Press Release
State of the Union Sermonizing Insults Many
For Immediate Release - January 29, 2003
Tony Hileman, (202) 238-9088
(Washington, DC) The religious words President George W. Bush chose to close
his State of the Union message to Congress and the nation disrespects the
forty million Americans who profess no religion, as well as the millions of
Buddhists, Hindus, and other faithful citizens who do not embrace the
president’s monotheistic beliefs. “His excluding remarks were particularly
offensive to Humanists who derive knowledge from observation,
experimentation, and rational analysis,” stated Tony Hileman, executive
director of the American Humanist Association.
Throughout his speech Bush attributed American accomplishments to the god of
his particular sectarian beliefs. Hileman responded, “In saying that liberty
is not America’s gift to the world Bush dishonored the inspiration and
courage of democracy’s founders and belittled our heritage of liberty that
so much of the world strives to emulate. Bush praised the resolve and
character of the people of our nation, saying we have risen to every test of
our time, but then went on to negate that praise by crediting it not to us
but to the unseen force ‘behind all of life and all of history.’”
Hileman continued, “Far from placing trust in that which he knows, he said,
‘… we do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in
them.’ The logic of trusting in what one does not know would be amusing if
was not so dangerously close to committing our nation to costly courses
based on those unknowns he trusts so emotionally.”
Bush’s religious beliefs drive many of his initiatives. He gave unqualified
support of faith-based initiatives, specifically citing the Healing Place
Church in Baton Rouge, LA, whose mission (according to its website) is to
“assist those who are struggling with addiction [to] become free through the
Power of God." This church, which Bush intends to fund with tax dollars,
relies “solely on the foundation of the Word of God to break the bands of
addiction."
He closed with a plea of intercession to a personal monotheistic god, asking
“his” guidance and blessing. Hileman concluded, “We ask instead that Bush
place his trust in the American people and in the citizens of the world—in
things as they are rather than as he might wish or imagine them to be. Our
nation is run by a secular government, founded and advanced on a foundation
with no establishment of religion. Appropriate separation of religion and
government has served us well throughout our history and should be relied
upon by those who seek to serve us well today.”
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The American Humanist Association is the oldest
and largest Humanist organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to
ensuring a voice for those with a positive outlook, based on reason and
experience, which embraces all of humanity.
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