Radical Theology

Pat Robertson is not one of those people I usually consider a reliable source. But this story caught my eye, especially since Robertson claims he supports Bush in this campaign.

"And I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had better prepare the American people for casualties.' "

Robertson said the president then told him, "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties."

The White House has made no reaction to Robertson's comments.

Robertson, the televangelist who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, said he wishes Bush would admit to mistakes made.

"I mean, the Lord told me it was going to be A, a disaster, and B, messy," Robertson said. "I warned him about casualties."

See, now, that's my whole problem with this idea of using the "Lord's guidance" in public policy. It just seems like the Big Guy says different things to different people, and it's so hard to figure out what He really wants.

If we assume Robertson's story is true, what does that mean about our President? How does any reasonable person believe that, in a military effort of over 100,000 troops, against an enemy you suspect has chemical and biological weapons, you aren't going to have any casualties? I don't believe in this whole "personal conversations with God" thing, but it seems to me that, if I did, and I heard a spiritual voice telling me to go to war and that we'd suffer no casualties, I'd think, in the words of Dana Carvey, "Could it be....Satan?!" So, was Bush just trying to "buck up" Robertson's spirits, by asserting something completely preposterous? Was Bush being delusional?

Or, while we're toying with theological questions, was Bush actually proceeding on the personal assurance of a God who, in his mysterious ways, wanted us to be caught in a horrible quagmire of death and destruction? After all, there are all those people out there who keep trying to tell me that Bush's Presidency is God's will. And Osama is claiming that God told him that He wants the US destroyed. Maybe the rise, and then FALL, of the United States is part of God's long-term plan, for reasons we are too time-limited and human to understand. Hmm.

One of the things I really like about the CBS TV show "Joan of Arcadia" is that, even though Joan frequently converses with God in many forms, she never really knows why He's asking her to do the things He does. Every assumption she makes about what He intends turns out wrong. One thing I do believe: God's a lot more complicated than many people give Him/Her/It/Them credit for.