Washington D.C., Dec 17, 2007 / 10:02 am
The White House has sent out its annual Christmas card, featuring a seven-line excerpt from the Bible.
The card quotes from the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah 9:6, which in the New International Version of the Bible reads:
You alone are the LORD.
You made the heavens, even the highest heavens,
and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to everything,
and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
The card closes: “May the joy of all creation fill your heart this blessed season 2007.” The Christmas card, signed by both George and Laura Bush, was paid for by the Republican National Committee.
The card raised a few eyebrows among media personalities. Barbara Walters, host of the ABC talk show The View, wondered on the show why the card was so religious and how it would be received by non-Christians. She asked "Don't you think it's a little interesting that the president of all the people is sending out a religious Christmas card?"
Ms. Walters clarified her intention later in the show: "By the way, I don't want to put down the President of the United States and his wife. I think it's very nice that they sent me a Christmas card."