> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Michele Bachmann and Glenn Beck have attributed the recent weather-related events to God’s will.

Bachmann commented that Hurricane Irene was a wake-up call from God for our leaders in Washington. Beck claimed that the earthquake and hurricane Irene were “a blessing” meant to warn the American people that it was time to prepare for coming catastrophes.

“How many warnings do you think you’re going to get, and how many warnings do you deserve?” asked Beck.

Bachmann immediately back peddled, claiming she was making a joke: “I am a person who loves humor, I have a great sense of humor.” (Which doesn’t really sound like something someone would say who actually has a sense of humor.)

Beck’s comments didn’t appear to be as politically motivated as they were driven by his desire to see the end of the world, and possibly sell a few things that can help save you should the end be near. (Seed packets anyone?)

Personally, I find it irritating for anybody to leverage what a higher power may or may not have caused in an attempt to bolster their own political agendas — even if it’s a failed attempt at humor — or to sell more advertising. I believe in God, but it is not the same God that Bachmann or Glenn Beck follow. Or Mitt Romney. Or President Obama. My spirituality is mine. It’s personal and not up for debate.

I don’t vote according to where — or if — a political candidate prays. I vote based on their intellect, diplomacy and compassion for the greater whole versus the representation of one singular demographic.

This need we have to fit each and every one of us into a perfectly segmented slice of the pie is unsettling and problematic. When you begin to pigeonhole your neighbors — where they go to church, who they voted for, what books they read — you may very well find yourself painted into a small corner of the world.

I have friends who are atheist and some who identify themselves as Christians and others who are still questioning it all. I have friends who believe in God and evolution. I have friends who vote Democrat; friends who follow Tea Party candidates; and friends who refuse to vote.

I have friends that vote Republican but listen to NPR. I have family members that don’t agree with one word I type, but love me still. They know that even if we disagree about religion or politics, there is a shared respect for each other.

It’s this respect for other belief systems that I want in all candidates, whether they belong to the party I support or any another party. It is the ability to find value in each other, beyond whatever differences we may have.

I respect Michele Bachmann’s rise as a leading political figure, even though I vehemently disagree with her politics, religious beliefs and the mixing of the two. I am impressed with any woman who has gotten as far as she has in an environment where successful men far outnumber their female counterparts.

Beck isn’t as easy for me to admire, although, I do understand his entertainment value. Many may say I am the one being disrespectful by labeling him an entertainer, but I’ve listened to him and watched him, and I can’t find a better word then “entertain” to define what he does. He’s like every apocalyptic movie, only without the happy ending where a sweaty, dirty Bruce Willis walks away in a torn white T-shirt.

I don’t believe in a disciplinarian God that creates chaos along the eastern seaboard because our nation’s budget isn’t balanced. And I don’t believe in a God that would end the very world it created because not everyone believes the same thing.

For a political candidate or pundit to claim that God — their God — caused an event that affected thousands of people, who may or may not believe in the same God, is disrespectful to all faiths and religions. Essentially, what you are claiming is that the God you believe in is more powerful than any other possible divinity. It’s taking ownership of something that doesn’t belong to you.

Maybe earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and rain spouts are created by a higher power, but which one? And for what reasons?

Cause and effect of any circumstance can be interpreted a million different ways. What happens when it’s your street that is flooded? Your house that was blown apart by forceful winds? What will the reason be then?

What if you get voted into office and your constituents suffer a natural disaster that results in death and destruction? What will be the reason for their loss? Your politics?

— Amy Gesenhues is a freelance writer and syndicated columnist for CNHI. You can read her daily commentaries at www.AmyWroteIt.com or email her at amy@amywroteit.com