The Emperor Has No Church- or Scruples

George W. Bush has emphasized his Christian faith during his presidency more than most, if not all, of his predecessors. He depends heavily on the fundamentalist vote for his winning a second term. (I purposely do not refer to a re-election for obvious reasons.) Amy Sullivan, editor of "The Washington Monthly," has written an article about Bush's religious practice as it pertains to church attendance. Bush, she says, does not go to church. Though he has used religion to appeal emotionally to voters, he has chosen not to attend church himself.

Jimmy Carter not only attended church regularly while in the White House, he found the time to teach a Sunday school class. The Clintons were members of Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington and attended often. Chelsea sang in the choir and participated in the youth group there. (I attended that church whenever I visited my grandparents who lived in D.C., but it was before the Clintons. It is a large vibrant downtown church.)

The two reasons given for a president not attending a church are 1) no time for church and 2) security measures put a burden on the church. Certainly Bush cannot claim a lack of time, since he has spent one third of his presidency on vacation. And the security excuse, according to Ms. Sullivan, does not hold water either. She attended Foundry Church while the Clintons were members. She described the security measure as a simple 10-second walk through a metal detector which did not make a particle of difference to any parishioner.

It shouldn't matter what church, if any, a president attends. However, Bush has staked his political reputation on being a devout man of faith. His faith-based policy agenda would give one the impression that Bush values church membership. Polls indicate that Republicans attend church more frequently than Democrats. The Republican Party has made political hay with that research.

Now in the last days of the campaign, conservatives have a new election strategy: political advertisements starring "Jesus." The right-wing has hired actor Jim Caviezel of "The Passion of Christ" fame to film ads pushing conservatives to go to the polls. This is to remind Christians that Mr. Bush shares their opposition to abortion, judicial activism and homosexual marriage.

Can we just put the cards on the table? George Bush is using Jesus to get votes. Is this a good idea? Okay. It is a good idea, but is it ethical? No! It is pandering. It is manipulation of the highest degree. The people who will cast their votes for Bush are being led down the rosy path to their own demise.

Jesus, please help us!