With God on Our Side – George W Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

With God on Our Side George W Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

What makes George W. Bush tick? While much of the world is confounded by his righteous rhetoric and his boundless certainty, Bush's story makes perfect sense to one group: America's conservative evangelicals…also known as the Religious Right.

This provocative but balanced documentary begins by providing the historical context necessary to understand President Bush's evangelical agenda – exploring the five-decade political education of conservative Christians. Then it zeroes in on Bush himself with a religious biography – from his mid-life crisis involving excessive drinking and a failing business, to his pivotal meeting with a cross-carrying evangelist, and finally to the skillful embrace of 'born-again' imagery that helped elect him president.

Incorporating comprehensive historical detail and interviews with religious conservatives such as Jerry Falwell and Ralph Reed, as well as Bush confidants including former speechwriter David Frum, this "eye-opening" film "should be mandatory viewing for those interested in the dominant intersection between religion and politics." (Hollywood Reporter)

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Shake it to the left & you shake it to the right.
The day I watched this movie I also started The Audacity of Hope, by President Obama. Both are old news. With God is a pretty well made documentary of the conservative evangelical movement, also known as the religious right. It covers the histroy & pre-history of the movement climaxing with George W. Bush stolen election of 2000. I hope I'm over that. Another win in 2004. By 2006 the Republican Party, which they had given their heart to lay in total disgrace. They lost their legislative majority. In 2008 it even got worse as they lost the White House. Sex scandals, lies & most of all, abuse of power brought them down. Either God has forsaken them, God stopped paying attention to their nonsense, or they never had his attention in the first place. Don't you think God has more important things to do than arrange for Pat Robertson to get delegates in Iowa? The Moral Majority a term coined during the Nixon administration was neither moral or a majority. They did organize, but as it is made perfectly clear, as a political entity, not as a religious force. Exhibit 1 is Jimmy Carter. He was one of them. He was an Evangelical Southern Baptist, a born again Christain. Politically & socially he was liberal, & miles away from their agenda. He was also a Democrat. They embraced Ronald Regan. He disappointed them. Maybe he had more important things to do, like the economy & national defense. He paid scant attention to them. Fast forward to 2000 & they again had their chance to make history. George W it appears was a true born again Christain. He had been saved & best of all he was consrvative & a Republican. He lost the popular vote but that doesn't matter in America.

The Supreme Court declared him the winner of Florida's electoral votes 5-4 & that was that.

The dvd extras are plentiful & interesting. They are considerably less balanced with a god-centric point of view as if God needs them. The religious right seems to be intolerant of other points of view including the The United States Constitution. They imply that they are the good Americans, which I find sadly laughable. But it's their movie.

4 Stars An objective history of the Religous Right
Actually this is completely free of editorial opinion, nothing beyond a few basic facts are given by the producers. If one has been paying attention over the last 40 years they won't find anything new here, those who get this DVD hoping for a diatribe on the religious right will be disappointed, on the other hand this is not pro-religious propaganda some may be hoping for. The producers do cover the ups and downs – Nixon's fall, how Reagan/Bush Sr. used them, & the PTL & Swaggart scandals. In interviews they let various members of the movement explain themselves as they see themselves. There really isn't any need for the producers to spend time editorializing, because in the end everyone will form their own opinion based on how much they agree or disagree with the objectives of the movement.

2 Stars Starts out good and objective, ends up as a blatant propaganda tool.
This was a very strange documentary. The first half is a very straightforward, objective and informative history of the evangelical influence on US politics from circa 1950. But by the last half all objectivity is thrown out the window and it turns into a very blatant promotional movie for George W. Bush and his handling of the 9/11, the Iraq War, etc., ending with Bush waving the flag and an interviewee saying he hopes God still has a plan for George W. Bush to help the world.

Watch it if it's on TV, but I wouldn't recommend spending money on the DVD.

3 Stars If God did exist…
…whatever the names/aliases used by those who pretend to believe in such a thing, He would never have allowed the existence of Bushs nor any fanatic zealots who have been thinking for 2,000 years that their superstition is better than the others. Until the beginning of christianity there never was any religious wars, and, not only no one ever murdered anybody to demonstrate their god was kinder than the others, but, since Sumer (about 6,000 years ago), every civilisation (a word that should not be used any longer) has adopted (most of the times by adapting their names) gods from others.

Civilized people should put a sign on their doors or fences "Beware of the god".

4 Stars Unbiased but still one-sided
Before viewing "With God on Our Side," I suspected the title might be ironic or downright sarcastic. The film, I suspected, would seek to skewer George W. Bush and the Christian right/evangelical movement. As it turns out, I was seriously wrong. This film is neutral and allows its subjects (mostly Christians) a forum free from ridicule.

"With God on Our Side" is really two films that coexist rather comfortably. On the one hand, it is a history lesson, seeking to explain the rise of evangelical Christian political power and George W. Bush's place in the White House. Note that I said "explain," not "justify." On the other hand, the film is an examination of the George W. Bush presidency and, more particularly, the role of Bush's faith in that presidency. The point, I think, is that one cannot understand the latter without an understanding of the former.

Thus it is that we are taken from Nixon to Carter, Bush to Bush, seeing the roles that faith and morality played in the various campaigns. The subjects are, almost without exception, true believers, by which I do not mean in the Bible or God or any particular religion but do mean in the role evangelical Christians have claimed, at times to the incredulous disbelief of the mainstream media. Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, and Jerry Falwell all have significant time on screen.

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4. CREW Reveals Visits to the Bush Whitehouse by Top Members of the Christian Right
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