Conversely, a number of progressives have blamed the crisis on climate change. For example, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders posted, “80,000 people told to evacuate. Blazes 0% contained. Eight months since the area has seen rain. The scale of damage and loss is unimaginable. Climate change is real, not ‘a hoax.’ Donald Trump must treat this like the existential crisis it is.”
Christian Influencers Debate Whether LA Fires Are ‘God’s Judgment’
While Trump and others spoke of the fires in political terms, others speculated about possible spiritual causes of the crisis.
Jimmy Levy, a Christian recording artist who is popular among some Trump supporters, posted an image of the fires to Instagram alongside a quotation of Exodus 22:6: “If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.”
While the verse is a reference to a law given to ancient Israel to settle disputes over property damage, Levy seemed to believe that it was a reference to God’s “restitution,” as indicated in an Instagram comment, in which he said of the fires, “it’s looking like…a judgment.”
In the past, Levy’s songs have been accused of being homophobic, and he is known for his belief in the conspiracy theory that the earth is flat.
Others posted about the fires on X (formerly Twitter), sharing AI-generated images of the Hollywood Sign in flames and claiming “God’s judgment on the Capitol of Porn, child sex trafficking, and pedophilia.”
However, some sought to temper the impulse to condemn Californians amid the crisis.
Sean Feucht, an activist and worship leader, said on Wednesday in a social media post, “To those claiming that the LA fires are a ‘judgement’ from God: We ALL deserve to be judged for our evil ways. Every city, state & nation has turned its back on God.”
“California doesn’t need your judgment, it needs your prayers,” he added. “Millions of people who love Jesus STILL live here.”
Shane Idleman, an evangelist and pastor of a church in the northern area of Los Angeles county, took to social media with a video to address the question of God’s judgment.
“The question comes in; it’s been coming in a lot,” Idleman said. “Is this God’s judgment on California?”
