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Loading ...Is God protecting Fla. at Gov. Crist’s request?
08.22.2009 5:16pm EDT
(Orlando, Fla.) Could it be divine intervention that’s kept Florida safe from hurricanes since Gov. Charlie Crist took office?
Crist said he isn’t trying to take credit, but he told a group of real estate agents Friday that he’s had prayer notes placed in the Western Wall in Jerusalem each year and no major storms have hit Florida.Crist noted that just before his election in 2006, Florida had been affected by a total of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
“Do you know the last time it was we had a hurricane in Florida? It’s been awhile. In 2007, I took my first trade mission. Do you know where I went?” said Crist, a Methodist, referring to a trip to Israel.
He then told of going to the Western Wall and inserting a note with a prayer. He said it read, “Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie.”
“Time goes on – May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December – no hurricanes,” Crist said. “Thank God.”
Last year, Sen. Nan Rich was traveling to Israel and Crist asked her to put a note in the Western Wall, a holy site in Judaism and a place where written prayers are traditionally placed.
“It was the same note, by the way, the same prayer,” Crist said.
This year a friend was going to Israel and he gave him a prayer to put in the Western Wall.
“You can do it on the Internet now, but I’d rather have it physically in there,” Crist joked.
The note was placed in the wall in May.
“May, June, July, August – we’re getting closer,” Crist said. “Knock on wood. I would ask you all to say a prayer.”
Afterward, he said he’s not taking credit for the lack of storms in this hurricane-prone state.
“I give that to God,” Crist said. “But it’s nice.”
It is interesting that the first hurricane of the year, Hurricane Bill has struck Canada– a country governed by a party that includes many religious fundamentalists. Perhaps that is God’s judgment on the religious right.
Bring marriage equality to Florida, then all the lovers of powerful subtropical sun who want to be married would race down there and pump money into the ecomony.
The ocean coastal state of Maryland where I live is bad enough for humidity and heat in August. Plus Maryland laws are fairer to GLBTs than are the laws of Florida. So no need to go to Florida for sun, sand and water if you don’t live in the US southeast.
Sure we don’t have marriage equality yet in MD, but we in MD have as of 2009 gay adoption of kids by both parents instead of by one person only who is not in a straight marriage as it used to be, a law forbidding antigay discrimination in jobs, housing and public accommodation, and an end to the tax on home and property left to a surviving same-sex partner that straight married couples did not have to worry about, hospital visitation for gay couples, etc. Just a few years ago during the previous MD governor’s time in office, most all of these fairly recent protections simply did not exist for gay couples.
But what did exist by way of progay law in our state for some time before the time of the antigay MD Gov. Ehrlich was a MD law against antigay discrimination in jobs, housing and public accommodations.
Again, always confirm all of these laws and protections for yourselves before uprooting yourself and your partner to MD or any other state.
Maryland is certainly much fairer in laws to gay people than neighboring Virginia and most of the southeast down through Florida. Delaware (DE) is suddenly catching up to Maryland in June of 2009 in good progay laws as the antigay lawmakers lose their grip on the DE legislature with the recent death of some of the antigay DE Dixiecrats over the last 2 years plus the recent election of a youngish 30 something progay DE governor Jack Markell. One of the most influential of the antigay Dixiecrats, Senator pro-tem Thurman Adams died in June this year. The same month 4 or so progay DE laws not possible during Adams’ term in office saw the light of day and passed very shortly after his demise. Adams would sometimes send gay bills to Vaughan another antigay Dixiecrat who made sure until his own death 2 years prior that they did not pass. Adams’ antigay Dixiecrat daughter Polly Adams Mervine was defeated at the polls ensuring that the DE Dixiecrat legacy did not survive into the next generation of upcoming DE politicians in Dover. She was defeated by an antigay male Republican who ran to replace her father. His previous seat is likely going to a Democrat. And the next senator pro tem is another antigay Democrat but one is thought to be more realistic and more flexible than a Thurman type Dixiecrat,
who dealt with gay bills by shoving them out of sight into a desk drawer. A practice that was recently no longer permitted. Thus some of those lawmakers who kept Delaware in a very, very slow gay legislative mode with practically no gay protections other than joint adoption of kids by gay couples are no longer here to obstruct progress and the “bottle of progay DE laws has been finally uncorked.”
Maryland and Delaware in addition to improving their standing as increasingly progay states, also have good ocean front beaches. Same for New Jersey, which may or may not be the next marriage equality state some time after the NJ governor elections in November of this year.
It’s better in the northeast. Sure we get the tail ends of destructive hurricanes with high winds,downed lines,trees and pounding rain here. But along with better laws, we don’t live directly in the path of many of them.
Reverend Lunara, that is why I have never understood Evangelists. In the Episcopal Church, that scripture is much a strong tenant of our belief.
Matthew 6:1 – 6 reads, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
I guess this means Charlie is now one of the hypocrites that Jesus himself spoke against!
Or is he talking about his prayers in public for some other reason than to bring himself some glory?
May Goddess Bless Those Who Learn and Grow!
Blessed Be,
Rev. Draigh Lunara
Prayers = A way to stimulate endorphines in your brain to make you feel better.
Oh, and yeah, a way to make the religious right vote for you.
Hey, ole Charlie, PRAY TO TAKE THE GAY AWAY! LOL!
It’s funny that Crist would say this. Florida hasn’t had a hurricane, true, but the loss in real estate market value in the last two years is easily the equal of a Category 3. Florida’s economy is so bad, the state recently recorded its first net loss of population in 60-ish years. A hurricane would wipe out excess housing stock and create thousands of construction jobs, so I guess what this all means is that it’s really Charlie Crist’s fault that Florida’s economy has gone straight to hell.
Of all the self-riteous, egotistical, assinine, narcissistic…Charlie why not just say its because Florida is the most oppressive state in the Union in terms of GLBT rights. The more they oppress them and persecute them, the happier “god” will be. Why not claim it’s a devine reward for passing Amendment 2. Charlie is full of shit and the people that buy into such nonsense are clearly not intelligent enough to be allowed to vote.
So, does this mean those other 8 hurricanes were sent by God because he didn’t like Governor … ummm, what’s-his-name?
this reminds me of that numbnut – I think it was Gov Hucakabee – a Baptist preacher, who said that Katrina was God’s revenge for the sex sins of New Orleans.
Well, the source of that was not the bottom of Huckabee’s alimentary canal, which is usually the case.
The source was an ultra right wing catholic who the Pope was going to appoint Asst Archbishop of Austria. The Pope backed down when there was a great hullaballoo about that nutcase.
But he didn’t back down about unexcommunicating a holocaust denier, because he want to pull the guy (Willamson) and his 600k followers back into the church. So he didn’t mind using one of he lessons of his youth, about Jews, that came during his growing up in Nazi germany.
All these people are made out of the same egomaniacal piece of shit. Every decent Catholic, and there are so many who do not listen to what the church says on many subjects, should be demanding this apparition from the darkest days of human history be sent to a church nursing home.
Where perhaps, as he sees the end coming, he will start to realize how he is destroying the church that claims to feed the poor, and comfort the sick and dying etc. But really has become a worshiper of its own power, and does much like the nazis did, having a group to hate to sell its so called message of love.
Which is really a message of control and fear, laced with hatred.
So does that still mean Pride goes before the fall or not?
Last week it was some crazed pastor who tried to claim that a church acceptance of gays caused a Tornado to hit church.
This week it’s prayer prevents a hurricane.
How do these Christian expect ANYONE to take God serious, when they make these type of old testament proclamations? As far as I am concerned, Right Wing Christians are making their God out to be so petty. These types of statements were criticized by Christ, himself, about the Pharisees. What ever happen with God wants a person relationship with people? I don’t care if you believe in any of this, it’s just these people have turned their own faith upside down.
Then I hear of a Poll of Americans saying ½ of America cant tell you what is the older religion; Jewish, or Christian. I am starting to believe it’s true, most Americans can’t tell. Ever hear of Old or New Testament? It’s a good clue.
No wonder the Religious Right mainline churches want it’s flock to follow the ten commandments, instead of the two commandments of Christ. If they can get people to buy into fear and militant ignorance, then they can keep control of their mindless flocks, and get them to reject Christ teachings (Love God above everything else, and to love your neighbor as Christ has loved you), and to buy into that God uses the weather channel to punish everyone who does not agree with the Religious Right. How stupid.
Wow for wanting others to be open minded the people commenting on the article are a bunch of hypocrites. Grow up and let the man have his faith.
Sorry Charlie, I hope you are right. Have you been putting into the prayers for your homosexuality to disappear too?
You know Charlie, prayer is a personal and private thing. What you pray for is not meant to be shared with the whole wide world. Just keep it to yourself, please. It’s not meant to be a proud and boastful thing to be “crowed” out loud to everyone. Prayer is of the spirit, it is meant for your head and heart alone.
The way I look at it, prayer notes are kind of like birthday wishes. If you tell someone what your birthday wish it won’t come true. The same is probably true of prayer notes.
Guess that means Florida better watch out since hurricane season isn’t over yet. Crist messed up by revealing what was in his note.
Finally, proof that gay men prevent hurricanes not cause them.