Born into a New England Episcopalian family, Bush did not enjoy the embrace of the religious right like his predecessor did. Unlike Reagan, emotional expression did not come naturally or easily to Bush. His reluctance to speak openly about what he considered private personal beliefs led some leaders of the religious right and conservative Christians to question his sincerity and depth of heartfelt Christianity.
Another point of mistrust from conservative Christians stemmed from Bush's adopting Reagan's pro-life platform when he became Reagan's running mate in 1980. This about-face from a candidate who had previously publicly espoused pro-choice views gave the impression that Bush was perhaps an opportunist who allowed his religious convictions to be swayed by political expediency.
In a speech given a few years after he lost his 1992 re-election campaign, Bush summed up the difficulties he had convincing the American public of his religious sincerity: "I felt uncomfortable, very honestly, talking about the depth of my religion when I was president. I'm an Episcopalian. I'm kind of an inward guy when it comes to religion. I felt it strongly. I think Lincoln was right: you can't be president without spending some time on your knees professing your faith and asking God for strength, and to save our nation. But I believe strongly in the separation of church and state. I don't believe a president should be advocating a particular denomination, or particular religion. And yet, I can tell you in direct response to your inquiry that we, in our family, say our prayers every night -- Barbara and I do, we say the blessing. And it's more than rote."
No comments:
Post a Comment