- Baptist Press - https://www.baptistpress.com -

Bush reiterates America’s relationship with God

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–President Bush said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is “out of step with the traditions and history of America” and underscored America as a nation that “values our relationship with an Almighty.” Bush made his remarks in the Canadian Rockies at the site of the G8 summit.

“(The) Declaration of God in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t violate rights,” Bush said. “As a matter of fact, it’s a confirmation of the fact that we received our rights from God, as proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence.”

Bush was responding to a national uproar over the Court’s decision declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because it contains the words “under God.”

“I believe that it points up the fact that we need common-sense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God,” Bush said. “And those are the kind of judges I intend to put on the bench.”

In response to a question about how his faith has impacted his presidency, Bush shared about his visit to the fire-ravaged mountains of Arizona, where hundreds of homes have been destroyed in a raging wildfire.

“I was amongst people whose lives were hurting a lot,” Bush said. “And I was trying to figure out how to bring a sense of hope, and I thought that the best thing I could say was that there is a God who loves them. And I believe that’s the case. And as a result, I feel comfortable in my life because I have that belief and that understanding.

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Bush then remarked about a conversation about God he had with Putin, an atheist.

“You know, it’s interesting, there is a universal God, in my opinion, and the first conversation I ever had with Vladimir Putin was about God — in Slovenia,” Bush said. “It was a way that we — we’d never met each other, and the first discussion we had was about our personal beliefs.”

Bush again expressed his appreciation to Americans who have been praying for Bush and his wife, Laura.

“I do, I feel the prayers of the people,” he said. “And so there is a — I think that the Almighty is important — obviously, important part of my life, but very important part of the life of our country. And that’s why the ruling of the courts was out of step with the traditions and history of America.
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