Candidates Called by God

Are you there God? It's me, Rick.

Michele Bachmann. Rick Santorum. Rick Perry. Herman Cain. What do they have in common? Besides treading water in the intelligence department, all four of them have claimed that “God” called them to run for President.

Of course, no one has asked them the obvious question of: “do you often hear voices in your head?” Not many questions are asked at all. If you're a Republican running for public office the media simply assumes you were sent by God. However this concept has seemingly jumped the shark in this campaign cycle. Four candidates claiming to be sponsored by God? Well, that certainly doesn't make sense. They can't all be President and, furthermore, if God is as omnipotent as he claims, then surely he knows this. So what gives?

The answer is simple: they're lying right to our faces and we're letting them get away with it.

Herman Cain: the latest candidate to be "persuaded" by God to run.

This isn't a matter of whether or not God exists. It's a matter of disgusting political opportunists who exploit the religious beliefs of a gullible public to secure votes for themselves. Voters tend to prefer candidates that are principled: case-in-point Mitt Romney. Many would also prefer a candidate that shares their religious views and it's perfectly okay to vote for someone because you agree on philosophy. However, that's not exactly the case here. It's an easy sell rhetorically because, if this article is correct, fifty-two percent of people believe that Jesus speaks to them directly through their thoughts and emotions. I'm not saying that politicians don't have religious beliefs, of course they do. But this “called by God” nonsense is just taking it too far. It's like saying “A vote against is me, is a vote against God”. And if you lose? Well, it's because God is obviously punishing America for not faithful enough by electing a President that's not anointed... Duh. Do you see why this is a problem? They claim divine inspiration and have a convenient escape plan if their candidacy falls through.

If you look at the numbers you do find that Congress is overwhelming Christian, but I think this has more to do with simple demographics. America is 60-70% Christian. Many candidates don't run for office on their faith and it's not an issue. And, of course, the majority probably have never claimed a divine calling.

Pete Stark: First Atheist in Congress and possibly Iron Man

So just how many non-Christians are in Congress? The 111th House has been lauded as the “most religiously diverse... in history” yet only 36 members are non-Christians... out of 435. Only a single representative in the House identifies as an atheist... care to guess which state he's from? 10 points to Gryffindor if you said California. But I digress.
Maybe these candidates legitimately believe that God has spurred them towards the Presidency. Maybe I'm just reading too much into this. Maybe my cynicism has reached new heights. But what's more likely? We are talking about politicians here: a social group known for its trustworthiness and strong moral compass. Do you honestly think they wouldn't exploit religion to rally support? Herman Cain played the God card after being caught up in a sexual harassment scandal... coincidence? Here's what I do know for sure: anytime a human being claims to speak for God, even as indirectly as these candidates have, you know trouble is coming. Don't fall for it.