I saw most of Frontline tonight. They discussed George W. Bush and his faith. Lots of odd and contradictory things said and implied, both by the writer (one Raney Aronson) and the interviewees. Definitely thought-provoking.
Aronson is evidently not certain, but seems to lean toward Bush being quite genuine in his faith. Aronson definitely believes his religion has had an impact on his policy.
What, of course, I find so fascinating about it, is that Bush and I both espouse very similar religious beliefs - at least in the fundamentals - though that leads to very different political beliefs. Of course, we have some, one might say, doctrinal differences, that contribute to that gap in political beliefs. Though I should note that large doctrinal gaps between those who otherwise agree on essentials are nothing new, nor are political differences arising out of them. What seems to have pushed the issue to the forefront though is the so-called "Evangelical Movement" (by which I am thinking more the political entity than the religious one) and some growing divisions there. Of course, I identify myself as evangelical and yet I find that I disagree, evidently (I haven't actually seen numbers), on so many major political issues with the vast majority of others who also identify themselves as evangelical. Why this is important may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but it raises some issues both political and religious (the religious ones being a greater concern for me I think) that I find slightly unsettling. I want to write more on this later, but not yet. Hopefully you will see more from me on this topic soon. Meanwhile, go track down a copy of tonight's episode... (Or just read the transcript.) [Video is now available for this. - Ben, Oct 1, 2004]
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