God Is Not On Our Side

James Lileks, the brain-dead scribbler with the misshapen head, reviews John Kerry's answer to the question "Is God on America's side?" Lildick concludes that Senator Kerry believes God was on the side of the "atheistic communists" during the Vietnam War. The bulbous-beaned bleat-off offers no support for his assertion, he just says it's so because Kerry refused to say God is always on America's side.

Lileks then distorts some quotes F.D.R. and J.F.K. which really don't support his point.

In rebuttal, let me cite some other distinguished authorities who disagree with the Minnesotan halfwit.

Abraham Lincoln:

During the Civil War, some Methodist clergymen called on the White House. The spokesman of the group intoned, "Mr. President, our cause will prevail because the Lord is on our side.

Gentlemen, the question we should ask ourselves is: "Are we on God's side?" (source)

Mark Twain, a writer whose bung-encrusted Union suit Lileks isn't fit to clean with his tongue:

With all eyes following and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there, waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" ...

[The stranger spoke:] "You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it --that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. ... Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with hurricanes of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

[After a pause.] "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits."

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said. (source)

And, of course, the God who Lileks uses to bash anyone who disagrees with him:

"[God] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45)

(Link via Oliver Willis)