Madeline Albright and Religious Absolutism

A report out today, by Gideon Long (of Reuters), has a headline that reads, "Albright Critical of Bush's Religious Absolutism". The report indicates that Madeline Albright, who worked in the Carter administration and was a former Secretary of State during the Clinton presidency, has some serious concerns about President George W. Bush's religion playing a role in his presidency.

Albright says, "'I worked for two presidents who were men of faith, and they did not make their religious views part of American policy,' she said, referring to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Democrats and Christians."

She then went on to say, "President Bush's certitude about what he believes in, and the division between good and evil, is, I think, different... The absolute truth is what makes Bush so worrying to some of us."

Albright also says that Mr. Bush has alienated Muslims by including his Christian rhetoric in his foreign policy discussions and seems quite disturbed by other statements he has made regarding his faith. Regarding a quote from President Bush's 2004 Republican party convention speech, 'We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom.', Albright said, "Some of his language is really quite over the top..."

Of course, Madeline Albright, who describes her own religious beliefs as coming from, "a very confused religious background" has every right to her opinions. A self-described Anglican with Roman Catholic upbringing and Jewish roots, Albright says she is "wary of any religion which claims a monopoly on truth". The report ends with her statement, "I know I believe in God but I have doubts, and doubt is part of faith".

Madeline Albright typifies today's liberal thinking. The idea of absolute truth, of a definitive right and wrong, good and evil, is terrifying to the secular humanistic, liberal culture that prevails in today's society. After all, if there is a right and wrong, then the "if it makes you happy, then it must be alright" type of thinking cannot be promoted. The idea of everyone-being-able-to-do-whatever-seems-right-to-them manner of living cannot work. The idea that no one can make a moral judgment about another's actions no longer holds water and thus everything that the liberal side promotes falls apart. This is a truly frightening thing for a liberal.

It is also precisely why the liberals hate and fear President Bush. He takes a definitive stand and says that there are absolute truths and that they are rooted in Biblical Christianity. What so infuriates the liberal left about this is that Mr. Bush not only claims to be a Christian, but that he tries to incorporate his beliefs into every aspect of his life, and in this case, into his decisions as President of the United States.

Madeline Albright makes it very clear, in this interview, that she is fine with Christianity-in-name-only. She basically says as much when she states that her former employers, Presidents Carter and Clinton, (whom she describes as both Democrats and Christians) claimed to be believers in Christianity, but did not allow it to interfere with their presidencies.

Now I don't know the hearts of Presidents Carter and Clinton, but I do know that one of the best ways to find out what a person truly believes, what principles they hold sacred and dear, can be observed in the things they say and do. The fact that both former presidents are members of the democratic party does not mean that they can't be Christians, but it makes me wonder how they can be a member of a party whose main tenet is the right to abortion, instead of working to defend innocent life. It makes me wonder why they would choose to be a member of a party that has made some decidedly anti-Christian, anti-God decisions. It doesn't make sense to me.

Moral absolutes are just that, absolute. They don't change depending on the situation or the political climate. They cannot be true in your personal life, but not true for someone else. If a person is a true Christian, if they believe that the Bible is God's word and provides a guide for what is right and wrong, then those beliefs will guide that person in every decision that he makes, whether personal or in public. True Christianity changes a person from the inside and makes a difference on the outside as well. It changes the way they think, speak and act. It isn't simply a club in which a person can place his membership, pay his yearly dues and claim as a status symbol. Christianity requires a daily walk, a daily relationship that makes a difference in the persons' life. It requires the person to be different, to make moral judgments to live according to the guidelines within the Bible. In short, it is a way of life and it encompasses every aspect of our lives.

True Christians are required to be different, to stand out. Liberals, who claim to embrace diversity, to be tolerant of our differences, have no patience for Christianity. They see the glaring difference it makes in a person and it scares them, I think, because it makes them start to doubt, way deep down inside, what they believe. And when the core of what you believe is shaken and in doubt, it's a very frightening place to be.