Pocket radio show review: John White

Coast to Coast, 03/26/08: Guest: John White. thumbs down

I was prepared to like this show; I downloaded it because George Washington is a historical figure I admire. However, there is a disturbing subtext to Mr. White's discussion, "George Washington and the Hand Of God." That George Washington believed that Providence guided his life and, indeed, guided the creation of the United States is beyond debate. However, I think that the Revolutionary children of the Enlightenment had a slightly more nuanced view of "God" than our current religious and political leaders. So I have to wonder why Mr. White is even bringing this subject up, now, when so much hinges on who, what, exactly, "God" is.

'Tis a dangerous thing to claim to act on the authority of God in our current era. Just ask the Iraqis... or, on the converse, the victims of 9/11.

I think that if George Washington were alive today (and I do think that he's watching over us), he would tell us, point-blank, "Yes, I do believe that Providence guided me, but he is not guiding you. You by your actions have forfeited the right to invoke God's authority for any reason, so stop doing it. And clean up your act--fast."

"God" evolves and changes according to our capacity to intellectually apprehend him. Our Revolutionary forefathers were intellectuals who were learned in both philosophy and the arts and sciences; they were multilingual, literate, and, on the whole, wise. Our current leaders? Ask George Washington who "God" is, and I would wager that his response would be more challenging than our current George's man behind the curtain who tells him to smite nations.