One of our members has written an article that offers the thesis that banning prayer in schools somehow led to a rash of school shootings. In fact, the author quotes God as saying "I am not allowed in schools." This is the All-Powerful diety speaking, mind you. If there is any sense to this article, full of "reap the whirlwind" it is that the shootings could have been prevented had not the All-Merciful wanted to send a message.

Usually I do not respond to this kind of non-sequitur  (because my momma told me not to talk to crazy people) but this theory, that God causes or at least permits bad things to happen to punish people because America has become increasingly secular, requires a response.

First of all, the blogger that wrote the article showed a blatant disregard for the loss of life of children. I have linked to the original blog post and nowhere will you find any expression of sympathy for the death of children. I certainly realize that she was not the author of the original article, but she chose to reprint it. But feel free to point out any acknowledgement by the blogger of how much pain was caused by these shootings.

It is not an isolated blogger who says this type of absurdity. This same creed of hate is spewed by prominent evangelists such as Rev. Jerry Falwell, Rev. Pat Robertson, and of course, John Hagee.

On September 13, 2001, on the 700 Club, Falwell and Robertson explained the destruction of the World Trade Center as follows:

JERRY FALWELL: And I agree totally with you that the Lord has protected us so wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results. And I fear, as Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, said yesterday, that this is only the beginning. And with biological warfare available to these monsters -- the Husseins, the Bin Ladens, the Arafats -- what we saw on Tuesday, as terrible as it is, could be miniscule if, in fact -- if, in fact -- God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.

And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

Not to be outdone, Pastor John Hagee explained Hurricane Katrina as follows: "New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God” because “there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came.”

Think about this for a moment. Most of the kids that have been shot is schools were Christian. As far as I know, no one in the World Trade Center on September 11th had any particular affiliation with the ACLU or any abortion group. Most of the people who lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Katrina were not gay. God must have very, very bad aim if he makes these things happen.

Pastor Hagee acknowledges that it is only his perception, his vision of the world and of God that makes him see things this way. Why, I ask, would someone chose to worship a God that kills little children to express his disagreement?

In his latest remarks, Pastor Hagee has said that God allowed/caused the Holocaust to happen because he wanted the Jews to return to Israel. Somehow he manages to avoid the fact that Zionism predates the Holocaust by 60 years and was basically a movement of Secular Jews. (I know that some will disagree with me, because history, like science, is "just a theory.") When God wants to send a message he kills 6 million Jews, 3 million Russian Prisoners of War and another 2 million Slavs. Props to John McCain for finally saying that Hagee and his ilk are crazy.

(Note to God in case you are reading this. If you want ME to go somewhere, send me an email, okay?)

I know that you can find support for this kind of superstitious thinking in the Old Testament, that book that was written by men who lived 2500 years ago and thought that the world was flat and the Sun went around the Earth. God murders all the people in Sodom and Gommorrah, down to the littlest child. He sends bears to tear apart children because they make fun of a bald prophet. But why would anyone living in the modern world buy into this crap? Haven't we, you should excuse the expression, evolved a bit?

Secularism is to blame for all the ills of the world? Explain this. Europe in the early 14th Century was almost completely Christain. It was an age of unquestioned faith. In 1315 the Great Famine wipes out millions of European Christians. In 1347 the Black Death wipes out a third of Europe's population (while the people pray in churches.)

There is no rhyme or reason to the idea that God caused school shootings, or the World Trade Center attack, or Hurricane Katrina or the Holocaust in order to steer people toward or away from a particular way of thinking. In order to accept such an idea you have to embrace the idea of an Angry God who has only contempt for human life. And that is just plain sick.