Biblical distortions by despots

THE EDITOR: I always knew that President Bush was born for greatness. I was not in the least surprised therefore when on the BBC news on January 20, 2005 he trumpeted that the USA and by extension himself had a destiny from beyond the stars. However, I was a bit perturbed. I thought that this star wars idea died with the Reagan era and I thought that the world already had its fill of this manifest destiny philosophy. One only has to examine the fate of the indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand to recognise the destruction that such a biblical misrepresentation can lead to.

The Boers (Afrikaners) of South Africa believed they were God’s chosen people. South Africa was the biblical Canaan and therefore they had a divine right to destroy the Philistines represented by the blacks in that land. The Americans also believed that they also had a manifest destiny to steal the North American Continent from the Indians. We all know the sad and terrible story. Initially, I thought that President Bush had one too many, given the endless rounds of partying that normally precedes an inauguration. But when I saw that it was a prepared speech; when I saw those narrowed eyes and that characteristic snarl, I knew this was for real. Beyond the stars? Where exactly is he coming from?

My mind went to Hitler with his claims that his Reich was destined to last one millennium — 1000 years. But then I quickly dismissed that thought when I realised that his empire fell short by 991 years. I reflected on the biblical character called the Beast — a man with unprecedented powers imposing upon humanity a system to bring untold benefits only to those who take the mark. Hasn’t the USA under Bush’s administration, demanded that all who would visit the Promised Land must now leave their fingerprint and eye scan in their gigantic data bases? Could this be the prelude to such an event? Impossible!

Bush is a born again Christian, who won a resounding victory on the basis of strongly held beliefs against homosexuals, lesbians and abortionists. He could never be part of such an ungodly system!  But then I became more confused when I realised that most Fascist States outwardly make a fetish of story moral values. Hitler and his Nazis not only condemned homos, they gassed them. Franco in Spain also championed such things. I then rationalised that in this Carnival season we may well be getting a prelude of the global Carnival that will envelop us all as Bush pursues his destiny emanating from beyond the stars.

C J LEWIS
Trincity