you, sir. Your road has not been easy; your burden has not been light; yet you have displayed the peace that surpasses all understanding. We salute you.

Theologians, I ask you: Has the president "displayed" the peace of God?

Copyright © 2004 by Philocrites | Posted 31 August 2004 at 8:39 PM

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5 comments:

Rick Heller:

August 31, 2004 09:40 PM | Permalink for this comment

Welcome back!

Sen. Dole's speech ticked me off too. This is what I posted on Centerfield

I wasn't surprised by the pro-life and anti-gay marriage declarations. But I didn't care for her reference to the man who lived 2000 years ago who in America she is free to call Lord--a declaration which was greeted with cheers. It was a wink-wink, y'all know this is a Christian country, though we do tolerate those other people. Yes, she is free to say it, but it makes me more and more uncomfortable about all three branches of government in the hands of the GOP--aka God's Own Party.

Rick Heller:

August 31, 2004 10:00 PM | Permalink for this comment

Here is the text of the Dole speech:

The Presidency tests all who have been there. It has tested you, sir. Your road has not been easy; your burden has not been light; yet you have displayed the peace that surpasses all understanding. We salute you.

This is the section I did not like:

Two thousand years ago a man said, ” … I have come to give life and to give it in full.” In America I have the freedom to call that man Lord, and I do. In the United States of America we are free to worship without discrimination, without intervention and even without activist judges trying to strip the name of God from the Pledge of Allegiance; from the money in our pockets; and from the walls of our courthouses. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The right to worship God isn’t something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend.

There is a reference to tolerance, but you know which religion is in charge.

Will Shetterly:

September 1, 2004 12:13 AM | Permalink for this comment

Hey, it passeth my understanding, anyway.

Will Shetterly:

September 1, 2004 12:14 AM | Permalink for this comment

Maybe she was trying to say, "the peace that pisses on understanding."

I'm going to stop thinking about it now.

Barbara Preuninger:

September 1, 2004 09:49 AM | Permalink for this comment

Hmmm... if that's the "peace of God", then I'd really hate to see the "war of God".



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