God Will Not Save An America Drowning In Unscientific Ignorance & Biblical Embrace
/The Washington Post addresses today's super storm Irma with the headline 'May God protect us all': Puerto Rico and tiny islands in Irma's path fear for the worst.'
National and international catastrophes are typically the time when right-wing Republicans in particular bring God into the picture, arguing that these catastrophes reflect God's wrath over social policies they oppose: feminism and women's rights, immigration, homosexuality, etc. It's not very scientific but humans have held these views for thousands of years -- consider Zeus sending thunderbolts.
Add to the mix the reality that Americans actually have four different visions of God that are well distributed across a vision of God as punishing and wrathful when disobeyed to God as a spiritual force in the universe that has nothing to do with weather events.
Totally exasperated with Trump and his actions on DACA yesterday, I shared my thoughts on FB last night:
"Hurricane Irma is heading for the US, Puerto Rico, and all the beautiful islands in the Caribbean. . . Irma is clocking the highest winds ever recorded. She is unique. . . Right on the heels of Harvey. This is the moment when all the Bible-toting Republicans start telling us that these hurricanes are about God's displeasure over feminism, homosexuality and surely Planned Parenthood by name.
Well, I see it differently. If you are inclined to attribute weather events to the will of God, I see these hurricanes about God's displeasure over your denial of science, about your desecration of the earth and denial of climate change, about your denial of any compassion for the DACA children of illegal immigrants, about your comfortable retraction of $600 million of aid to health clinics in Africa because they offer birth control and will without words give a woman a slip of paper -- legal in their country as it is in America -- of where she can end a pregnancy.
It's only in your arrogance that you think God is angry with me. In fact, God loves me for my efforts of behalf of humankind and is furious with you. Now my god actually doesn't play these games, but since YOU believe in them, why do you think God is embracing Trumpsters when you desecrate so many core beliefs of Christianity?
That is really arrogant. I think our God is furious with you because you deny all rational science and facts around you. You lack the compassion of Jesus. And you spend countless smug hours basking in your own self glory, rather than looking at the real work for people who need you. These hurricanes are telling you to wake up and get serious about life on this planet. Stop using the Bible -- and a belief that God will not let anything bad happen to America -- as an excuse for your unGodly views. In fact, the awesome intelligence of God does not sanction your stupidity. Humans have the gift of intelligence and we must use it." ~ Anne