A Weird Similarity

As baseball player-philosopher Yogi Berra once quipped, "its like deja vu all over again."

According to a recent Australian news report (Click here: Drought blamed on lack of faith | NEWS.com.au), "A leading Muslim cleric has blamed the devastating drought, climate change and pollution on Australians' lack of faith in Allah. Radical sheik Mohammed Omran told followers at his Brunswick mosque that out-of-control secular scientific values had caused environmental disaster. `The fear of Allah is not there. So we have now a polluted earth, a polluted water, a wasteland,' he told a meeting this year. `What are the people now crying for? The prophet told you hundreds of years ago, 'Look after the water'. A Sunday Herald Sun investigation also found clerics railing against `evil' democracy, vilifying Jews and Christians and encouraging jihad and polygamy."

Apart from the usual "death to America" screed, sheik Omran blames Australia's current weather troubles on that nation's rejection of traditional Muslim values. 

That sounds surprisingly familiar.  Remember these comments made right after 9/11?  "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.'"

These words were immediately followed by this comment (from another speaker familiar to us): "Well, I totally concur, and the problem is we have adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government. And so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do. And, the top people, of course, is the court system."

These last two comments come from Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, speaking on Larry King Live, the day after the al-Qaeda terrorist attack on New York and Washington.  Both Falwell and Robertson were soon forced to backtrack.  But like the violence-spewing Muslim cleric, both Robertson and Falwell unabashedly spoke as though they knew the mind of God about why our nation was attacked.

Don't get me wrong, I think modern America could make Babylon the Great blush.  Every day God doesn't bring down upon us the judgment we so richly deserve, he demonstrates his long-suffering patience and mercy.  

But I thought as Protestants we believed in the sufficiency of Scripture and were supposed to keep silent when Scripture kept silent--at least that is what fundamentalists used to say.  Sadly, Robertson and Falwell think nothing of turning their personal opinions into something akin to divine revelation.  And they have no shame nor discretion when Larry King gives them a chance to "speak for God." 

And so we wonder why the pagans around us have such little respect for God's word?  Especially, when it sounds like Falwell and Robertson are claiming to reveal God's secret will.

What is worse, how does someone outside the church tell the difference between Omran's "will of Allah" diatribe and that of Falwell and Robertson?  This raises real epistemological questions.  Which God?  Allah, or the Triune God of the Bible?  Who speaks for God?  Omran or Falwell?  Which sacred book, the Bible or the Koran?

Omran and Falwell both claim to reveal the will of God--a weird similarity. 

Comments

[DJ Cimino]

The straw that broke the camels back for me in my last fundie baptist church was when the pastor said that the big hurricane after Katrina (I forget its name) that was heading for Texas, was doing so because God was punishing America because Bush, who is from Texas, wasn't supporting the Jews enough.

When people like Robertson and Falwell say things like that you automatically see the numbers in the reformed churches increase. I am living proof.

[zrim]

he-he! nice!

"But I thought as Protestants we believed in the sufficiency of Scripture and were supposed to keep silent when Scripture kept silent--at least that is what fundamentalists used to say"

"jerry falwell" was *never* a Fundamenmtalist if this was the criterion. Fundamentalism has long been shown to be what it is, a mere cultural response to other cultural claims with high-octane religiosity in the background. it's why thomas oden so prophetically said, "Liberals and Fundamentalists have more in common than either would be willing to admit."

jerry falwell may have wanted to look to have an authentic 2K view back when he stayed silent about civil rights. but it became quite obvious that his option to stay silent really meant, "i like the status quo because it comports well with my cultural values--let sleeping dogs lie and i will look oh so pious." but when his cultural values were getting socked around the ring, whatever 2K views he might have been mistaken to have revealed he was just another cultural conservative who wanted God to sanction him...just like his cultural enemies.

sorry, i know you hate this sort of sentiment, KR, but long live the Reformation!

zrim

[SomeoneElse]

nice post, all so true, thats exactly what I thought when I read what muslim sheik said.

[vynette]

Vynette's comments have been removed for being heretical--she's a known anti-Trinitarian and mystic--but more to the point, they are off topic.

Stay on topic, or off you go!

Kim Riddlebarger

[gracevet]

The problem as I see it is that so many Christians sound so convincing in their pronouncements about why something happens - do bad things - see God's hand of punishment..... sounds convincing until you start scratching the surface into Job. Job's religious friends seemed to know why Job's lot was so bad. They decided it was all because of Job's sin. Yes God hates sin and he uses all sorts of means to bring about His sovereign purposes. But it is very simplistic to just interpret the daily happenings as cause and effect.

[Echo_ohcE]

Whether the grass grows because Ba'al is well fed, thanks to us, or because God is pleased with our works makes little difference. It's idolatrous either way. Whether the credit goes to Allah, Ba'al, or good works - or the discredit to the lack thereof, it's still other than God, and thus idolatry.

[John Davis]

Mohammed Omran's argument may have a few problems. Most Islamic states I can think of aren’t exactly rain forests!
Besides, the Australian mainland has long featured extremes in climate. As the poet Dorothea MacKellar writes it is;
"A sunburnt country --- of droughts and flooding rains".

[SomeoneElse]

Well we shouldn't be surprised at Omran's problem riddled argument, it naturally comes from his shallow religion, but Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson(btw does he still sell his protein shakes)?