Okay, this topic is for speculative purposes only, and for fun.

Imagine the following scenario. You wake up tomorrow morning and on television George W. Bush is speaking from the rose garden.

Surrounded by tv cameras, reporters and microphones, he tells the American people that he has received a visitation from God. He says that God told him it is his (God's) desire that America invade Iran. He says he will therefore make plans for such an invasion, and asks everyone to pray for its success.

How would the public react to such an announcement?

Just after 9/11 a large portion of the American public would have bowed their heads, gotten tears in their eyes, and murmerd "His will be done!"

Now? They'd gape with shock for a moment or two before shaking their fists and yelling "This crazy S.O.B. has got to go!!!"

The public bends like wheat in the wind.

Hasn't Bush insinuated at one time or another that his doings are the will of God? It is no secret that he panders to the fundamentalist right, eh? Some will believe anything, including his bold promises, and what they refuse to realize is that most, if not all, politicians have one goal in mind -- to secure your vote for themselves or their party platform.

In my opinion, that's how the general public would respond. Personally, the man makes me ill.

Well...just for fun...I would imagine that, since George Bush is a Republican, the mainstream media would race around looking to interview everyone they can find to repeat the "separation of church and state" mantra. Meanwhile everyone on the political left would jump up and down foaming about "That awful S.O.B. we need to get rid of him" kinda sorta like in the posting above. The political right would be a little more subdued in their disapproval of the sentiment but would still not be too terribly pleased with the announcement, most likely because of all the emotional ammunition that had been handed to the Left.

Of course, that's only because Bush is a Republican, because if he were, oh say a Democrat, and had, oh say stood up in a church while campaigning for president (see "Separation of Church and State mantra" above) and described how he prayed that he could be used as an instrument of God's will, like a certain African American candidate did recently, OR if it was a certain former president who made sure he went on TV and was interviews by all the print media explaining about how he had prayed and prayed and had gotten himself right with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and he KNEW he was forgiver for some recent sexual indiscretions...well...I suppose there wouldn't be too much of a public outcry.

Two reasons for this: The political right would generally agree with the sentiments expressed by the campaigning presidential candidate and with the philandering president, so they wouldn't make TOO much out of it...and of course the mainstream media and the political left would keep perfectly quiet about it since 1) Separation of Church and State only applies to political conservatives but not to liberals (including those who have the title "Rev." preceding their names) campaigning in churches looking for political endorsements from various and sundry church pastors who have influence with their congregations, and 2) because the political left knows all this God/Jesus talk by candidates and office holders in their own party is just so much pandering bullshit designed to garner votes and they don't really mean it anyway (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Heh, heh, heh!

If, as I recall the statistic, 87% or more of Americans consider themselves Christian, it would be difficult for them to tell Bush he didn't talk to God. They would either have to say the President lied, or deny the existence of a God who speaks directly to his subjects. Either way, it's a tough road.

Athiests would have an easier time. Hindus, Muslims etc. might want to know whose God spoke to him.

The more cynical would ask why he didn't get tomorrow's lottery results today.

But the kind of statement I have hypothesized would be very difficult for people to deal with in terms of their own views of God and his interaction with people, and their views of the President.

Andrew Sullivan, a gay conservative blogger who makes more sense than most conservatives (and most gays, for that matter) postulated some questions on his blog designed to make people think more deeply about things. One example to Dick Cheney, Pat Robertson, et al: "If you knew that you could insure world peace by sleeping with a man, would you do it?"

This is again a hypothetical, but the fun is in thinking more about the subject, and the person who has to make the decision.

I would ask for a copy of the complete memo.

Ahhhhh yes...as you've stated the options, it's "either or". But there is a third option, that one can sincerely believe something, yet be mistaken in that belief. It is this third option that would allow some people who describe themselves as Christians to, oh say catch a glimpse of a Pentecostal worship service where the congregants are "speaking in tongues" and conclude, "What nonsense!"

It is this 3rd option that would also allow the Pentecostals to reply, "Oh yeah?"