CNN released their Public Policy Poll last week (July 2011). They interviewed Americans regarding how they would rate God in respect to His job approval or how they feel He is doing His job. CNN is a liberal political news organization that supports big government. Regardless of the current administration’s record, they tend to publish only the President’s positive outcomes but, in reality, the administration has, in general, a very poor overall job approval rating by the American people. Currently his job approval rating is at 40% (2011). I am not sure of their reason for conducting such a strange poll on God, other than to diminish the very poor outcome of the administration’s polling record. Maybe they believe that by comparing his 40% to God’s that people will believe that maybe 40% isn’t too bad if the God of Heaven and earth only polled a few percentage points better. Based on some of the questions and the answers, it appears that both the pollsters and those polled were liberal thinkers.
The following narration is the reported results: “Americans, (those selectively polled) according to the poll interviews, gave God only a 52 percent job performance approval rating with a 9 percent disapproval rating. A blogger for the polling group stated that, “It turns out, if God exists, voters would give God a strong 52–9 approval rating.” “This is hardly a surprise considering the vast majority of the country who believes in an infallible deity, but some of the cross tabs are quite interesting.” When asked to evaluate God on some of the issues that He is responsible for, voters give God (the) best rating on creating the universe, 71–5. They also approve of (the) handling of the animal kingdom, 56–11, and even (the) handling of natural disasters, 50–13,” said a press release of the poll’s results. Not everyone was satisfied with these results. “I’m surprised that God’s approval rating is so high. I mean 50 percent of people approve of God’s handling of natural disasters? I mean He is God, He should be able to prevent these things,” said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, regarding the poll’s results during a CNN interview. “I think there is a tendency on the part of the faithful to defend God at all costs…I am surprised His poll numbers are so high. I am a very religious man, but I believe our world has glaring imperfection that need remedying.” Others thought the poll was a bit absurd. “Believers or not, it seems ridiculous for the public to categorically grade God like this,” wrote Dino Grandoni, a blogger for The Atlantic Wire.”
When I first read about the CNN report (above) I was amazed at how ignorant those polled are in reference to the Almighty. Even a Rabbi sounded offended because so many people polled, seemed to defend God. Those polled, believe generally, that because God is the creator of all things that He can and should, interfere in man’s behalf whenever called upon or needed. Many feel He should prevent disasters from happening or that He should clean up the mess and make everyone better when they do. They believe that if He were really in control, there would be no hunger in the world, no poverty in general and no cruelty.
Many of those polled obviously believe in predestination, as does Rabbi Boteach, believing that God controls all things that happen. They believe that if a person contracts cancer, God dictated that event. To them, God decides who will die today and who will die tomorrow, etc. That philosophy makes God responsible for, and the one who controls and decides all things. So, we can blame him for anything and everything that happens to us. That would make it very convenient for us, because we don’t have to take the responsibility for any careless or stupid decisions we make. After all, He’s in control.
That way of thinking, however, is not the plan, nor the way it works. This earth was created specifically for us, His spirit offspring. It is our school or training ground. We were given agency to make choices, and we were given the responsibility for those choices and any related consequences they may cause. We grow by making choices. We learn by taking responsibility for the outcomes, positive or negative, of those choices. The parable of the talents teaches us that we must work and develop our talents, which allows them to grow. If we fail to do so, we will lose them.
“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:14–30)
How well we grow our talents will determine how we will be rewarded in the hereafter. The number of talents we have seems not to make a difference in the reward given in the end, only how well we use what we are given. We would not grow if we did not have agency to make choices and suffer the consequences of them. God will not interfere unless we are willing to temporarily surrender our agency and pray with faith for His strength to give us relief. When that happens, when God is petitioned to intervene, it is often referred to as a miracle. That only happens when a great deal of faith has been demonstrated and when a problem is greater than our capacity to resolve it by ourselves.
I personally want to express my recognition of our God as a Perfect Being who loves all of His children equally. That means that, based on our lot in life, and what we do with it, we will be righteously judged and given an appropriate reward. He gets a 100% approval rating from this American.