(ThyBlackMan.com) “Deus lo volt!” (Latin: “God wills it!”) was the slogan used by 11th Century Christian clergy to harangue men throughout Europe to join the Crusader armies, whose objective was to drive the Turkish “infidels” out of the Holy Land and restore Jerusalem to Papal control. Though the Crusaders had some initial success, the Turks, led by Saladin, finally triumphed. Jerusalem remained under Turkish rule for over 700 years.
Did God grant the Crusaders initial victory, only to withdraw his grace and switch His allegiance to the Muslim cause? Did He lie to the Christians in the first place? Were the organizers of the Crusades delusional or, perhaps, deliberate liars themselves?
There is no firm answer to these questions, but any observer of history should reflect on them. Indeed, maybe the Almighty DID shift over to the Islamic side. In recent years, He spoke to Osama Bin Laden, the rest of the Al-Qaeda bunch, some Shi’ite clerics in Teheran and good old Mullah Omar. With Bin Laden now feeding the fishes despite his pipeline to the Divine, it now appears that God’s interest has returned to His followers in the world of Christendom, particularly the United States of America. I guess it was time to do so, since Rick Santorum has warned us that Satan has this great and virtuous nation in his crosshairs. With the nation metaphysically threatened by the Fallen Angel himself and ready to be sold down the river to the Prince of Darkness by its sinister Crypto-Muslim President, it was Deus Lo Volt Time in Teapartyland. There was a need for new Christian Crusaders, so the Ancient of Days thus spake to Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain, prevailing on both of them to run for the Republican Presidential nomination. I found it odd that The All-Knowing had chosen two candidates instead of one, but I chalked it up to the fact that He does after all work in mysterious ways.
Anyway, who am I to question Him? Certainly, both Congresswoman Bachmann and Mr. Cain had sterling Christian credentials. Bachmann had a proven record of curing people of the insidious Curse of Sodom and bringing them to divine salvation. Mr Cain’s qualification to lead the Crusade were even more impressive; the fact that “9-9-9” was “6-6-6” turned upside-down was absolute proof of his divine mission as a virtuous Christian warrior.Then, a funny thing happened on the road to the White House. Bachmann’s campaign died on the vine and Cain’s flamed out, much to his personal embarrassment. What happened? Was Divine Grace suddenly withdrawn from these two Anointed Ones? Had the High One lied to Cain and Bachmann from the beginning? Had the Lord of Hosts played a cruel practical joke on two sincere, righteous Christian worshippers?
I don’t think so. There hasn’t been a deity who could pull a good practical joke since the Svenskas and Norskies stopped believing in Loki. Thus, two logical possibilities remain. The first is that Bachman and Cain are both delusional megalomaniacs. The second, more likely in my opinion, is that both of them are phony, cynical hucksters who used religion to manipulate the ignorant to their own ends, possibly half-convincing themselves of their own lies. Neither picture is a pretty one.Now, we are treated to the spectacle of Karen Santorum, the wife of the sanctimonious former senator, saying that it was God’s will that Rick run. Where did she hear this, I wonder? Has she been hearing divine disembodied voices, too? What are those voices saying to her? Will Rick become a latter-day Michael the Archangel, flaming sword in hand, expelling the Evil One from our midst and restoring America to the fold of godly realms? Will Santorum’s America be the New Jerusalem, the restoration of God’s Kingdom on earth? Will the Bachmann-Cain story repeat itself or has Yahweh picked a winner this time?This is just too much to believe. If I ever follow a politician who claims that God is directing him, I’ll be following that politician with a net and a rifle loaded with tranquilizer darts. Hopefully, this period of delusional religious fanaticism in our public life will soon end. I think it will. Deus lo volt. God wills it to be so. I know!
Staff Writer; Brad Holway
Nye,
If you are Black, what is your secret to believe in God seeing that Blacks have been catching hell for at least centuries worldwide? The only biblical explanation I heard is the story of Cham which makes me upset because if this story is true we should not be held responsible for this which happened thousands of years ago.
That’s a slick answer to a challngeing question
When people of faith (specifically Evangelical Christian) speak of feeling led by God to make a specific decision or take a specific direction, it is not an audible from the Almighty to which they are referring. According to I Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
A person who does not have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, is unable to understand what it means to be “led by the spirit”. I heard a story long ago about a biology teacher who was speaking on the absurdity of the bible, stating that he didn’t see any merit to the scriptures having read through them. A young girl raised her hand to reply and he gave her the floor. She remarked, “Sir, I respectfully would suggest that the Holy Bible is God’s love letter to His Children. And so if you didn’t understand it, it’s probably because you’ve been reading someone else’s mail.” While amusing, this does carry validity. If I were to read an intimate letter from one of your closest friends or relatives, where references were made to events, people, experiences that you both share, I would most likely miss the meaning altogether. The same is true for people who view Christianity as just another religion of do’s and don’t’s, code of conduct, and in some people’s eye’s, a group of narrow-minded hatemongers.
Ephesians 2:1-10 does a good job of laying out the simple claims of Christianity, which clearly shows that it is God acting on our behalf, out of mercy and grace, and more importantly, love, and does so by sacrificing His one and only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It is a work of grace, which is a gift, not of our works (so that no one can boast). It is 100% God, 0% man. So no one is a goody two shoes (or holier than thou). We are all sinners, dead spiritually and destined for hell, unless we recognize our desperate state, and believe that Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave accomplished eternal life on our behalf. The great exchange, if you will “He exchanged His perfect righteousness for our wicked and depraved sinfulness” so that we can stand before a holy God, spotless and blameless and cry Abba, Father, because we are His children now.
Now, I believe that Rick Santorum was referring to this as a Bible-believing Christian who has placed His trust in Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior. This is a well known fact among the evangelical community. If you have issues with understanding what He is referring to, then may I suggest you put aside your pride, politics, and position and ask the Lord to prove Himself real in your life. I promise you, He will answer you. This is far more important than who becomes president in 2014. Presidents will come and go, but when you draw your last breath, my sincere desire is that you will open your eyes and see your Lord face to face and hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”
1 John 5:1-14 states that we can know that we have eternal life:
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
With sincerest regards and respect for you and your readers…
Interesting how can God intention be interpreted by the results of wars, while so many innocent people die during these wars.