Michele Bachmann on 'Divine Message' Quote: 'I'm Not Ashamed to Say I Believe in God'
Although Rep. Michele Bachmann has taken a lot of criticism for being quoted as saying God was trying to send a message to politicians via recent earthquakes and hurricanes, she insists that she is “not ashamed to say I believe in God.”
Late last month, while speaking to supporters at a rally soon after Hurricane Irene ripped through the East Coast and killed several people, Bachmann said, “I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'"
And on Sunday, while appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Bob Schieffer asked Bachmann if she believes God deliberately used natural disasters to communicate with U.S. politicians who may not be listening to voters.
“Do you believe that God does use the weather to send people messages here on earth?” Schieffer asked.
“Well, I believe in God,” Bachmann responded. “I’m not ashamed to say that I believe in God. I’m a woman of faith and a woman of prayer. But the comments that I made right then were a metaphor.”
Bachmann would not say if she literally believed that the recent natural disasters that struck the East Coast were “messages from God.” However, the Old and New Testaments of the Bible do have examples of God sending people messages through the weather.
CNSNews cites Exodus 19-20, in particular, which says God made the sky thunder and lightning while setting Mt. Sinai on fire as Moses led the people out of the camp to the foot of the mountain.
There is also the Gospel of Matthew which describes Jesus’ resurrection.
“From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land,” says the Gospel of Matthew.
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit…At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open,” it says. “The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”
Whether or not Bachmann believes God does use the weather to communicate, she said that her remarks were only a joke.
"Of course I was being humorous when I said that. It would be absurd to think it was anything else," Bachmann said last week. "I am a person who loves humor, I have a great sense of humor."
