Further, divine protection doesn't seem to insure many religious institutions. Earlier this month, on December 3, there was a shooting at the First United Presbyterian Church, Coudersport, Pa, where an aggrieved husband shot his ex-wife in a pew during services. On October 26, after the murder of a church volunteer at another congregation, the Rev. Henry P. Davis observed, "We have security, but our security officers are not armed. But that might have to change at a time when armed persons come into churches for robberies, deranged persons come in with issues.”
And, apparently security officers aren't the only ones standing guard anymore. This week, I admit I was astonished to see a number of preachers and priests discussing carrying concealed weapons. Guns in the pulpit, guns in the choir loft, one wonders if the shepherds and angels will need AK-47s to guard the manger in future Nativity scenes.
Sure, in deference to Huckabee and Robertson, there are numerous Old Testament passages characterizing a Creator who's both petulant and punitive. But it's hard to imagine the Prince of Peace lining up school districts or churches in a naughty or nice list. How does anyone restrict an omniscient being with legislation, court decisions, or even denominational theology? Instead, I expect that this month countless students are mouthing quick prayers as their final exams arrive on their desks, even in those secular biology classes. At the same time, perhaps some Bible readers will remember John 18:11 where Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
Article comments
1 - Baronius
No no no no no no no no no. Huckabee isn't saying that God will take away his protection of schools if we don't acknowledge him. He's talking about something much more mundane. If we as a society fail to teach morals and piety, we make ourselves more susceptible to evil impulses. It's an argument that even an atheist historian would make.
2 - Baronius
I should add that sometimes Robertson does talk about God's wrath and judgement (as with Haiti), but he's widely perceived as a nut. I really doubt that Huckabee was saying anything like that.
3 - Dr Dreadful
Huckabee wasn't being that broad, Baronius. He specifically decried the absence of God from public institutions, not the absence of morals. He makes the logical error of assuming morality to be impossible without the guidance of a deity.
Whereas I think your hypothetical atheist historian would point out that the record of human history shows that whether a society is pious or not makes very little difference to its capacity to generate atrocities.
4 - doodlebugger
Yes, we need more guns and creationism in America. Then we'll be just like Somalia.
This article is astonishingly stupid.
5 - Baronius
Dread, my point was that Huckabee was talking about the natural consequences of the absence of God, not the supernatural. He wasn't seeing divine judgement coming down on the school like a hurricane. He sees decaying people doing decaying things.