Let us not pray
God isn’t a registered voter in Maine. He doesn’t pay taxes here or license a vehicle or list so much as a post office box as his legal address. If God has any physical presence in this state, it’s either as a tourist or an illegal immigrant. So, spiritual beliefs aside, there’s no reason to give particular weight to God’s hot takes on local political matters.
He may be the Supreme Being (opinions vary), but he’s definitely not a player.
This fact does nothing to stop misguided politicians from invoking Him to bolster their feeble arguments on topics that God doesn’t appear to have the background for, let alone any interest in, debating.
I admit I could be wrong about that. In the Bible, the Lord occasionally demonstrates a nasty disposition to meddle in matters that would seemingly fall beneath the concerns of the Almighty.
In Kings, He sent a couple of bears to tear up some rowdy kids who were heckling one of His prophets. In Numbers, He made it clear He wanted a couple who had married outside their tribes to be slaughtered. And then there were those plagues He foisted off on Egypt (Frogs? Seriously?).
The Big Guy sometimes comes off as one cranky bastard. But in general, God tends to leave mundane matters to that free-will thing. You place your bets with Draft Kings and you take your lumps. Or to return our focus to politics, you mark your ballot and take your chumps.
Mainers who identify as Christian Nationalists are unlikely to accept such results. They believe the United States is a Christian nation, so their religion should be afforded a privileged position in all public affairs. They are also convinced they know what God wants us to do. A Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey last year found that 29 percent of Mainers were either adherents of Christian Nationalism or sympathetic to its philosophy. They insist on inserting God (their version, accept no substitutes) into political debates whether God wants to be there or not.
This explains why certain elements in the Republican Party are eager to invoke religion in matters that don’t seem all that religious. To that dubious end, the state GOP platform calls upon God to bless the United States in general and Maine in particular. But not every Republican is convinced the Lord is heeding that plea.
In early April, Republican state Rep. Michael Lemelin of Chelsea told his colleagues during a heated House debate that God was punishing the state for passing “immoral” laws allowing abortion and transgender rights. That Godly punishment came in the form of a mass shooting in Lewiston that killed 18 people and a couple of disastrous storms that caused millions of dollars in damages.
God, according to Lemelin, “draws a line in the sand and when we cross that line there’s consequences.”
Lemelin didn’t explain how he learned of God’s displeasure with the Legislature. He just said, “God heard you and the horrible events [the shooting] on Oct. 25 happened.”
Lemelin was joined in his claim of divine retribution by GOP state Rep. Shelley Rudnicki of Fairfield. Both legislators were forced to publicly apologize. God, however, was not.
That’s probably just as well, because the Lord is apparently busy these days acting as campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Demi Kouzounas. In an April 4 e-mail, Kouzounas informed potential donors, “This is all part of God’s plan that I am reaching out to you today.” She goes on to say, “I know I am meant to continue my service” by getting elected to Congress, adding that “God brought us to connect.”
God could not be reached for confirmation.
This religious pandering is a curious political tactic, given that Maine is one of the least religious states in the country — a 2023 PRRI poll indicated that barely 34 percent of the population considered it to be central to their lives.
Maybe that’s why God is pissed off at us.
More likely, it’s why invoking the Almighty is a good way to turn off voters.
If I’ve annoyed you by making light of your faith, I hope you’ll excuse me. I’m a firm believer in religious freedom. I’m also a firm believer in not exploiting religion for selfish purposes. And there’s no more selfish a purpose than politics. Characters like Lemelin and Kouzounas aren’t evoking God for any other reason than to promote personal political aims. While they may have legitimate policy goals lurking in the background, those matters are plainly subordinate to their petty self-interests, much as they attempt to obscure them by bringing up God.
For that reason, Lemelin swayed few votes in the Legislature and Kouzounas will sway few voters at the polls. Most people realize that politicians claiming to speak for God are virtually admitting to being grifters.
Or maybe they’re suffering from a brain worm.
Can I get an amen?
If I haven’t been struck by a lightning bolt for writing this, I’ll read e-mails sent to aldiamon@herniahill.net.
