Blair hails 'God's love' in latest speech!
How times change....!!!!!!!!!! B-Liar at his best again..
Tony Blair famously 'didn't do God' during his decade in Downing Street, fearing he would be viewed as a religious fanatic.
But the former Prime Minister lectured the world yesterday on the need to put faith at the heart of
In an impassioned 'sermon' in the U.S. he made no fewer than 31 mentions of God, and declared: 'In surrendering to God we become instruments of his love'.
'My good friend': Barack Obama applauds Blair's speech to the Prayer Breakfast in Washington
Mr Blair also scored a diplomatic coup as the first 'world leader' to shake hands with President Barack Obama, who hailed him as 'my good friend'.
He said Mr Blair 'did it first and perhaps did it better' and had been an example to so many people around the world 'of what dedicated leadership can accomplish'.
The former Premier was speaking in the U.S. capital at the annual National Prayer Breakfast.
In a sharp departure from his days in power - his spin doctor Alastair Campbell once told reporters 'We don't do God' - he spoke passionately of his faith.
Although traditionalists will welcome the remarkably frank and passionate speech, others will also point out that for 10 years Mr Blair led a Government addicted to the casual lying that comes with political spin and took the country into a disastrous war on the flimsiest of evidence.
Mr Blair, who converted to Roman Catholicism after leaving Downing Street, gave a revealing insight into how he felt unable to discuss religion there.
He said: 'I recall giving an address to the country at a time of crisis. I wanted to end my words with "God bless the British people".
'This caused complete consternation. Emergency meetings were convened. The system was aghast. Finally, a senior civil servant said, with utter disdain: "Really, Prime Minister, this is not America you know".'
Yesterday he threw off those inhibitions and said: 'I believe restoring religious faith to its rightful place, as the guide to our world and its future, is itself of the essence.
'The 21st century will be poorer in spirit, meaner in ambition, less disciplined in conscience, if it is not under the guardianship of faith in God.'
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Mr Blair, now the international peace envoy to the Middle East, said his new job meant he spent a great deal of time in the Holy Land.
He said: 'It is a good place to reflect on religion - a source of so much inspiration, an excuse for so much evil. Today, religion is under attackfrom without and from within. From within, it is corroded by extremists who use their faith as a means of excluding the other.
'From without, religious faith is assailed by an increasingly aggressive secularism, which derides faith as contrary to reason and defines faith by conflict.
'Thus the extreme believers and the aggressive non-believers come together in unholy alliance.'
Mr Blair recalled an incident when he was just ten and his father Leo suffered a stroke. A teacher wanted to pray for him, but Mr Blair confessed that his father did not believe in God. The teacher reassured him: 'That doesn't matter, God believes in him.'
The former Premier said: 'That is what inspires - the unconditional nature of God's love'. Leo Blair, now 85, survived the stroke.
Daily Mail
is he saying all this because it would be good for his current job?
but if he is being truthful, embracing religion is never too late.
Chameleon. Thats all......
How does he feel standing on thousands of corpses, peaceful soul?
ngourlay. I think our Tony has already proven that he was a 'world leader' in name only.
I think that like so many of his kind he was not a 'leader' at all, but just a self-seeking career politician.
"It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it." W. C. Fields.
What do you mean "consider him a bloody hypocrite" ?
He is one and a politician to boot..
Just guessing what he must be thinking in in wretched mind: "Why the fcuk did I follow that stupid prick Bush?"
But if he really repented his past acts, he can only and has to prove it by daring all those warmongers and world tyrants to stop persecuting the weak nations.He must speak up his mind and stop mincing his words to try to please others.
Otherwise, I will always consider him a bloody hypocrite.
They say where there is a will there is a way but I notice where there is money there are ways!!!
Mr Blair also scored a diplomatic coup as the first 'world leader' to shake hands with President Barack Obama
erm. If past-premieres count as a world leaders, then surely the handshake with President Bush immediately after gaining office would trump Blair?
Blair couldn't admit to being a religious loon while in office, because most people in Britain wouldn't have thought he was competent to run a country if he was kneeling at the side of his bed every night, asking bearded ghosts for advice.
Maybe old TB is suffering from a belated attack of conscience?
The political 'Tonygotchi' was bad enough, a new born religious version of him is just too much too bear.
"It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it." W. C. Fields.