# Hurricanes hitting Red States....God's punishment? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742 "2017-09-07T16:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/41 "2017-09-07T22:20:59Z")
Well I don’t want Mara-Lago to get flattened just because the building in and of itself is a beautiful historically significant old home that hopefully someone else will own one day and do it much better justice. Messing up some real estate isn’t going to faze him one bit. What else does he care about? Certainly not a dictionary. The only thing you can take away from Trump that would truly wound him would be his inflated sense of self, so if Irma can find the pump he uses to jack up his ego every morning and permanently disable that joker, I’d absolutely pray for that! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/42 "2017-09-07T22:44:37Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Kirk Cameron weighs in](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/09/07/kirk-cameron-the-hurricanes-were-sent-by-god-to-make-us-more-humble/). These always remind me of [The Paper](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110771/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt) quote: > [@](#): > > Big scoop from the TV guys. “Pinhead’s brother cancels trip.” I always ask my myself “why is anyone asking this guy what he thinks? Could his opinion be any _less_ relevant than my mother’s neighbor who stands in his driveway in his underwear?” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/43 "2017-09-07T23:21:39Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > How cool would it be if Irma completely flattened Mar-A-Lago? Very cool, but only if he’s in residence. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/44 "2017-09-08T00:45:15Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > But even if a god existed, why would we think he was punishing us for Trump? Most people were praying FOR Trump as opposed to Hillary. Most people that actually think prayer works, would be those on that end of the political spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/45 "2017-09-08T01:08:03Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Probably not, considering that Houston and Fort Bend County went blue last year, that Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville are blue, that 47% of Floridians voted for Hillary, that the southernmost-tip counties of Texas are blue, and that the inland regions such as the panhandle of Florida, which can be more easily evacuated northwards, are red - and that the blue counties in Florida and Texas tend to have higher population. > … In other words, the slight majority of people affected by the hurricanes are actually Hillary voters, not Trump voters. I lived in Jacksonville between 1987-2008 and have to disagree with the statement that it’s blue. They voted for Trump, and have much more in common politically with the panhandle than with Orlando or Miami. The city overall was quite conservative the entire time I lived there. There are pockets of liberalism and blue voters (including my friends who have stayed there after college), but a lot of those blue voters are African-American, and north Florida has a longtime problem with voter suppression and gerrymandering. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/46 "2017-09-08T01:25:31Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I have it on Divine Authority that God metes out severe punishments to people who misuse ellipses. Just sayin’. If…only…itweretrue. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/47 "2017-09-08T01:34:16Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > of curse the next hurricane is Jose, so trump won’t let it into the country. HA! Good one! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/48 "2017-09-08T01:47:00Z")
Out here in the Blue states God is trying to burn us out. He must be pissed at all of us. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/49 "2017-09-08T02:05:27Z")
So, the way I heard it was along the lines of, Trump denies climate change, Climate say, ‘here hold my beer…’ So much better than God’s vengeance, don’t ya think? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/50 "2017-09-08T02:08:13Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > If…only…itweretrue. There is, reputably, such a thing as “Divine Inspiration”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/51 "2017-09-08T02:31:37Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > To answer your question seriously - No. There is no divine intervention in storms or anything else. > > I wish we could move away from magical thinking. I don’t believe in magical thinking either. But some people do. There are people who believe that the path of a hurricane is a sign of God’s displeasure. And if you’re the kind of person that believes that, shouldn’t you be trying real hard to figure out what it is that God is aiming hurricanes at? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/52 "2017-09-08T02:33:33Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Houston and Miami are red? As people have continuously reminded us since last November, it doesn’t matter who people vote for. The only thing that’s important is how states vote. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/53 "2017-09-08T04:37:33Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Actually, no, that wasn’t what he was asking. > > But even if a god existed, why would we think he was punishing us for Trump? Most people were praying FOR Trump as opposed to Hillary. Most people in this country wanted Clinton to win. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/54 "2017-09-08T11:43:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t believe in magical thinking either. But some people do. There are people who believe that the path of a hurricane is a sign of God’s displeasure. And if you’re the kind of person that believes that, shouldn’t you be trying real hard to figure out what it is that God is aiming hurricanes at? I was responding as if I were speaking to an individual with that sort of belief - one who had presumably brought up the idea of deity directed weather, because I sure wouldn’t. Am I going to piss up the rope of addressing such people en masse? No - the Nyes and Tysons of the world are better at it than I. But faced with an individual who started the conversation - I have and will call BS, not encourage them to continue tilting at windmills. I see your point about their internal logic, but I won’t suffer that sort of fool without some kind of pushback. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/55 "2017-09-08T13:45:16Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Most people were praying FOR Trump as opposed to Hillary. > > Most people in this country wanted Clinton to win. Subtract from the total number of people who wanted Clinton to win those who didn’t PRAY for her to win (for reasons of godless heathenism or Clinton malaise) and perhaps it’s true that more people prayed for Trump to win. I voted for Clinton but did not pray for her to win. (Although frankly if I could go back in time and do that one over, I’d pray, light candles, and perhaps even sacrifice a lamb for a Clinton victory.) ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/56 "2017-09-08T14:03:28Z")
> [@BombVoyage](#): > > Not a believer here…but I brought that up to a very religious relative from Georgia when he made a statement about god punishing Liberals for…well, I forget but was pretty mundane…so I brought up maybe God is punishing Red States for Trump? > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Geeze people. The OP didn’t ask if god were _actually_ punishing red staters, he asked what people who already think god punishes liberals would think. > > Trust the SD to have at least one scold in an otherwise fun thread idea. > > And, in answer to the OP, no, they’ll never make that connection. > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Too many of my relatives actually believe this sort of nonsense for me to find it funny. Yes, yes, you prayed really hard and God didn’t destroy _your_ town, he destroyed the next one over. I guess next time they’ll pray better. Your religion sounds _lovely_. As enjoyable as I find puritan bashing, I think nearly all people who suggest God’s Wrath are just funning you: deadpan humour is often, happily enough, taken as truth. I have never _once_ met anyone in Britain, not even Ulstermen and Scots, who could believe God punishes people with disasters, and Britons are no more intelligent than Americans. Of course, there are people who believe These are the End Times, but that is another thing and probably comes from watching those godawful millennialist American TV fictive series, as on the SyFy Channel more than their equally devout readings of Revelations. ---
**Author:** ![Zetetic\_Skeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Zetetic\_Skeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zetetic_Skeptic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/57 "2017-09-08T14:37:57Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I have it on Divine Authority that God metes out severe punishments to people who misuse ellipses. Just sayin’. That’s funny!😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/58 "2017-09-08T14:53:03Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I voted for Clinton but did not pray for her to win. I did. She led for about two minutes in Arkansas, and I prayed, “Sweet Jesus, don’t let him win!” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/59 "2017-09-08T15:26:30Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Blames Dropped Pass on God](http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/11/29/buffalo-bills-wide-receiver-blames-dropped-pass-god.html?test=faces)(2010) > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [Jesus made me fumble.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiBnfH53ZPWAhVszlQKHU61D5UQtwIIMjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBWQGga0bvq0&usg=AFQjCNHfaXA-t-oB9kkXzO0S819hzNuv2Q) well, I’ll be. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742/60 "2017-09-08T16:48:07Z")
[Here’s another one](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/09/07/kevin-swanson-we-can-stop-hurricane-irma-by-banning-abortion-and-gay-marriage/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hurricanes-hitting-red-states-gods-punishment/795742.md?page=4)