April 14: A certain New York governor elected to celebrate a downturn in the number of coronavirus cases in his state by denouncing God. He said:
“Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus. And what we do, how we act, will dictate how that virus spreads.
“We changed the trajectory of the virus by our actions … that’s the real important lesson to me. The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that.”
That’s quite an impressive statement – both as a sweeping dismissal of the Almighty and a blunt summation of a series of recent statements that have already suggested some sad shortcomings in the governor’s theological education.
March 15: “Thank God for our nurses, doctors and all first responders on the front line of NY’s fight against #Coronavirus. We owe them our deepest gratitude and thanks. They are heroes.”
So … we thank God for the good work of those holding the anti-viral line – a gratitude that implies the good Lord had a decisive hand in their being here, being qualified, being willing, and being faithful to their formidable duties.
But we don’t – understand – think God was in any way responsible for these people’s part in helping stem the pandemic tide. Kind of makes you wonder why we’re thanking Him, doesn’t it?
March 24: "Our health care workers … are doing God's work … Can you imagine the nurses who leave their homes in the morning, who kiss their children goodbye, go to a hospital, put on gowns, deal with people who have the coronavirus? They're thinking all day long, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I don't get this … and bring it home to my children.’ You want to talk about extraordinary individuals? Extraordinary."
Well, yes, they are. And the governor freely concedes that these moment-by-moment demonstrations of mercy, grace, kindness, love, courage, personal sacrifice – qualities we tend to recognize as beyond the more selfish inclinations of mere human nature – are, in fact, “God’s work.”
So … God has provided the willing workers, and God has inspired their remarkable labors – but God has in no way impacted the result of those “extraordinary” efforts. You follow?
January 18, 2014: A few years ago – when God saw what was coming but the governor, alas, did not – the latter was reported as saying that people who are “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and / or pro-traditional marriage have no place in the state of New York.”
Hmm. Presumably, a goodly number of those the governor now salutes for their selfless heroism fit one, two, or all three of those despised descriptions. What if they’d taken him at his word and left the state? Who might have replaced them on the front lines of the recent medical effort?
One might infer that most of those he denounced have arrived at their convictions precisely because they take God and His Word seriously, while the governor – who enthusiastically champions abortion and same-sex marriage, among other things – manifestly does not.
Which makes it difficult to fathom how he should come to such a profound assurance of God’s absence from the coronavirus battle, and such a keen discernment of who is and who is not doing His work. The governor clearly prides himself on … well, on just about everything … but one might think that a man of his lauded political acumen would think twice – or even once – before blithely denigrating the power, intentions, and sensibilities of so formidable an Opponent.
One might think we all would.
For in truth, the governor is far from the only one to calculate so curiously. A lot of us get in the habit of counting God worthy of thanks, but not of honor. Of multiplying our references to the Almighty while dividing our allegiance between the teachings of our faith and the preferences of our politics. Of adding to our sins while subtracting from our own humility … and in the end, coming up with some pretty poor equations.
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Some may ascribe those observations to political persuasions, and it’s true that the governor’s attitudes seem unusually expressive of those explicitly embraced and proudly proclaimed by the vast majority of his party and its leaders – and studiously ignored by too many who vote for them.
That said, there are always exceptions. One is Reverend Ruben Diaz, Sr., a New York City councilman and a member of the governor’s own party, who immediately took to his Facebook page to urge his fellow citizens not to tolerate their governor’s “blasphemy.”
“We must thank our God for the relief of any suffering,” he said. “We must not desecrate the name of God and deny the truth of God’s mercy. We must live in thanks to the Lord for all good things. Taking glory for ourselves would be blasphemous.
“We must continue to pray for the end of this suffering, and for strength and peace for those who have lost their loved ones,” he said. “Despite the fact that [the governor]’s words make it clear that he does not believe in the power of prayer, we will continue to pray for God’s tender mercy.”
Yes, we will. Praying especially that a certain politician with no gift for math will learn to count His blessings. And that the rest of us will, too.
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