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This is a religion blog, and today, Weblog is starving. There's much to say about Bush's acceptance speech (video) last night, but only if Weblog were a political blog, not a religion one.

There's this, of course: "Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom." But what to say about that? Beliefnet's Steve Waldman translates: "We have a divine mandate to fight for freedom in the world." The Nation's David Corn takes it even further: "The 2004 campaign is a referendum on whether the United States should wage a crusade to bring liberty to the repressed of the world—particularly in the Middle East—in order to heed the call of God and to protect the United States from terrorists who target America because they despise freedom."

Or maybe it was just an applause line.

Here are some other applause lines:

Because a caring society will value its weakest members, we must make a place for the unborn child. Because religious charities provide a safety net of mercy and compassion, our government must never discriminate against them. Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honored place in our society, I support the protection of marriage against activist judges. And I will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.

Waldman and a few others took issue with earlier speech references, from George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani, saying that God put Bush in office to led the country through September 11. "He is one of those men God and fate somehow lead to the fore in times of challenge," Pataki said last night. But here's a question: Wouldn't even Southern Baptist Al Gore say that Providence had a hand in Bush's election—and in those of Clinton, Carter, Jefferson, and every other president's? And, for that matter, in the rise to power of Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-Il?

For a real religion speech from yesterday's convention activities, check out this sermon from George Rutler, the priest at New York City's Church of our Saviour, a Roman Catholic parish. Bush was among those in attendance (though, one imagines, the Methodist didn't take Communion there). The text was Mark 4:41: "And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?'" Rutler concluded his homily with these words:

Today stormy controversies attend questions of biotechnology on the micro level and world politics on the macro level. The answers are not easy but they are simple: everything will be fine so long as human rights respect the rights of God. The deepest question is, "Why did God make you?" The simplest answer that calms every storm is this: "God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in Heaven."

Did Burke back down?
Speaking of Catholics and politicians, there's big news out of St. Louis, though it's likely to be drowned out by all of the convention news, hurricane news, and the —just breaking as Weblog is typing — news of Bill Clinton's quadruple bypass surgery.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, who has been at the forefront of the "should Kerry be refused Communion" debate, says that voters can vote for pro-choice politicians without committing a grave sin. In June, Burke had said, "If someone knowingly and intentionally commits a grave sin, which it certainly would be if someone were to support a pro-abortion candidate, then that person would need to confess that sin." He also reiterated his remarks: "If the voter is aware of that politician's pro-abortion position, they would still be supporting someone who is cooperating in the promotion of abortion."

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August (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48