The New York Times ran an article by Ron Suskind about President Bush’s faith. A couple of good commentaries (of the many), from warblogging and Greed & Arrogance

I watched Bush explain his faith during the debates with some curiousity, as I stopped drinking a year before Bush did. And, while Billy Graham did not attend to me personally, my sobriety has been based on something spiritual, that could be labeled ‘faith’ … and this is at the heart of sobriety for most of those I know in A.A.

Like most of us talking about something personal, and perhaps hard to express, I came away thinking that he sounded about like anyone else who might be pressed on the matter. You know, stuff about looking for guidance, innocuous quotes from aids: “his faith helps him in his service to people”

But this did not quite jibe with the stronger message, the black-and-white talk of evil, of ‘crusade’. Of the absolute certainty embodied in this endless repetition of ‘resolve’, the messianic tone of his speach. Bush is reported to have said “I trust God speaks through me”. Very unsettling.

Reading the article was scarey.

And yet, I am close to many who’s good lives today are based on faith of some kind. I was talking with a friend when the reason became clear. He referred to the 12 by 12, step eleven, where it answers the question “Why can’t we take a specific and troubling dilemma straight to God, and in prayer secure from Him sure and definite answers to our requests?”

The following paragraph sounds an awful lot like our president:

“Quite often the thoughts that seem to come from God are not answers at all. They prove to be well-intentioned unconscious rationalizations. The A.A., or indeed any man, who tries to run his live rigidly by this kind of prayer, but this self-serving demand of God for replies is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions he instantly proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small. He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. […] he tends to force his own will into all sorts of situations and problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting under God’s specific direction. Under such an illusion, he can of course create great havoc …”

This brittle, closed minded faith is dangerous. In A.A, it runs counter to the humility and open-mindedness necessary for useful and contented sober life. In the presidency, it is downright dangerous.

I can tolerate people like this in the rooms of A.A., as they have little influence over my life, and generally, (based only on my observations), they will either loose the righteous edge or wind up getting drunk again. I wouldn’t mind if Bush is on a holy-roller dry drunk. The problem is that his ability to ‘create great havoc”, as president, is a grave threat to us all.