Dear FRONTLINE,

As a scientist, Bush's fundamentalism is not news. His preference for blind faith rather than critical rational thought is clear in his constant and pervasive attacks on science and evidence based reasoning in the form of politicized funding, censorship of scientific findings, and stacking scientific agencies with unqualified people who happen to share his religious values.

Many have claimed that Bush is not really a fundamentalist, but just panders to their concerns. However, it is quite clear that his religious rhetoric and unconstitutional state promotion of certain religious views comes from his own deep nonrational convictions.

This is a seriously negative quality in a leader, not a positive one as many other viewers suggest. Beleif in God is in no way a prerequisite for morality, and in fact the inherently authoritarian nature of god-based morals promote evil behaviors at least as much or more than they promote good behaviors. This is not only born out by history but is just what basic psychological theory would predict.

In addition, it is clear that Bush's faith has supplanted his ability and/or willingness to think rationally. As Bob Woodward's interviews reveal, Bush eschewed any rational, evidence-based thought or discussions about whether and how to go to war, and instead relied on his faith.

His environmental destruction and lack of concern for serious environmental issues are also a direct result of his faith based convinctions in his end-of-days evangelical worldview.

A president or any government official with unwavering, unself-critical convinction in ideas that you have no rational, evidential basis to believe in the first place is not only anti-thetical to the core principles of freedom and democracy, but is extradinarily dangerous to a very well-being when that worldview is used as the basis for world altering policy.

Thomas Griffin
Chicago, IL

Dear FRONTLINE,

Liked the show enough to check out more on your website.

Very interesting comments from viewers, however, they seem Jesus-phobic!

I feel more comfortable with a person who lives by a moral code and is honest enough to own up to it, like GW does. It's refreshing!

I am a Catholic who does not understand what "born again" Christians are, but I, from your documentary, do not see any reason for hysteria.

In fact, I was indifferent towards Pres GW Bush, now that I see him in a different light, I respect him more and trust him to do the right thing for our great Country.

Jack Whiteman
Boston, Mass

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you Frontline for covering this vitally important aspect of the Bush Presidency. Many Americans are amazingly uncritical of religious views and tend to see only positive things as coming out of religious faith. However few of us have taken the time to really read the whole Christian bible. If everyone had - would Bush be able to hold up a bible and claim that it is the only real guide that is needed for child care? Does even George W Bush realize that the Bible demands that unruly children be stoned to death?

Check it out for yourself in Deuteronomy 21:18-21. I'd like to see George W. asked about whether he really believes the bible literally with regards to this and many other verses in his next press conference.

Doug Schiffer
Camden, New York

Dear FRONTLINE,

As a Muslim, I wanted to blame Bush for all malaise in the World...I wanted Frontline to show him as bigot hiding behind religion to attack those who do not share his views. Your program, however, proved me wrong. GB came through as very sincere (all be it a bit naive). I might not share the presidentís name for God, but I certainly share his concern for humanity.

Alas, government is much bigger than one man (or 2, if you count Rumsfeld), especially one with the ability to create the apocalypse. A government of ìgood intentionsî is not enough (we've all heard that proverb). It is this same "Naivete" that allowed INC's Chalabi to get away with half-truths at the Pentagn for far too long. Though now I wish we had more W's in government, I know that won't happen anytime soon.

Gus Hatoum

Dear FRONTLINE,

I have watched this excellent Frontline and am deeply disturbed. I completely believe in religious tolerance and freedom. I am amazed that the Evangelicals do not see anything wrong with the President of the United States leading from religious edicts and with no regard to the separation of church and state.

If this president were leading the country from ANY other religious rules, the Evangelicals would be up at arms. The separation of church and state was created so that everyone could feel safe to pursue their religious beliefs without the fear that one religious group could dictate what is the one TRUE word.

Ray Hunt
New York, NY

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you for your excellent and balanced documentary. Your fair and objective presentation of the place President Bushís faith plays in his leadership role is certain to either encourage or frighten your viewers, depending on their worldview. Each member of your audience had developed a personal worldview by which they judge the validity of any issue, be it political, social, moral or religious. Their response to the influence of President Bushís beliefs merely reflects their own worldview. So the issue seems to boil down the question of which worldview most accurately reflects ultimate reality, since it is a logical necessity that all worldviews cannot be equally true.

President Bush has chosen the evangelical Christian worldview as his guiding principles. There are valid objective and historical reasons for this decision. It takes true courage and genuine conviction for President Bush to remain consistent with his worldview in the face of blistering attacks and ridicule from his critics, and I cannot help but admire his valor. If a leader does not regard himself accountable to God then he is accountable to no one but himself. This does not mean that President Bush is an intolerant bigot, but tolerance cannot be redefined to mean relativism.

Herbert Menendez
DeKalb, IL

Dear FRONTLINE,

As one raised in the Bible Belt, I'm sensitized to evangelical Christianity that sees one true 'religious' path for all mankind. Your program was invaluable in illuminating this aspect of George W. Bush's character and helps to explain the direction in which he has moved our country. It's appalling that he considers himself to be chosen by God.

Those evangelical Christians who wholeheartedly endorse his presidency are the very persons who feared JFK's presidency as a collaboration between the White House and the Vatican. But when the White House is squarely in their camp, suddenly the opposition is unpatriotic, even ungodly.

Paul Chesnut
Santa Barbara, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

While watching "The Jesus Factor," I was reminded of a recent Frontline show, "From Jesus to Christ," which made me think a lot about the fundamentalist concepts I was taught as a child. One scholar in "From Jesus to Christ" concluded that early Christians were not bothered by inconsistencies among the Gospels, as they were not meant to be literal in all cases. The Gospels presented Jesus' story, sometimes interpreted to make the message effective and easy to relate to.

However, evangelicals today insist on a literal reading of the Bible. "The Jesus Factor" clearly demonstrates Bush's anti-intellectualism, as reported in Woodward's "Plan of Attack." The question for voters is: should such a man be in charge of the most powerful nation in the world.

Jean Keeting
Arlington, VA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Sincerely misled as Bush is, I still mantain that during my lifetime (born when John F. Kennedy was President), there has only been one truly moral Christian man in the Oval Office.

That man was Jimmy Carter.

Robert Peters
Nashville, TN

Dear FRONTLINE,

The Dems, libs or whatevers should be careful about attacking Bush's faith. Nothing unites people like persecution syndrome and those emotions run very strong. These kinds of attacks have recently made Mel Gibson a much richer man.

Having said that, as an evangelical Bush supporter, I would just say:

BRING IT ON!

LaVonne Redelinghuys
Fort Mill, SC

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you for airing "The Jesus Factor". I had no idea how deep and wide Bush's messianic zeal is.

How fortunate for Bush that 46% of people in america are "God fearing." He has tapped a demographic and marketed himself to those people as the "chosen one". Perfect, since these God fearers seem to want a chosen one. This seems okay with the Evangelical Christians because it furthers (and funds with our tax dollars)their missions.

But what happens to the other 54%; Wiccans, Pagans, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, and Christ lovers who aren't living in fear of God? I would love to see a follow up to The Jesus Factor which would adress this question.

Keep the faith...to yourself.

Denisha Nugent
Gloucester, MA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Another excellent show but I fail to see how so many American viewers are reassured by President Bush's personal religious beliefs.

For him to believe that he was "chosen" by God to become President illustrates such conceit, bordering on psychotic or sacrilegious. With it being his duty to rid the world of evil-doers and deliver the gift of freedom from God to the world.
A self righteous megalomaniac, calling himself a compassionate conservative, he has started wars by mortgaging the future of our country. This is easy for him, since the Armegeddon he believes in, will wipe that old TAX slate clean. More similar to Bin Laden than not.

Barbara Proctor
Phoenix, AZ

Dear FRONTLINE,

Dear Frontline,

Bravo for showing a side of our president that the media has chosen to ignore. It was refreshing to see that President Bush's faith goes beyond what comes out of his mouth.

To see how he has grown from a man struggling with his faith to one of confidence as he faces constant challenges is both uplifting and encouraging to all who want to see good prevail in these difficult times. Thank you for your presentation.

Victoria Wilhite
Garden Grove, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Unbelievable Frontline. Both my wife and I are still blown away by the insights revealed in this program. Substitute "Christianity" for "Freedom" in all of Bush's speeches and comments in the news, especially about the war and it eerily makes sense. Now I shudder in horror, big time!

Teddy Deane
Friday Harbor , WA

Dear FRONTLINE,

As an atheist, I find myself completely unable to sympathize with George W. Bush's religious beliefs. As a progressive, I would stop at nothing to defend his right to maintain those beliefs. And as an American, I am mortified that a set of personal beliefs and abstract, subjective values determine important aspects of the national agenda, rather than an objective evaluation of our nation's social and economic goals and a rational strategy on how to achieve them.

George W. Bush is not, as a previous message claims, the first "God-fearing" president to occupy the White House, but he seems to be the first president who centralizes that faith in his policy-making decisions. We elect officials so that they will represent all of us, not so that they will preach to us.

Our nation was founded on Enlightenment principles. While Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau all differed on their attitudes toward faith, they uniformly opposed the divine right to rule. To claim that one governs with God's divine approval is simply un-American.

David Levy
Los Angeles, California