A New Angle on God's Plan

And so it has come to passeth on this day that Sharron Angle, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Nevada, has been endorsed by the Lord Almighty himself. In political circles, this is known as a "good get."

"I believe that God has been in this from the beginning," she told Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition, who himself has been touched by God, except for his failed political run for office, "and because of that, when He has a plan and a purpose for your life and you fit into that, what He calls you to He always always equipped you for."

It should be noted that Ms. Angle is the one Republican "Tea Party" candidate who almost makes Rand Paul seem sensible. Indeed, she has invoked the Lord's support for her candidate platform before, stating that abortion even in the case of rape and incest should be illegal because "God has a plan." Whether God told Ms. Angle of this plan for full-term pregnancy when a woman has been raped as a condition of His campaign support, or she heard it at a campaign brunch and solicited His support is unknown.

Mind you, if in fact, the Lord supports Sharron Angle's candidacy -- and has "from the beginning" -- then it holds that God also supports Ms. Angle's positions beyond just the whole rape/incest/abortion thing. That God, too, supports eliminating the Department of Education; phasing out Social Security for the protection of the elderly; and believing that if a man has a job, it is the wife's place to stay at home with the kids. Also, making alcohol illegal. (It is a good thing she has God's support on this one, because it will likely be an uphill fight to convince the residents of Las Vegas in Ms. Angle's home state on this one.) Further, Ms. Angle's statements suggest that God stands wrongly by the disproven contention that abortion causes breast cancer. Of course, since God is infallible, perhaps this is just one of the points on which He and Ms. Angle "agree to disagree."

To be clear, none of this is to diminish nor demean Sharron Angle's personal religious faith -- or anyone's. But personal belief and using God as a shameless, self-righteous, petty, political campaign stunt is a selfish insult to the many hundreds of millions of people worldwide who believe in the very same God but may have different political positions. Or different religious interpretations.

It is also an insult to God to suggest that He has nothing better to do than stump the campaign trail with Sharron Angle. Or stump with any political candidate who invokes God's support and plan on their behalf, as Sarah Palin and so many others do.

It suggests that the Lord has decided not to get involved with ending the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, or stopping the Gulf oil spill, or fixing the U.S. economy, or getting jobs for the unemployed -- or curing cancer or juvenile diabetes or Alzheimer's...but He wants to get Sharron Angle elected to the U.S. Senate.

Then again, in fairness, maybe Sharron Angle is right, maybe this is all God's plan. Maybe He has been involved "from the beginning."

It's just that maybe it's not in the way she thinks....

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