US Presidents’ Use of Religious Rhetoric to Legitimate their Political Actions:

Abstract

The topic of this dissertation deals with American religious rhetoric that is used by US presidents to influence the public opinion and gain the support of the American citizen. Although it was wise from the Founding Fathers to insist on the separation between state and religion that is embodied in the Church in the USA, the two are inextricably associated. It is understood from the fundamental perspective of this dissertation that US chief executives took advantage of this fact, using religious rhetoric as a tool to gain and consolidate power, as well as implement their political agendas, especially those related to external crises. In this research, President Bush’s religious rhetoric is used as a case study because of his emergence during a sensitive period, and therefore requires extensive analysis and discussion. The objective behind the case is to know whether President George W. Bush used different biblical references as well as religious symbols in his speeches; whether the adoption of religious symbols reflect truly his religious convictions or is merely a political strategy, with an emphasis on the post-9/11period speeches. It can be concluded from this study that in most situations the president used religious rhetoric deliberately to follow the line of his predecessors in pursuit of partisan gains. However, it is very likely that the nature of US presidents’ religious faith and its impact on politics will remain controversial and this is due to the lack of transparency of their true religious vision.