l
President George W. Bush said his belief that God created the world is not incompatible with scientific proof of evolution.
In an interview with ABC television's "Nightline" on Monday, the president also said he probably is not a literalist when reading the Bible although an individual can learn a great deal from it, including the New Testament teaching that God sent His only Son.
Asked about creation and evolution, Bush said, "I think you can have both. I think evolution can _ you're getting me way out of my lane here. I'm just a simple president. But it's, I think that God created the earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution."
He added, "I happen to believe that evolution doesn't fully explain the mystery of life."
Interviewer Cynthia McFadden asked Bush if the Bible was literally true.
"You know. Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son,"' Bush said.
"It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life," he said. " All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help. ... I was a one-step program guy."
The president also said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs.
"I do believe there is an almighty that is broad and big enough and loving enough that can encompass a lot of people," Bush said.
When asked whether he thought he would have become president had it not been for his faith, Bush said: "I don't know; it's hard to tell. I do know that I would have been _ I'm pretty confident I would have been a pretty selfish person."
Bush said he is often asked whether he thinks he was chosen by God to be president.
"I just, I can't go there," he said. "I'm not that confident in knowing, you know, the Almighty, to be able to say, Yeah, God wanted me of all the other people."
He also said the decision to go to war in Iraq was not connected to his religious believes.
"I did it based upon the need to protect the American people from harm," Bush said.
"You can't look at the decision to go into Iraq apart from, you know, what happened on Sept. 11. It was not a religious decision," he said. "I don't view this as a war of religion. I view this as a war of good, decent people of all faiths against people who murder innocent people to achieve a political objective."
He said he felt like God was with him as he made big decisions, but that the decisions were his.
"George W. Bush has to make these decisions."
---
[Courtesy: Jerusalem Post]
9.12.08
"Should we plan"
.
Here is an excerpt from this month's UPLOOK magazine (c)*:
"In every area of life, most people think it is advisable to have a plan: plan your work and then work your plan, they say. Homemakers should plan their grocery shopping with a list and not buy on impulse. Business people live or die by their planning. The wise man said, "The plans for the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty" (Prov 21:5).
God Himself plans, and His plans are always ideal: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope." Jer 29:11.
Of course, as believers, we don't want plans that diverge from the plans of God; we want always to work in co-operation with Him. Solomon writes: "commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Prov 16:3. And again, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Prov 16:9.
One of the remarkable things about the Lord's giving the Great Commission was the absence of any stated plan. The Lord told them (and us) what to do but not how to do it. The first century Church had certain principles given to them in the New Testament as it was written, but no specific plan of attack. Of course, they also had the directive influence of the Holy Spirit.
It was soon evident, however, that the Christians developed plans for the work that lay ahead, plans that were open to the frequent and welcome adjustments by the Spirit of God. In the earliest days, one of their chief opponents, the leading Pharisee, Gamaliel, observed, "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this understanding is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!". So they took his advice." Acts 5:38-40, RSV.
Clearly the Apostles made plans. When they entered a city, they looked for the best opportunities. They began in the synagogues or found places "where prayer was customarily made." (Acts 16:13). Why? They saw the advantage, if possible, in seeing early converts from those who were monotheists, convinced already of the ideas of God, sin, sacrifice, judgement, holiness and forgiveness.
If that proved fruitless, they often went to other places of public discourse-the universities (schools of the philosophers), pagan worship sites (Areopagus), or market places. Interestingly, we never see them trying to draw their own crowd to a building - something we are finding increasingly difficult. The early witnesses seemed to employ ways to use the crowds that the world had already gathered...."
---
*(c) "UPLOOK magazine by permission"
Here is an excerpt from this month's UPLOOK magazine (c)*:
"In every area of life, most people think it is advisable to have a plan: plan your work and then work your plan, they say. Homemakers should plan their grocery shopping with a list and not buy on impulse. Business people live or die by their planning. The wise man said, "The plans for the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty" (Prov 21:5).
God Himself plans, and His plans are always ideal: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope." Jer 29:11.
Of course, as believers, we don't want plans that diverge from the plans of God; we want always to work in co-operation with Him. Solomon writes: "commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Prov 16:3. And again, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Prov 16:9.
One of the remarkable things about the Lord's giving the Great Commission was the absence of any stated plan. The Lord told them (and us) what to do but not how to do it. The first century Church had certain principles given to them in the New Testament as it was written, but no specific plan of attack. Of course, they also had the directive influence of the Holy Spirit.
It was soon evident, however, that the Christians developed plans for the work that lay ahead, plans that were open to the frequent and welcome adjustments by the Spirit of God. In the earliest days, one of their chief opponents, the leading Pharisee, Gamaliel, observed, "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this understanding is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!". So they took his advice." Acts 5:38-40, RSV.
Clearly the Apostles made plans. When they entered a city, they looked for the best opportunities. They began in the synagogues or found places "where prayer was customarily made." (Acts 16:13). Why? They saw the advantage, if possible, in seeing early converts from those who were monotheists, convinced already of the ideas of God, sin, sacrifice, judgement, holiness and forgiveness.
If that proved fruitless, they often went to other places of public discourse-the universities (schools of the philosophers), pagan worship sites (Areopagus), or market places. Interestingly, we never see them trying to draw their own crowd to a building - something we are finding increasingly difficult. The early witnesses seemed to employ ways to use the crowds that the world had already gathered...."
---
*(c) "UPLOOK magazine by permission"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)