I was hoping that Hurricane Isaac would completely blow away the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
I know that's nasty of me. But consider that the likes of Pat Robertson have tried to blame hurricanes and natural disasters on gays. Supposedly they're God punishing the US for tolerating (?) gays.
So maybe if the supposed wrath of God struck Republicans and conservatives, they'd have to view it in a different way. At least, I'd presume, if they really thought it was God's actions, they'd have to wonder about the particular target God chose.
I want to say one good thing about Reince Priebus (the chairman of the Republican National Committee): He has a cool name. Otherwise, of course, I'd be diametrically opposed to everything he believes and says.
Yesterday the news contained the results of a poll that said that 63% of Americans believe that the Republican party is the party of the wealthy. That's pretty reassuring: the American people either are starting to catch on, or they're a little more savvy than I'd been giving them credit for.
Copyright © 2012 by Richard Stein
Showing posts with label Pat Robertson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pat Robertson. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Not Acts of God
The by now very old (and if he's not tired by now, I'm tired of him) televangelist Pat Robertson said that the cracks in the Washingon Monument that appeared after the recent earthquake centered near Washington were an "act of God."
Glenn Beck says that Hurricane Irene is a "blessing."
I'm not going to try to get inside these guys' heads or figure out their chain of logic (!?!).
I see a dilemma in the thinking of people who are always seeing God's hand in this or that. First, if you believe that God can and does interfere in the workings of the physical or natural world, then the god you believe in is certainly not a benevolent god. These natural phenomena have caused enormous human suffering, particularly over time (certainly they've been going on for all of the history of the human species).
The god who is always "punishing" mankind, for this or that or whatever, sounds like the Old Testament Jehovah, a vengeful god who once (the story of Noah) wiped out nearly all of mankind, who is an angry and wrathful god--as He himself tells us.
Ironically, the people who believe the things above are professed Christians; and I understand that in the Christian version of things, God in the person of Christ is supposed to be loving, forgiving, tolerant (never mind that we've got so many of these so-called Christian believers who spend enormous energy--and money--spreading hatred of gay people).
(To be accurate, there's always been that strain in Christianity--at least in American Christianity, going back to the earliest days. A notable American example of a hellfire, fire-and-brimstone preacher is the eighteenth-century figure of Jonathan Edwards.)
Maybe some Christian would care to explain their religion to me a little better. I see only paradoxes and inconsistencies.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Richard Stein
Glenn Beck says that Hurricane Irene is a "blessing."
I'm not going to try to get inside these guys' heads or figure out their chain of logic (!?!).
I see a dilemma in the thinking of people who are always seeing God's hand in this or that. First, if you believe that God can and does interfere in the workings of the physical or natural world, then the god you believe in is certainly not a benevolent god. These natural phenomena have caused enormous human suffering, particularly over time (certainly they've been going on for all of the history of the human species).
The god who is always "punishing" mankind, for this or that or whatever, sounds like the Old Testament Jehovah, a vengeful god who once (the story of Noah) wiped out nearly all of mankind, who is an angry and wrathful god--as He himself tells us.
Ironically, the people who believe the things above are professed Christians; and I understand that in the Christian version of things, God in the person of Christ is supposed to be loving, forgiving, tolerant (never mind that we've got so many of these so-called Christian believers who spend enormous energy--and money--spreading hatred of gay people).
(To be accurate, there's always been that strain in Christianity--at least in American Christianity, going back to the earliest days. A notable American example of a hellfire, fire-and-brimstone preacher is the eighteenth-century figure of Jonathan Edwards.)
Maybe some Christian would care to explain their religion to me a little better. I see only paradoxes and inconsistencies.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Richard Stein
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