Cheap May God Bless America: George W. Bush and Biblical Morality (Book) (Joseph J. Martos) Price

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Customer Reviews of May God Bless America: George W. Bush and Biblical Morality

A Surprise Reading...
I assumed from the cover that I would be reading something praising George W. Bush for his Presidency and the active use of his religious beliefs in government. I thought it would be good to read up on all sides of the issue to know how people felt, and it's always fun to get my blood pressure boiling. <
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>I was surprised to find out that while the author is appreciative of the fact that President Bush is a deeply religious man, he is not using his power appropriately. <
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>This book's analysis of President Bush's religious belief paralelled to Biblical understandings is incredibly thorough. It may be difficult to read through all of the very deep Biblical back story, but it is no doubt for the better in understanding where the author is trying to take you. With the deeper understanding of where Biblical Christians historically stand with environmental/societal/government/prison system/etc. issues, there is some confusion as to why President Bush seems to be intentionally trying to not practice as he preaches. <
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>While it may be said that this book is politically/religiously charged, I disagree. The author is trying to open our eyes. I feel that it is simply a religious person trying to tell us where President Bush has gone wrong...that Bush may say that he is Christian, but he seems to be doing the opposite of what his God may want for "his people." It's simply an analysis of the religion and how Bush seems to be thwarting it's beliefs of equality in man, love for your fellow man, "he who is without sin shall cast the first stone," and to love of the environment that God gave to us, for it is the only one we will have. <
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>I am not a religious person, but I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is or isn't. It's good for reading up on what President Bush has done in his presidency, and where religious morality seems to have disappeared with it. Some of the things that you may read will no doubt surprise you, but they will undoubtably open your eyes to what is going on. The author succeeds at his apparent aim.

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Superb analysis, accessible even for non-Christians
Don't judge this book by its unfortunate title. It's actually an astonishingly accessible fusion of political analysis and Biblical interpretation, packed with facts from worldwide news sources, government agencies, and quotes from George W. hisownself. Martos highlights keystones where Bush is out of whack with the Bible he touts: the environment, social programs, human rights, and military action. Bush proclaims himself a "compassionate conservative" while scorching the Earth, gutting social funding, and retooling an oligarchic tax plan. Martos indicts Bush for contradicting Bible teachings on environmental stewardship, compassion for the needy, and loving one's enemies. Martos attributes Bush's contradictions to selectively reading the scriptures, ignoring those pesky Bible teachings about justice. Bush's largest voting block is conservative Christians. If they read this book they're in for another kind of shock and awe.

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Tired, old defense of liberalism
About 25% of this book is a good argument for a pacifism based on liberal protestant Christianity. The other 75% the same old defense of liberalism by using favorite Bible verses and biased interpretations of the same. (This can be done by right-wingers as well using their favorite verses, of course, and it often is.) His false or unproven premises outside the sphere of religion are one of the things that kill his arguments, e.g., the supposed mistreatment of war prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and the supposed military support of Saddam's army which turns out to be 1% of his arms (he got the other 99% from the former Soviet Union.) <
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>Another interesting thing to note is that most people who make arguments from the way in which the "early Christians" lived (33-300 AD) usually pick and choose what they like. The early Christians believed in strict penances for sin, some of them even believing that a Christian could only be forgiven once for a given sin. They also believed celibacy was a higher state than married life, abortion was a grave moral evil and that the Bishop of Rome was infallible when he spoke on faith and morals. <
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>I realize that these do not directly touch the subject of this book, but Martos takes the "puritan" approach by insinuating that development of the just war doctrine was purely pragmatic and we need to take the supposed pacifism of the early Christians to heart yet not their devout Roman Catholicism.