I am talking about someone – anyone - who declares a belief in a Faith that teaches “ a love of thy fellow man (and woman)” and seems at best to ignore, and at worst to actively work against this fundamental belief. It begs the question as to how strong is the belief and how credible the Faith?
When coming to power, almost his next speech after the inaugural denied the scientific thinking held by most nations, that there was such a thing as global warming. Even if the science was not fully concluded, surely someone with faith would seek, “for the good of all”, to utilise the huge resources at his or her disposal to investigate if a problem actually exists?
When hurricane Katrina hit and devastated New Orleans the body language given off, in my perception of things, was of someone who seemed indifferent to the plight of his “fellow men and women”.
Surely the “Faith inside” would drive us to go and see the extent of the problem, and with the vast resources available and on call, begin immediately to bring relief to the misery and suffering of our fellow men and women, no matter what the race, creed or colour?
It is evident now that the Iraq war is not wanted by the peoples on both sides of this devastating divide. With the “Faith inside” highlighting a “care of our fellow man (and woman)” surely a leader would be driven to utilise the vast resources available to find a way of reducing the suffering, by correctly identifying the real problems and confronting them – not just banging in more troops to exacerbate the situation.
Only today I read that the Tongass rainforest in Alaska is being opened up to logging companies, at a time when it is clear that we are having a devastating effect upon our planet’s ecological systems, seriously undermining the natural balance so essential to our survival as a species.
Surely the “Faith inside” would be driving a leader to care for their fellow men and women by utilising the vast resources available to find ways and means to better manage this planet.
I would go further and suggest that as the current world super power, all of that leaders resources could be utilised in a not inconsequential effort to persuade other leaders around the world to seek ways and means to better manage this planet The responsibility does not fall upon one pair of shoulders, or one single Faith, but is the responsibility of all, no matter what belief - but the impetus can more readily begin with a credible faith and suitable resources.
If you are happy to follow these observations so far, then the next logical step must be to question not the man, but the Faith that should be directing his judgement.
Religious belief deals with the whole of the human condition – be it attitude to money, race, creed, or environment, together with an understanding of who and what we are as a species, albeit different faiths come from different directions to the same objective.
With the advent of the Global Village it is even more essential for the widest parameters of measurement to be used to set out the disciplines for our activity as a species, to take account of our many and diverse interactions – commerce, environment, religion, economic growth, multiculturalism etc.
If we allow the fundamental basis of measurement to be reduced and overruled by narrower disciplines, such as profit or financial growth, then this very narrowing of how we judge our actions creates chaos and confusion by not meeting our full and real needs.
I believe this can now be demonstrated by the effects being felt around the globe from the actions of the Bush administration, because of its decision making allegiance to the narrower measurement of corporate activity and goals.
The Christian faith, like other beliefs, has been used in the past to identify moral integrity and the attitude needed to achieve this integrity. Naïve? . . . I don’t think so! This broader spectrum of how we approach life forces us into greater considerations about our actions and can only benefit our development as a species.
Whatever the reason, the real problem facing us today is a lack of credibility of our traditional religious beliefs to act as a moderator, as demonstrated by the narrow confine of decision making operated by President Bush, whilst also alluding to a Christian belief.
Any leader worth his or her salt has to be able to effectively police the activities of society, whilst also creating an environment that will allow us to achieve our highest potential. Narrowing these criteria narrows our potential to survive as a species.
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