A Whack Job's Sppeculation--What If?

What if—it’s an interesting game to play. A variant of it came to mind today when I happened to listen to a conservative televangelist this morning who preached that America was facing judgment. Such pronouncements lead to one of two reactions: a “whack job religion” as “Newsweek” put it this week or “what if?”
What if a Christian took his faith as seriously as a Muslim is expected to—or the Dalai Lama? That would, of course, be reprehensible conduct—ranging from politically incorrect to downright illegal. But suppose someone did?
That would presuppose a deity who 1) believes in absolute good and evil, 2) who hates evil so much he had to allow his enemy to inflict a hideous death on his own son in order to satisfy the terms of a contract under which evil will eventually be banished from this universe.
3) And who pours his anger out on evil and those who refuse to choose the good—as he sees it—and judges evil far more ruthlessly than any human criminal court judge. That’s pretty much the core of Christianity.
Now, if you go further and accept the notion that this deity views abortion and homosexual behavior as evil—and takes personal offense at being tossed out of American schools, courts and politics—then why, under Christian rules shouldn’t he judge America?
We have told him to go away, that he’s not welcome. Those who talk about him too publicly or claim to believe what is found written very clearly in Judeo-Christian scriptures are labeled “whack jobs” and even sued or faced with criminal action.
What if he really exists? What if he really is annoyed at some of the “post Christian” shenanigans he sees going on in this nation? Might he violate all rules of civilized conduct and become judgmental? Is there any evidence that such a thing could happen?
Would he rain down thunderbolts and hail stones like cannon balls? He wouldn’t have to, would he? He could just withdraw some of the favor he has showed this nation since its inception and allow our own foolishness to run its course. After all, we’ve asked him to butt out—and he is a gentleman. He won’t stay where he is not wanted.
Recent studies (of tree rings and other measurable phenomena) suggest that the Twentieth Century has been the wettest century on this continent over the past thousand years or so. What if water flow and rain fall merely went back to normal?
Where would Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, a half dozen other southwestern cities and farms get their water? We’ve packed millions of people into deserts. Just a few inches less rain and you have catastrophe beyond measure or imagination on your hands all over the high plains and deserts of the American southwest—which, just incidentally, are dotted with the remains of previous civilizations that disintegrated in the face of prolonged drought.
Are we winning in Afghanistan? Have we really won in Iraq? Have those who actively plot to blow our cities up stopped plotting? Would a Divine Hand need do more than step back an inch or two to let a tactical nuke through?
Has our banking system really been restored? Is the rising stock market another bubble? What is holding many of our states and cities out of bankruptcy? Will we really see enough growth in our economy to pay back the multi-trillion dollar debt we owe?
Where are the workers that will support Social Security and Medicare for the aging Boomers? (Did we abort 40 million of them?) It wouldn’t take bolts of divine thunder to bring things down. Just a bit less of this or a step back there would do terribly well.
What if? --No! No! Only a whack job could think such things. Right?