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JUST WHAT I EXPECTED
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My friend asked impishly, with a definitely Bush-ish kind of smile, “So,
what did you think of the election?” |
Although I never talked of my personal politics with him, I think he suspected
I might have independent thoughts. |
I answered, “It turned out just as I expected.” |
Eyes widened. |
After all, who could have possibly expected an election to turn out like
this? How often is the winner the loser? How often does the Supreme Court
decide whether or not to count the votes? How often does it appear that
the only way to win is not to count the votes? |
Yet, I insisted, “It turned out just as I expected.” |
“Wait a minute. You expected it to turn out like this?” |
To my “Yes,” he answered, “How come?” |
The ball was back in my court. I knew he was just waiting to get in his
thoughts, but my answer bugged him. |
Here’s what I told him, more or less. |
“You remember when I printed that prayer about God deciding or not deciding
for Bush or Gore or Nader?” |
He remembered. |
“Well, my guess was that God never would decide. Since God wouldn’t
decide, I figured it would come down that some Court would decide.” |
“Maybe that’s how God decides,” he suggested. |
“Well, if that’s how God decides, why would it be a 5 to 4 vote? I still
say, God’s not in the picture.” |
He asked, “What about William Bennett’s word that God chose Bush?” |
It reminded me that for the “Christian right,” the Court decision was God’s
vote. |
So, when you read my stuff, understand that my theology is not that of
the Christian right. It sort of galls me that they will make a story of
biblical proportions out of this strange election. It is like so many Old
Testament stories—and some New Testament stories—in which hopeless losers
end up winning in improbable circumstances thanks to a God that intervenes. |
I finally said, “I suppose this will go down as the miracle of the hanging
chad. God will be praised for not letting the chad fall free, thus canceling
the vote against Mr. Bush.” |
He smiled his impish smile again, saying, “Whatever works.” |
He had lured me into politics for a minute. My point was deeper. If we
are to be serious about the idea of “God” as the scheme in which we do
life, we can’t hold on to the notion that “God” micro-manages such things
as which football team wins or which candidate wins. |
If I had been truly prophetic I would have said in the beginning, |
“Not only will God not decide who will win, the winner will be determined
by hanging chad.” |
I kept my silence, however. It’s time to anoint a “messiah” for the next
4 years. May he rule as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
and Prince of Peace.” May he be led by our highest hopes and dreams.
— Art Morgan,
December 2000
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