Religious conservatives claim Katrina was God's omen, punishment for the United States
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, some religious conservatives have speculated that the storm was sent by God as an omen or as a punishment for America's alleged sins. Media Matters for America has documented such statements from three religious conservative media figures: Pat Robertson, Hal Lindsey, and Charles Colson.
Pat Robertson: Katrina linked to legalized abortion
On the September 12 broadcast of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, host Rev. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former Republican presidential candidate, linked Hurricane Katrina and terrorist attacks to legalized abortion:
ROBERTSON: You know, it's just amazing, though, that people say the litmus test for [Supreme Court nominee John G.] Roberts [Jr.] is whether or not he supports the wholesale slaughter of unborn children. We have killed over 40 million unborn babies in America. I was reading, yesterday, a book that was very interesting about what God has to say in the Old Testament about those who shed innocent blood. And he used the term that those who do this, "the land will vomit you out." That -- you look at your -- you look at the book of Leviticus and see what it says there. And this author of this said, "well 'vomit out' means you are not able to defend yourself." But have we found we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some of the attacks that are coming against us, either by terrorists or now by natural disaster? Could they be connected in some way? And he goes down the list of the things that God says will cause a nation to lose its possession, and to be vomited out. And the amazing thing is, a judge has now got to say, "I will support the wholesale slaughter of innocent children" in order to get confirmed to the bench. And I am sure Judge Roberts is not going to say any such thing. But nevertheless, that's the litmus test that's being put on, the very thing that could endanger our nation. And it's very interesting. Read the bible, read Leviticus, see what it says there.
On the September 1 broadcast of The 700 Club, Robertson also claimed that, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Roberts can "be thankful that a tragedy has brought him some good," inasmuch as Democratic senators may be less likely to question him aggressively.
According to Robertson's website, The 700 Club "reaches an average of one million American viewers daily." But according to a Los Angeles Times report, The 700 Club "has drawn an average of 863,000 viewers a day during the 2004-2005 television season, Nielsen Media Research said."
Hal Lindsey: Katrina proof that "judgment of America has begun"
On the September 9 broadcast of the Trinity Broadcasting Network's International Intelligence Briefing, host Hal Lindsey stated:
LINDSEY: It seems clear that the prophetic times I have been expecting for decades have finally arrived. And even worse, it appears that the judgment of America has begun. I warn continually that the last days lineup of world powers does not include anything resembling the United States of America. Instead, a revived Roman Empire in Europe is to rule the West, and then the world.
Based in Santa Ana, California, and owned by Jan and Paul Crouch, TBN is the world's largest Christian television network. TBN's website claims its programming is carried by more than 5,000 stations around the world. Lindsey also writes a weekly column for the conservative website WorldNetDaily.com and is the author of several books on Biblical prophecy, including The Late Great Planet Earth.
Charles Colson: God allowed Katrina to happen to bring attention to lack of preparation for terrorist attack
On the September 12 broadcast of his BreakPoint radio program, former Nixon special counsel-turned-Christian radio commentator Charles Colson speculated that God allowed Hurricane Katrina as a reminder to the United States of the importance of winning the "war on terror":
COLSON: [O]ne lesson I learned from Katrina is that we had better win the war on terror and resolve to prevent another 9-11. Katrina exposed how easy it would be to take a city out.
[... ]
COLSON: Katrina gave us a preview of what America would look like if we fail to fight the war on terror. "Did God have anything to do with Katrina?," people ask. My answer is, he allowed it and perhaps he allowed it to get our attention so that we don't delude ourselves into thinking that all we have to do is put things back the way they were and life will be normal again.
According to the program's website, BreakPoint "airs each weekday on over 1,000 outlets with an estimated listening audience of 1 million people." Colson also writes a column for Christianity Today and another for his own BreakPoint Online website that is also carried by Townhall.com.
This is the kind of posting that makes me mad. MMFA is wrong for posting this article as conservative bias in the media. Media MAtters has failed to prove the nonexistance of a God. (I highly doubt God would make his official premier appearance on this Website.) Therefore who is to say that God didn't send a hurricane to punish people for their wickedness. If he is there he has certainly done worse in the past. If he is there then it seems he wouldn't be happy with the current state of affairs in America. If he is there a well placed Hurricane seems to be an efficient way to remind the people who are watching to beware.
MMFA should not contribute this article to media bias, or to conservative falsehoods. It seems to me that this article was posted to give oppotunity to slander, and ridicule others belief in God.
If you have a problem with God, tell some Mormon missionaries about it, but don't call him a republican.
MMFA is not criticizing God, just the people that use this figure to achieve their personal political agendas. God is not the question here, rather it is the validity of the claims made by these commentators (who are ALL Republican, by the way) that they can ascribe the cause of this disaster to God itself. I guess nuance is careful reading is not your strong point.
By the way, can YOU prove the existence of God? To those that claim it exists, the burden of proof is on THEM, not the naysayers.
P.S. God may be a Republican, but Jesus was a liberal.
By the way, can YOU prove the existence of God? To those that claim it exists, the burden of proof is on THEM, not the naysayers. -by blueblood
***
No they don’t have the burden of proof. That is the point of faith. You may not have it, so perhaps you do not understand it. (this is not an insult, I know nothing of your religious beliefs nor do I care). But the point of faith is you do not need to prove it.
If you have a problem with God, tell some Mormon missionaries about it, but don't call him a republican. by chate77
***
Actually, there was no mention in this post by MMFA that put forth the claim that God didn’t exist. In fact MMFA didn’t even dispute these claims in this post. They did not provide links to the contrary as they do when they are disputing misinformation.
The only thing stated in this post by MMFA was that these self titled conservative Republicans, who also happen to call themselves men of God, made these statements.
chate77 - Tuesday September 13, 2005 07:24:46 PM EST -
As per usual with conservatives you try to reverse the burden of proof. If a charge is made, especially an outrageous claim like Pat lets-murder-Chavez Roberstons claim that the Katrina disaster was judgement from God its HIS obligation to back it up with evidence, which he did not do. Without such evidence which even YOU have to admit is lacking it IS misinformation. Its not up to PROVE Roberson is wrong, only that he pulled this out of his rectal database and has no evidence to back it up, which is self evident. I consider myself a religious person and am inscenced that Roberston would pull God into this argument pretending that he has God inflicting terrible judgements based on what Robertson THINKS is wrong with this country.
who is to say that God didn't send a hurricane to punish people for their wickedness
a person with some sanity would say that.
Once again, these far-right religious wacks use an event unrelated to their cause to advance their anti-constitutional, demagogic agenda. I thought Pat Robertson would know better than to run off at the mouth after his most recent insane rant.
One day it is homosexuality, the next day it is socialism, and today it is abortion. If Pat Robertson cared so much about life, why did he do business with Charles Taylor in Liberia, who killed TENS OF THOUSANDS of his own people? Hypocrite is the word of the day.
How can I be so unknowing.. I thought, obviously incorrectly, that the Christmas Tsunami of 2004 was an act of God, but looks like I am proved wrong. Katrina was.
Please quit backing the right wing-By the american interference in the Iraqi conflict, we are wasting our resources both financially and socio-economically. We should have our forces at strength at home where they are needed and where they can serve the taxpayers to the maximum benefit. You could learn more about the American people that actualy pay President Bush and the politicians salaries by paying attention to the actual needs of the disticts and states they represent then the words of corrupted blow hard politicians that are concerned with the pork in a bill rather than the meat of it. Congrats-you have turned a died hard conservative into an almost liberal! Thanks W!!!!
As I recall, I saw some similar quotations attributed to some leading Muslim extremists. How come that wasn't mentioned in the commentary? Certainly isn't because MMFA is being politically correct, is it?
Because Muslim extremists are not Bush supporters who have a large mouthpiece in the American media market. Leave the monitoring of conservative muslim news outlets and leaders to Media Matters-Karachi.
If memory serves -- and it usually does -- wasn't Hal Lindsey the author of "The Late Great Planet Earth" in which he claimed to supply proof that the Rapture would take place in 2000? I can't help but notice this particular book isn't available in bookstores anymore -- why might that be, I wonder?
One of the things which never ceases to amaze me about people like this is the incredible arrogance inherent in their conviction that they're capable of second-guessing God. Given that Lindsey's track record so far has (to say the least) not been that great, why on earth would any sensible person take him seriously now? I won't even address the unbelievably callous and hypocritical insinuation that the people of New Orleans deserved their fate because of their sin. I've said it elsewhere on this site, and will say it again...I know that many people such as Lindsey and Robertson can quote the Bible from memory, but this doesn't necessarily mean that they really understand it any more than a talking parrot would if it were taught to do the same.
Actually Hal prophets (pun intended) every time he is wrong about the end because then he has to write another book, which some people feel obligated to buy and read the latest.
Some of the spin on the end times prophecy predates and perhaps rivals the spin doctoring of Karl Rove - just like Ezekia's famous prophecy the wheel within the wheel within the wheel.....
"Hal Lindsey"
Hey wasn't he Barney Miller?
If we are to believe that Bush and the Christian Right have been talking to God these past years, perhaps Katrina is His answer. As they say, God works in mysterious ways. But it is supremely ironic that a president who has ruthlessly manipulated religious belief for his own political goals would be revealed for what he is -- by an act of God.
Those three sanctimonious hypocrites make me sick. They cherry pick the bible to push their trash. Let us see; Pat Robertson steals money, threatens death to foreign regimes, speaks continuously about other sins w/o mention of his own. Hal Lindsey forecasted the end days would be within the generation of the establishment of Israel. That was 1948, he concluded a generation in the bible was 40 years, therefore; 1988 Jesus would establish his kingdom. Chuck Colson is a convicted criminal that screwed the American people w/o a thought of shame or guilt. According to the bible all have sinned, all sins are basically equal. So how can an abortion be more sinful than the sanctioned "hit" of another human being? How can stealing be any less than abortion? How about trashing your "brother and sister"? Have they been given the scales of justice w/o the accountability of their own sins? Instead of the fear and smear why don't they spend time truly taking care of the poor (w/o skimming from the top), preaching the love of Christ, forgiveness, etc.?
I completely reject everything that these so-called religous leaders stand for, and every thing they say. I firmly believe in a God who loves, not despises all that He created. His love is eternal. It is God's free gift to us. God offers it with no strings attached. Having given His love, God never takes it back, unlike humans such as these three. The proof of God's unending love for me is that He sent His Son to save us. That has already happened. WE ARE SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. That PR and company don't believe that is their problem. This loving God would never inflict damage on His people. To say that is the ultimate in heresy. So PR and company are outside the pale. The rest of us can only pray they will come to their senses, before their time to come face to face with the God who they have rejected comes. I also pray that those who have been mislead by these heretics will come to their senses and walk away from them. Lastly, I reject the idea that any of these three frauds or the others who spout this false religion in the media have any "contact" with God, or that God speaks to them. THEY ARE FRAUDS PERIOD!
ITS GOD'S FAULT HURRICANE KATRINA HAPPENED! WOOT! I'm so glad we can finally point the finger at someone (or in this case some thing) and know where all the blame lies. GOD DID IT!
Sometimes I think these preachers want horrible disasters to happen just so they could say "I told you so!"
Please forgive my bad humor, but also realize it is not nearly as sick and twisted as these men's prophetic visions.
Not to dogpile on the critism. But from what Lindsay said referencing the Roman Empire is he say perhaps the present administration colonial intentions are causing the weather. LA did go Bush's way in 2004. Hmmm, it would be nice if one of these "men of God" would say something in the direction of "might does not make right" or "perhaps it is wrong to use the Iraqi's as human shields while we 'liberate' them -- under the it is better to fight them there than here policy". But still causing weather, I can't even blame Bush for that. More of the suffering was caused by the rich, self-righteous, and largely Republican federal gov't who did not believe everyone could jump in their SUV and SUV-it out of town to their second home in the Hamptons. However, I am pleased to see that these preacher are placing the miseries of humanity square where it belongs on the impoverished in resources and spirit. Jesus would be proud.
The only thing punishing is having to listen to these sick hate monquers, that don't possess a religious bone in their bodies. It's only fakery and their narrow minded, unholy views. They are totally embarrassing to rest of the truelly religious people.
that's the great thing about an invisible, supernatural being, whose very existence can neither be proven nor disproven: you can give them credit or blame for anything, without having to provide a shred of evidence in support. it's really a great gig, if you can get it.
if something happens that you like, than god has answered your prayers.
if something happens that you don't like, it's god's punishment of the wicked ways of man. of course, there's always the possibility that god just doesn't like you. just a thought.
no personal responsibility need be taken. i wonder if i can get away with that at work? maybe my mortgage company will buy into it, if i tell them it's god's will that i not pay it this month. what do you suppose the odds are?
why don't these american taliban clerics consider that god might be punishing us for their actions?
oh yah, admitting fault isn't a part of their *loving and caring* religion.
Good point. I've always wondered that if the storm was punishment, might it be fore starting a war against a country that did nothing to us? or for ignoring poverty in our own country? or for a greed and sense of entitlement to all the world's natural resources? Uh, no. If God it punishing us, it must be for since identified by right-wingers, I guess.
Perhaps we will continue to suffer great hardships until we regain our ability to be compassionate toward others.
We forgot about the tsunami very quickly, which was a thousand times worse than Katrina. But because it was brown non-Christian people we didn't react like it was a real disaster.
Worse, it's considered unpatriotic to even mention the suffering we caused by waging war in Iraq. We don't even count civilian casualties because they are political footballs. Even the war in Afghanistan was sold by hilighting the plight of women under the Taliban, but you hear nothing about them now.
Washington sets a horrible example, but that lack of compassion is pervasive in the rest of our culture.
I realize you probably just wanted to point out Robertson's illogic, but I am very wary of any statement that goes, "God did X because of Y," especially where X is a natural disaster or human tragedy.
First, as I said in a deleted post (not sure why it was deleted, but nevermind) I refuse to worship a God who punishes random innocents for someone else's wrongdoing. (Fortunately, I don't believe in such a God. But if I did, I wouldn't like Him at all.)
Second, I find the whole attitude represented by Robertson, et al to be quite dishonest. If Robertson stands up and says, "I hate abortion, here is why, and this is what I think we should do about it," he realizes that people can question him, debate him, and disagree with him. So instead he says, "God hates abortion, and has wrecked a random city to show his disapproval." This can still be debated, but it is much harder, since Robertson can always deny personal responsibility and throw the whole thing back on God--who is notoriously difficult to argue with.
Irene
The more angry the religious people get, the happier I am. It means we're on the right track.
Though I don't see why they are THAT angry since a lot of America has fallen for what they say is true.
These guys seem to imply that a country that turns to Christ will be blessed and a country that turns away from Christ will be punished.
Yet, one of the greatest examples of a whole nation turning toward Christ occurred in the 4th Century AD, when Rome declared Christianity the official state religion and abandoned its pagan ways. And what happened to Rome shortly thereafter? It fell into the hands of barbarians.
So much for that theory!
First of all, if you are a true christian, you love your neighbor and you don't threaten to assassinate another human, AND you don't judge people for who they are. God will be the ultimate judge. So whatever this man says has no credibility in my book and shouldn't be given the time of day. If indeed this hurricane was punishment from God, it was perhaps that he wanted to point out how corrupt and inept our government really is, and to show that race and poverty are a REAL problem in America. That is certainly what happened here - as witnessed by the sinking poll numbers of this administration.
So here are these three clowns blaming America first for God's wrath via Hurricane Katrina.
The old "hate America" crowd strikes again.
Republicans go batty when liberals display anything less than pride in their country.
Double standard, anyone?
"Republicans go batty when liberals display anything less than pride in their country."
I just want to note that people pointing out things that could be done better in this country is not a display of a lack of pride. You can still be proud of the country and want more for it.
Just throw a wrench in to the intellgent design. It seems that everyone assumes that a "good" designer would give us everything we wanted. As a parent, hopefully a "good" one, I doubt it. It would make all of us pretty useless, and aren't enough of us anyway? Perhaps, our designer wants us to find our own way and has in his own way given us the tools, each other, and obstacles -- all necessary to allow us to become (evolve) into something better -- then let us go. Sort of a tough love approach and it is just we don't get it or don't want to. We prefer not to think for ourselves rather have someone else do it, thus bad religion and representative governments that aren't. Personally, I think my "God" is bigger than to answer my personal calls especially after it took him all that time to intellgently design it -- hope he is cleverer than I -- on the bright side I doubt he listens to Robertson and Lindsay any more the me.
Damn . . . I hate when gays aren't at the top of the list when it comes to being the cause of a catastrophe. I had a really pithy comeback ready and everything! *sigh*
unscrupulous preachers, such as Robertson, have been using natural disasters to further their influence and power since the beginning. Ignorance of the natural forces that cause them leave people vulnerable. [some]Preachers manipulate the ignorant fear. Nothing new with this one. Different preacher, different natural disaster that’s all. It's a very well used tactic.
Is it a coincidence that this came out just after Bush "took the blame" for the failed government response? Is this Pat's way of getting Puddinhead off the hook, by giving God the credit?
As has already been pointed out, anyone who thinks this is God's punishment for the sins of America doesn't have a very high opinion of God. If that were the case, then God is pretty sloppy, a terrible shot, and rather lazy in his vengeance. Wouldn't it be a bit more effective if all the Blue states sunk into the ocean, or if all Liberals turned into donkeys? Isn't it peculiar that God, who is supposedly supernatural, can only do His work through NATURAL disasters?
I, for one, AM laughing at these clowns.
Robertson doesn't care about the real evils in the US - growing gap between rich and poor, lack of health care, unavailability of affordable housing, a war based on lies, etc. What is frightening is that he and his ilk are a major influence in government as they are the majority party. What is sad is that people believe this crap and send money. If there is a God, She would not be happy with Robertson's sick theology!
As a fundamentalist, I have no problem that God in his providence can do a number of things.
However, I absolutely reject this glib sort of undistilled material by self proclaimed prophets which purports to explain why it happened. If you note, Robertson et al have a list of grievances are very "fill-in-the-blanks" and "fitting with my agenda" approach, sort of yellow journalism in the guise of spiritual truth.
Additionally, there is a problem when you try to derive the message from those who are casualties. As other posters have aptly said in various ways, there is no sense in which we can easily impose a Noah and the ark or Abraham and Sodom and Gommorah construction on the events of New Orleans...and in the states other than Louisiana.
Indeed Michael Brown and other federal administraters seem to be ANTI-Noah type characters actually frustrating any preparedness rather than providing it. Surely Condi's attitude of "waiting on the Lord" was somewhat misplaced and another example of what we call bad exegesis, just like Tom Delay did by quoting the parable of the house on the rock and the house on the sand in the aftermath to the tsunami.
It can only be said that it rains on the righteous and the unrighteous, for their benefit and also to their detriment. However, as we look at the casualties, perhaps some are merely being taken into God's arms because they are ready for life in the hereafter, rather than specifically being a personal punishment upon them. For God is the steward of life here and hereafter.
In fact, there are many instances of God's judgment that relate to the rich treatment of the poor and a stiff necked attitude where people simply refuse to take lessons learned, have a caviliar attitude to the truth and regardless of beliefs in origins treat others like a piece of turd rather than the image of God.
However, the overarching message for America is that it is pure folly for us to believe that we can set off events in other parts of the world simply to be safe ourselves. When we have this attitude, we may be on the receiving end of something that comes from man or something from beyond.
As individuals we should be shaken, we should morn - we should NEVER SAY "this seems to be working out well for them" like someone we know and focus on others more instead of ourselves.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the three states affected by this disaster and the people of the middle east where death tolls of this magnitude have become part of daily life
"However, as we look at the casualties, perhaps some are merely being taken into God's arms because they are ready for life in the hereafter"
Or maybe their luck just ran out. The people who attribute this to "God's vengeance" are just fearmongering opportunists. This is not new. Scaring the gullible is what preachers and priests do best; it has ever been so.
Finally, Osama Bin Laden and Pat Robertson (plus other right wing religious nut jobs) have become one. They both think the hurricane was God punishment. Does this prove that they worship the same God after all?
Another interesting aspect; Robertson et al would have us believe that God is so upset with adulterers, gays, gamblers, and abortion doctors that He sends a hurricane to destroy an entire city. Yet, the same God turns a blind eye to the thousands of civilian deaths in Iraq, the web of lies told to get us into an unnecessary war, or the billions of dollars stolen by white collar criminals posing as politicians. Their God certainly has a strange set of priorities.
OR---This is God's punishment for the self-righteous arrogance of our political "leadership", and for allowing the conservative policies of greed and hate to determine the course this nation. Maybe it is punishment for the financial rewards the public bestows on a "religious" leadership of such self-serving characters as Robertson. Our state and national policies do, you know, contradict virtually every teaching of the New Testament, whether we are referring to the war-mongering, or welfare "reform"/dehumanization of the poor, or our out-of-control corporate greed.
These loons are extremists and there statements are insane. What we all need to realize is that these are not people on the fringe. How many times have we seen Pat Robertson a guest on Fox news. These people are what greatly help shape the neocon agenda on domestic issues. I'll bet you every one of these loons recieve money through Bush's faith baith initiatives. Everytime a group like moveon.org does something the corporate media links it to the democrats but these religious kooks have far more influence within the republican party. Think about it there's a reason why Bush campaigned at Bob Jones university in his 2000 campaign.
Who won the pool on this one?
Pat Robertson ALWAYS blames EVERY natural disaster on some sort of sin. It's not a matter of if but of when.
As a person whose parents are pastors and grew up in the church all my life, I find these people to be appalling and divisive. God urges us to be intelligent, not morons. To say that Katrina was somehow sent by God to the United States reeks of arrogance. Like Bill Maher said a few weeks ago, thunder and lightning is not God bowling. I guess God is only concerned with Americans.
What a bunch of clowns these guys are.
I wonder if even some devout red staters, who lived through Katrina, are scratching their heads at these type of comments from Robertson (and his ilk). Robertson's prayer "Please God, if you send another hurricane, have it strike the Northeast, so it easier to talk about retribution for America's sins emanating from the Godless liberals"
The scary thing is, this is far from a complete list of dominionist groups and sympathisers who have uttered similar comments:
[link to Dark Christianity forum on Livejournal] is a very, very, *very* preliminary list I am attempting to maintain of *all* known dominionists who have made claims as to Katrina being "divine retribution" of some sort either against the US or against NOLA in particular.