George W. Bush - The Christian Apprentice

George Bush II has encouraged the world to consider him as a Born Again Christian and we should respect that and encourage him to become a better person for it. In time, he may even realize that his savior Jesus Christ may help him to grasp the meaning of truth.

Hopefully he will pursue the reading of the Bible, and eventually enter the revealing world of the New Testament. Currently, he appears to have stalled at an ancient law of Babylonian retributive justice:"lex talionis" commonly referred to today as "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".

It is possible that his busy schedule has not allowed him the leisure of delving more deeply into this area, and discover that the interpretation of this law according to the Torah is to minimize retribution as in: "no more than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", in effect, a limitation of response. This would have been refined in further readings of the Oral law of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible, as a "retribution of a financial kind".

Perhaps this whole question may be put to rest with a quote from none other than a humble truthful man, Mahatma Gandhi: "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind".  How did he know that Bush's war in Iraq would be such a mess?

Had George Bush ll persisted in his efforts to understand Jesus Christ, he would have stumbled on some fairly well known quotes from his savior in the New Testament, " If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" and "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you."

Of course, these words were from another time, when there were no uzzis, grenades and AK40s, and the back of someone's hand was the most that the other cheek would have to deal with. In today's world Jesus might well have added these sacred words of professional boxing:" …and protect yourselves at all times".

There is however a serious shortage of justification for a born again Christian to cross the line from "turn the other cheek" to " a hundred eyes for an eye, and a hundred teeth for a tooth.”
If Jesus Christ were a decision maker in the present Government, would he have sent his army of angels across the world to chastise a whole country for crimes he knew they did not commit?

Upon reflection, does it not appear that this Born Again President is severely criticizing Senator Kerry, alleging that his agenda for peace too closely resembles that which Jesus Christ might have adopted today?

One thing we know for sure. George W Bush has serious flaws as Jesus Christ's apprentice, and he will be fired, if not now, then…. later....?

Paul  Forest