God's Approval Rating?

by Maureen Fiedler on Aug. 03, 2011

President Obama probably should not feel bad about his latest approval numbers. He's only 10 percentage points below God!

Crazy as that sounds, a firm called Public Policy Polling asked 928 American voters in July whether or not they approved of God's performance -- "if God exists." Turns out, they approve of God's performance by 52 percent to 9 percent, with 40 percent undecided! Not very high, I'd say, and these are believers! (Obama's approval rating last week was 42 percent, according to a Gallup poll.)

When you look more closely, turns out that God's highest approval comes with creating the universe (71 percent to 5 percent), and handling the animal kingdom (56 percent to 11 percent). Surprisingly, God does OK with handling natural disasters as well (50 percent to 13 percent). But we're talking about God, after all! None of these sound great to me.

For the record, this puts God somewhere above Obama and below Bill Clinton at the time of his re-election in 1996. (That was pre-Monica Lewinsky, for those tracking history.)

Not surprisingly, the bottom can be claimed by Speaker John Boehner and both Republican and Democratic members of Congress with only 33 percent approvals. (It is even lower today than when this "God poll" was taken, thanks to the recent "debt mess" on Capitol Hill).

But it seems that even God can't escape the public's sour mood these days!

I am not surprised that we

Submitted by J. Weber (not verified) on Aug. 03, 2011.

I am not surprised that we project our expectations of God by our human standards. Comparing God to Obama or Clinton or any human, how so infinitely limiting.

Even though our species has been in existence only for a few millions years, compared to God's creation of the universe, or multiple universes, over 14 billions years old, we have the arrogance to say that we can judge God's performance.

One needs to step back and really contemplate where we as humans stand in God's creation. Some think that humans are the pinnacle of God's creation. Well, our position in the know universe is but a speck in the speck, on the outer edge our galaxy, the Milky Way. And our galaxy is one of millions, perhaps billions of galaxies in the universe. Get the picture.

But God loves all of Her creation, and each of us beyond our wildest expectations. She is a God of wonder, and great surprises. That is why She gave us Herself in Jesus, so that we might know Her more intimately through Jesus and the message of how to live in Her love.

God is Love, which we

Submitted by charles j. scanlon (not verified) on Aug. 03, 2011.

God is Love, which we ourselves deny and give no place.
God is Love and the Reign of God is amongst, yet we can allow for no love.

God is Love.
Do we not approve of Love?
What approval rating do we give our own love?
For God is Love, of whom we do not approve.

Love thy enemy. Good place to start.
Let Love live. Keep Love alive.

Approve of Love.
For God is Love

Good one Maureen. God should

Submitted by G. (not verified) on Aug. 03, 2011.

Good one Maureen. God should fret not, however. You win a few, You lose a few ...

By all means, let us compare

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Aug. 04, 2011.

By all means, let us compare Obama to God.

Faith, HOPE and Love and the

Submitted by charles j scanlon (not verified) on Aug. 04, 2011.

Faith, HOPE and Love and the greatest of these is Love
God is Love.
Approve of Love.

We can`t compare Obama to

Submitted by Sans deities (not verified) on Aug. 12, 2011.

We can`t compare Obama to God. Obama actually exists

it's better to laugh than to

Submitted by John Barbieri (not verified) on Aug. 04, 2011.

it's better to laugh than to cry!

If God's ratings sink another

Submitted by mountain dweller (not verified) on Aug. 04, 2011.

If God's ratings sink another point or two, he'll be dropped from syndication and replaced with reruns of Bewitched. If he sinks more, they'll take down his autographed caricature from the wall in the deli. If he sinks even further, he'll be confined to making celebrity appearances on Wheel of Fortune. If his ratings sink some more, we'll only hear about God from the gossip in the tabloid headlines while we wait in line at the supermarket. God needs a new agent.

I think people expect a bit

Submitted by Noble Baker (not verified) on Aug. 11, 2011.

I think people expect a bit more of God than of a president, since He's supposed to be omnipotent and all. Is this the best He could do?

...and how would God rate us?

Submitted by Keith (not verified) on Aug. 13, 2011.

...and how would God rate us? Probably a lot better than we think we deserve or perhaps do deserve! How can you say you love someone whom you really don't know? I love that movie with John Denver and with George Burns as God. He really handles the Theologians the way our loving Father would!
Also, since love overcomes hate and light illuminated darkness, I doubt God really cares too much about his ratings or our rantings!

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