October 20, 2004
God etc.
Ron Suskind's lead article for the New York Times Magazine "Without A Doubt" was a chilling picture of George W. Bush's Messianic tendencies. Bush has the easy certainty of being guided by God. He also thinks he can manifest anything to which he turns his prayful attention. Jeff Scharlet wrote an interesting response, Our Magical President in which he says that Bush is a New Age Fundamentalist in that he believes that his wishes will come true, if he wishes hard enough. An excerpt.
"I happen to like the idea that faith is a path away from easy certainty, but I know it’s just that -- an idea. Wallis’ idea, and that of one strain of Christianity. It's not an idea shared by many New Age religions. Such beliefs emphasize that certainty is easy, if you'll just give up the illusion of reality, since certainty is as close to you as your own heart. One need not investigate with the tools of rationalism, but rather, simply -- the simplicity of it all is key -- feel.
Bush feels. The press, so far, does not. In grappling with Bush’s presidency, it has expanded its range, developed a more nuanced understanding of traditional Christian fundamentalism, recognized liberal evangelicalism, and acknowledged the limitations of Enlightenment thinking. But it still can’t account for the kind of magic that says, If you believe you can do something -- become president despite losing the popular vote, launch a war without evidence, and maybe, if you REALLY believe, get re-elected anyway -- you can."
Esther Hicks, channeling Abraham , who is big into manifestation, would say that one has to focus on what one wants, not on what one doesn't want. Attention to a subject produces more of the same. Therefore, a war on anything is counterproductive, since it produces more of that thing. Bush does focus quite alot on what he doesn't want, (and gets others to do the same). We can see that terrorists have burgeoned since the War on Terror was declared, as have drugs during the War on Drugs.
Maybe it would have worked better if Bush had gone directly for what he wanted, more oil interests in the Middle East. If he were really good at this, he could have manifested something nice for himself, without all the bloodshed, trauma and destruction.
In my mind, the characteristics of fundamentalism are quite counter to New Age principles. New Agers welcome the feminine, the goddess. They view women as major contributers, not threats - to be silenced and leashed. They are, therefore, prochoice. New Agers are inclusive--- bring on the Sufi, the Kaballah, the Native American drummers. Fundamentalists are exclusive, wrapping their faith around conveniently chosen, easy to understand, handy hints to heaven, most often chosen by self serving leaders with demogogic tendencies . New Agers are focused in the here and now, Evangelicals are waiting for things to get better after death or the revelation, which ever comes first.
The new movie "What the Bleep Do We Know Anyway? " has arrived just in time. Quantum physics and mysticism are used to explain how one does create one's own reality. Maybe someone will show it to the powers that be.
George W. is an inadvertent visionary --but it's hard to be a visionary with a short attention span, since attention is everything in the manifestation game. We need someone in charge who can envision peace and equality in a world where differences are valued and resources shared. I am in the process of trying to manifest such a president. It's a constant struggle, especially since W. is such a tempting target for my negativity.
Later: an excerpt from a piece by Bruce Lincoln at the Marty Center at the University of Chicago entitled "The Theology of George W. Bush" :
"At the end of the chapter [in "A Charge to Keep"] devoted to this theme, Mr. Bush went on to cite a Biblical verse, I Corinthians 4:2: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”6 The verse is appropriate, but the way he introduces it feels a bit awkward and heavy handed. Although Mr. Bush often alludes to Scripture, he does not frequently cite chapter and verse, as he does here. But this is a way he signals his core constituency, making strategic use of their specialized reading practices. Full citation invites those with such habits to consult the passage. Anyone who does this will find that the sentence he quoted is part of the following paragraph:
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God. (I Corinthians 4:1-5)
One has to wonder: Is this how Mr. Bush regards himself? Is this how he would like to be regarded? More likely, it is another instance of double coding. If such things please you, he wants you to know he is a faithful servant of Christ, acknowledges himself as same, and feels himself accountable to no law save God’s, no court save the Last Judgment. But if such things make you uneasy, he would prefer the question never arise. Following the Doug Wead strategy (“Signal early and signal often”), Mr. Bush employs Biblical citation to communicate with his base, using signs so subtle as to be the linguistic equivalent of winks and nudges.
The practice has three advantages. First, it lets him convey things the faithful love to hear, while also letting them feel they enjoy a privileged relation to him by virtue of sharing his secrets. Second, it lets him veil these things from people who would be put off by them or challenge their propriety on Constitutional grounds. And third, should anyone point out what he is doing, it is easy to deny, while dismissing the critic as verging toward paranoia. "
Addendum: I attributed more evil to the administration than it deserved. Here's a followup on the valium in Iraq. As you can see I myself am quite capable of creating monsters.
Photo note: As close as I've come to a portrait, so far
Posted by Dakota at October 20, 2004 09:59 PM