Michele Bachmann thinks that God sent us an earthquake and a hurricane to tell Congress that we’re Taxed Enough Already and we need to realize that our federal government is on a “morbid obesity diet.” That’s kind of funny because I was thinking that God decided to do what Congress refuses to do and create some construction jobs. I guess Michele and I just have different ways of reading the tea leaves.
I kid.
Bachmann was talking to a Tampa, Florida megachurch audience, so they are probably accustomed to hearing that God is actively intervening in our national affairs. Normally, these messages occur when God has witnessed too much sodomy, but apparently social issues are taking second place to fiscal concerns in this election cycle.
Here’s what Bachmann actually said:
“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”
It’s less offensive than Jerry Falwell’s take on 9/11, but it isn’t different in kind. I admit that is it highly unusual to have a large earthquake on the east coast or to have a hurricane ravage the Mid-Atlantic and New England. But, just because something is highly unusual doesn’t mean that God is trying to talk to us. Remember, God is all-powerful. If he wants to talk to us he can speak directly to us from the clouds and tell us exactly what our budget priorities should be, down to the last subclause. He has no reason to risk being misinterpreted and no compelling reason to rely solely on cryptic communications.
Steve Benen thinks that Bachmann’s comments should be treated as so scandalous that the press ought to declare her candidacy all but over. But to attack Bachmann’s reasoning is to attack the magical thinking behind it, not just her particular interpretation of that magical thinking. And the press is not going to do that. In this country, magical thinking is the norm, and only a fool would run for office by making a frontal attack on the idea that God might send cryptic messages in the form of extreme weather events.
“What is God trying to tell us?” is probably the most commonly asked question in America, and the press isn’t going to declare the question out of bounds.
I think your theology is more on track. Other point the deity seems to be making is !pay attention to climate change!
that’s 100% just as loony as Bachmann’s interpretation.
of course, but just thought I’d add to the Biblical debate.
There was a time in which people who spoke so definitely on God’s behalf were bundled off in white coats with very long sleeves so they would not hurt themselves or others.
Now they are the leadership of the Republican Party.
They was? When was this amazing time in history?
I agree. I think there was a brief period in the 1950’s-1960’s when the country was really dominated by a secular culture. This corresponded to the explosion of television and its homogenizing effects on our culture. So, it carries a little more weight than it probably deserves to. We presented a secular culture to the nation and that made it more secular, but we never have lived in a country where the people would reject a politician for magical thinking.
That the was beginning of the current culture war. Religious people felt like they had the rug pulled out from under them, and the secular culture did not prepare for a backlash.
Religious people felt they had the rug pulled out from under them because it exposed them to the anxiety of their own doubt. The defense to doubt is rigid certainty. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there were religious movements devoted to dealing honestly with the doubt raised by secularization. By 1980, these movements were being politically suppressed within almost all denominations at the local church level.
But the culture war stems from a fusion of segregationist preachers, anti-sex Catholic priests, and of late homophobes and Christian bigots. And was legitimized by an conservative intellectual attack on free thought in universities by using the whip of “political correctness”. Being offended by bigotry was defined as being “politically correct”. It was an invention of Republican strategists in the 1970s and remains a movement driven by Republican operatives.
p.c. homophobia, anti-sex Catholicism all later, reacting to women’s liberation which built on the Civil Rights movement and anti-war, and doubt was not related to secularism so much as the unease caused by equality movements and the blow to self- regard caused by “losing” the Vietnam war.
Political culture was secular but individual culture was very religious, at least in the sense of church/ synagogue attendance. mainstream Protestantism experienced a huge increase of attendance (and church building) after WWII – the 50’s. In the 60’s and 70’s mainstream Christianity and many branches of Judaism (more complex, will not try to summarize here) were deeply involved in progressive activism – i.e. the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement. That is what generated the right-wing backlash as they set about capturing Christian public discourse for their own and turning back the clock on progressive strides. The mainstream denominations lost large % of membership but are still progressively active to a great degree. the Right wingers succeeded in defining “Christian” as Right Wing Christian” in the popular mind. many young people think there’s a distinction between Catholic and Christian.
Also, the Civil Rights movement generated a lot of interfaith dialog and outreach, very unsettling for the more rigidly minded, very energizing for the progressive activism
I meant there* Eww…
Well the other point about Bachmann’s hermeneutic is that the deity seems to tell megachurches only what they already want to hear. This is quite the opposite of traditional Biblical prophets’ reading of plagues, invasions, and climate disasters, where the Prophets pretty regularly point out that the deity is telling the king and the ppl something they don’t want to hear.
I’ll have to consult my parents on what they think about this to know how it will play with the Republican base. I feel like if Bachmann’s doing it, she’s got her hand on the pulse. I did hear mom say something on the phone the other day that “I’m glad the media played up how big it could have been because we were ready, but I’m worried that people will act nonchalant the next time because of it. Obviously the most important thing to do is to trust God…”
Well clearly madre by preparing that’s not the most important thing lol.
Well, my point is (made obliquely, as usual, I apologize), and you might discuss these with your mother, that even if ppl want to read natural disasters as divine speech, the disasters may be interpreted many ways. Ancient Israel employed professionals for that, the prophets. Just someone off the street, a Bachmann, for example, was not qualified to make authoritative interpretations. Indeed going that route one might end up with false interpretations. There are other ways the earthquake and hurricane may be interpreted. Now, let’s see if NJ Transit is back online.
As best I can tell, Bachmann is the pulse — she’s one of the true-believer base. Perry, as a faux-populist corporatist, has the mission of taking out her candidacy.
Aimee Semple McPherson 2.0.
I don’t care if I spelled it wrong, it does fit.
Killing random people and causing billions of dollars of property damage to make a political point sounds like terrorism to me.
Maybe it’s time for a drone strike. Anybody know the coordinates of His throne room?
And here I thought God was reminding people to look to the world he created and not be blindsided by religion’s attempt to speak for him.
Haha – just read this:
I honestly don’t know if that hurts or harms her, but I do think the whole episode proves that she’s going to have a very difficult time getting the nomination.
So she either (a) lied in church or (b) committed blasphemy by claiming to know what God is thinking at an given moment.
Meanwhile ~ the barbarians are at the gates in Minnesota!
H/T to Bil Browning at The Bilerico Project.