“God Isn’t Fixing This as latest batch of innocent Americans are left lying in pools of blood, cowards who could truly end gun scourge continue to hide behind meaningless platitudes,”  So read the front of the New York Daily News after the terrorist shootings in San Bernardino, California earlier this week.  The Daily News, a daily tabloid a few steps above the Weekly World News, has gotten a lot of buzz over this shockline, and I may be a little late joining the fray, but, being a teacher, I've had  to correct  a bunch of junior high essays that God refuses to correct for me.  

The News ran pictures of four Republican presidential hopefuls, quoting their promises to pray for the victims' families.  In a rather convoluted line of reasoning, the editor of the news implies that, since these candidates, and their party's platform as a whole, continues to kiss up to the NRA while offering prayer for the victims, God's dropping the ball. 

Or perhaps he's implying that God doesn't listen to Republicans' prayers. But  our Democratic President also said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of San Bernardino," , and his quote and picture didn't make the cover of the news.   He's a Democrat whose been championing stricter gun laws for years, but the shootings continue, and no progress has been made in controlling assault rifles.  Neither Democrats  prayers nor  politics are fixing this either.  

On the other hand, if the News was wanting to try to make a statement about cowardly politicians who  'could truly end gun scourge' , why wasn't Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders mug on the front of the paper?  Sanders, normally on the far left of the party, has one of the worst voting records regarding gun laws in all of DC.  Seems even a non-religious liberal like Bernie won't get elected in a hunting state like Vermont without bowing down at the altar of the NRA.  

So what was the News going for?  Criticizing 'meaningless platitudes'?  Then where was Obama's picture?  Criticizing 'cowards who could truly end gun scourge'?  Then where was Bernie's picture?  No, the brass at the Daily News ran the headline for the same reason that, back in 2008, the Coulter's and Beck's of the right were so eager to label President Obama the anti-Christ.  Both  write about things they don't understand in hopes of increasing sales.

The theological understanding behind the "God" headline is as thin as Bernie Sanders' hair.  Read the Book of Job.  God makes it clear that He doesn't explain Himself to us.  Read the History of the Israelites during the Exodus.  Not everything that goes wrong is God's fault.  Read the book of Acts.  Sometimes the people pursuing God the hardest  get treated the worst by the world they live in.  Read the sermon on the mount.  There are things that are even more important than our own safety; such as nobleness, love, compassion, forgiveness.  This said,  I won't propose to explain why a loving God allows things like this to happen, the fall back cliche of people looking for a reason not to believe.  Read the epistles.  We kid ourselves if we think we can explain God like an animal trainer explaining how to get a lion to jump through hoops.  The more I know God, the less I understand Him, which makes Him all the more amazing.

Now I need to sign off.  It's time to say my prayers for stricter gun control laws.

Then it's back to correcting those essays God refuses to do for me.