The Role of Religion in the Life and Presidency of George W. Bush

Abstract

Abstract : President Bush has openly discussed his personal religious faith in a variety of settings from small meetings with religious leaders to public interviews in the national media. Many supporters and critics alike have speculated as to the degree of influence his personal religious faith has had on his presidency. This paper examines a variety of sources, to include the President's own public statements, in an attempt both to identify the components of his faith and to determine the role his faith plays in his life and his presidency. Specific areas of President Bush's policies which are presented as having some degree of correlation to his faith are the National Security Strategy, faith-based social programs, foreign policy, and the War on Terrorism. A comparison is made of Bush's religious comments with that of other presidents to evaluate whether his God talk' is unique or the norm for the person holding our nation's highest office.