By Ben Hoff

Staff Writer

Though the urgency of political debate that built up over the past six weeks has begun to die down, it is important not to lapse into complacency and ignorance. For this reason, I would like to offer up for debate a fresh opinion: America is responsible for the ``religious war,'' not the government of Afghanistan or Osama bin Laden.

By making this statement I do not refer to the war on terrorism that is happening, but the religious dimensions to it that are repeatedly denied by the U.S. government. Though the government vehemently claims that the enemy is not Islam, much of what it does claim suggests that we, those who are against the enemy, are Christian. This could easily lead one to think that the non-Christians are therefore the enemy.

How is it that America has created a religious war? It began already on Sept. 11, when President George W. Bush quoted Psalm 23 in his address to the nation. This continued on in a speech he made on the 13th in which he quoted a part of the beatitudes from Matthew 5. The following Sunday, Bush referred to the day as ``the Lord's day'' in an address on the White House lawn. Each of these shows the Christian slant that the president, a political leader, has. I do not want to diminish his status by labeling him a Christian, for I have nothing against his personal religious convictions, but as the representative of a diverse nation, he should keep his convictions personal. The fact that Bush quoted scripture on TV was exciting for many Christians, but as a political leader, Bush should not involve himself in religious affairs. What he has done by this is to paint America as a Christian nation and Afghanistan as the Christian enemy.

Though these quotations of his are relatively neutral, Bush leads us into a deeper level of religious warfare. By using quotations from scripture in conjunction with his proclamations about the ``monumental struggle of good versus evil,'' Bush has created a context in which to define good. Good is that which is defined by this country and by Christian ideals. Bush has used scripture and the idea of a battle of good and evil to create the idea that God is on our side. And it is not any god that is on our side, for God with a capital ``G'' designates the Christian God (to argue against this would be similar to saying the use of the masculine pronoun is generic - it simply doesn't hold up). The dangerous consequence of this assumption is that, with God on our side, there must exist an equally spiritual enemy. This enemy is the opposing religion, which is, in this case, Islam. Through his rhetoric, Bush has made Islam the enemy by identifying himself with Christianity.

This can be seen in many other areas in America today. Countless bumper stickers read ``In God we trust/United we stand,'' with an American flag in the background. Religion and politics have come dangerously close together, and to claim that it is religiously neutral does not hold up. I have yet to see a sticker saying ``In Allah we trust,'' for that would be associating a little too closely with those who committed these acts. A recently proposed law would allow the same statement, ``In God we trust,'' to be posted on all federal government buildings. The ACLU is having a fit and rightly so. More people should be concerned about the ``Christianizing'' of this nation. Though there may be many Christians within it, America is a diverse nation that represents a variety of religions and should continue to do so. Portraying this country as Christian is about as scandalous as suggesting the terrorists represented Islam. It is interesting that Bush has recommended to the mid-eastern nations not to side with bin Laden because he does not represent Islam. In the meantime, he is representing America as a Christian nation and has coerced the Islamic mid-eastern states into siding with him. If Bush says this is not a religious war, why has he created one?