Herman: Vote my way on bathroom bill, or I’ll have God fire up holy blowtorch,
While we’re waiting to see what the Legislature does about bathroom and locker room usage by our transgender neighbors, you might want to know that God has been asked to train his considerable wrath upon those who oppose the so-called bathroom bill.
But first, our word of the day: imprecatory.
It’s new to me. I like learning new words. Looks like this one means “to invoke or call down (evil or curses), as upon a person.”
So it’s a potentially useful word. I heard it from Steven Hotze of Houston, a longtime player in really, really conservative politics in Houston and Texas. He’s a big backer of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a major backer of the bathroom bill you’ve heard too much about.
Hotze used “imprecatory” in a recent posting on the Conservative Republicans of Texas News’ website crtxnews. com. Hotze is its publisher, and he is none too happy with Texas legislators who differ with him on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and which bathrooms transgender folks should use. All of those are issues on which there is plenty of room for reasonable discussion and debate. I bet there are officeholders with whom you disagree from time to time.
But have you ever called for an imprecatory prayer against those folks?Vote Probably not. In fact, you’ve perhaps called for a supportive prayer for folks with whom you disagree, because you’re mature enough to realize that, disagree though we do at times, many of us are God’s children and there’s more that unites us and blah, blah, blah.
Please keep reading and see if you agree with me that Hotze perhaps has gone a bit too far with his prayer request posted on his website. I think you’ve crossed some line when you pray prayers invoking phrases like “consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust.”
That just sounds a bit excessive to my ears. See how it sounds to yours:
“There are Texas legislators who call evil good and good evil,” Hotze wrote, “who support the murder of unborn babies, who pervert God’s holy plan for marriage between a man and a woman, who accept, affirm and celebrate those who promote and choose to practice sodomy and other perverse, deviant, wicked and evil sexual behaviors, and who would allow perverted men and boys, who sexually fantasize that they are women, to enter women’s and girls’ bathrooms, showers and locker rooms.” See what I mean? And Hotze has a plan for what should happen to these folks. He asks God to carry out the plan. And he asks that you join him in praying for the carrying out of his plan. Remember the meaning of imprecatory?
“Pray this imprecatory prayer for the wicked state legislators,” Hotze asks. Here’s the imprecation: “In the name of Jesus, I prophesy and declare: May all the individuals serving in the state Legislature, and their staff, who support, promote and practice sodomy and other perverted, sexually deviant lifestyles, who support the killing of unborn babies, and who hate God’s Law and God’s Word, receive just retribution from God for their evil actions.
“May they receive what their unfaithful ways deserve. May they be consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust from their current positions because of their wicked works, thoughts and deeds. May people scorn them and nations abhor them. May their punishment lead them to repentance and faith in Christ. May God’s will be done in their lives.”
I don’t know. Sounds a bit excessive. I’m generally just good with voting against politicians I don’t like.