Bush claims to be a Methodist. His expressed beliefs, however, are in stark conflict with many of his church's stated positions.
The Methodist Church is quite progressive. But its best-known congregant isn't. I've been aware of this issue for a while, through my activity in the anti-death penalty community. (The Methodist Church is squarely anti-capital punishment.) I decided to spend more time with the Methodists' doctrinal statements and come up with more instances of conflict between Bush's politics and his (supposed) beliefs.
My results are below. (Note that I tried to identify only those aspects of Methodist doctrine that directly conflict with something Bush avowedly believes or something he likely believes. I have left out all the wishy-washy stuff about being in favor of "universal rights" and the like, even though we all know there is conflict there as well.)
As the Methodist Church's
statement of social principles states, "The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners."
How does that progressivism manifest itself now?
On War:
We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them
More on war and international social change:
We urge the major political powers to use their nonviolent power to maximize the political, social, and economic self-determination of other nations rather than to further their own special interests. We applaud international efforts to develop a more just international economic order in which the limited resources of the earth will be used to the maximum benefit of all nations and peoples.
On international cooperation and the United Nations:
Believing that international justice requires the participation of all peoples, we endorse the United Nations and its related bodies and the International Court of Justice as the best instruments now in existence to achieve a world of justice and law. .... We urge the United Nations to take a more aggressive role in the development of international arbitration of disputes and actual conflicts among nations by developing binding third-party arbitration. Bilateral or multilateral efforts outside of the United Nations should work in concert with, and not contrary to, its purposes.
On capital punishment:
We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore and transform all human beings. ... We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibility of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without exception and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its elimination from all criminal codes.
[As an aside, the Methodist Church regularly permits anti-death penalty protestors to use church facilities in connection with an
annual fast and vigil against the death penalty held in front of the Supreme Court.]
On environmental responsibility:
Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God's creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect.... Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God's creation.
On abortion rights:
Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother, for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable pregnancy.... Governmental laws and regulations do not provide all the guidance required by the informed Christian conscience. Therefore, a decision concerning abortion should be made only after thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties involved, with medical, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel.
On corporate power:
Every person has the right to a job at a living wage. Where the private sector cannot or does not provide jobs for all who seek and need them, it is the responsibility of government to provide for the creation of such jobs.... We support policies that would reverse the increasing concentration of business and industry into monopolies.
On international trade agreements:
Trade and investment should be based on rules that support the dignity of the human person, a clean environment and our common humanity. Trade agreements must include mechanisms to enforce labor rights and human rights as well as environmental standards.
On affirmative action:
We support affirmative action as one method of addressing the inequalities and discriminatory practices within our Church and society.
On torture:
[T]he mistreatment or torture of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches wherever and whenever it occurs.
