It’s always nice to read when Americans take their own hyper-religiosity and project it onto other people.
They are especially criticising the German language without having any clue about how that sort of language is used around here.

First there’s Ã?ttinger. To understand his whole conduct, you have to understand two things:
1st: He’s an incompetent idiot.
2nd: He’s kind of in an election campaign. He used to be the prime minister of Baden-Wurtemberg where he licked the ass of the (nuclear) industry for about 20 years. His successor (same party) followed his example and has lost a lot of support already during the last months over another environmental issue and has practised a style of politics that in German is called “Gutsherrenmentalität” and which means acting like a 19th century landowner.
There’s an election due in 2 weeks in Baden Wurtemberg and now there’s the Japan disaster and they’Re fighting with their backs against the wall.
That’s why they’re desperately trying to appear as much pro-safety and anti-nukes as possible.

I was surprised to read that Sebastian Pflugbeil, president of the German-based Society for Radiation Protection is quoted that â??we are at the beginning of the catastrophic phase … Maybe we have to pray.â? I couldn’t find the quote and I’m wondering what the middle-part is.
But in general: If we use biblical metaphors, we usually don’t mean it. Really, I’m a home-grown atheist and you will hear me using such language on a daily basis. I told my husband that we should pray really hard now that his parents have an internet access. Doesn’t mean I did or meant it seriously. There are no Pat Robertsons or Glen Becks here. No politician invokes god for every little thing or huge thing.