Good news! G-d in His heaven can rest easy: His poll numbers are positive. A recent survey asked Americans whether or not they “approve of G-d’s performance.” A full 52% approve of His performance and only 9% disapprove. (The other 39% could not respond up or down because they were not sure of the existence of the Creator they were being asked about. )

This is not a joke but an actual poll of a representative sample of Americans. According to the findings of the respected Public Policy Polling organization He also scores well in His handling of the creation of the universe where He received a 71-5 rating with 20% unable to respond. ( The poll did not ask what dissatisfied the 5% negatives or what they would have done differently.)

As bizarre as this poll is in our consumer-based society we should have seen it coming. In many universities today for example the students are asked to grade their professors: Were the lectures interesting? Did he always come on time? Did he seem to know his material? Was he always prepared? Higher education today is big business and there is sharp competition for the student dollar. The rules of business dominate: the customer must be satisfied. And so college professors must be on their best behavior lest they inadvertently slight a student or give a failing grade to someone who missed 80% of the classes but will now whine that the professor was unfair. The customer after all is always right. A professor who gets less than a B+ could lose his tenure.…

Thus if the criterion of everything in life is how I feel about it and whether it pleases me and whether I am enjoying it then it is almost inevitable — if ultimately ludicrous — that one of these days some polling group would ask us what we think of our Creator and if we approve of His performance.

One can only imagine some of the responses: “Well I don’t exactly fully approve. I bought a lottery ticket last week could have won $50 million would have been happy to give some of it to charity and I would have been set for life. I even prayed hard for it every single day. I didn’t win. With all due respect: No this week I am not satisfied with His performance.”

As for the question about creation: “ In some ways very satisfied. The sun rises and sets like it’s supposed to — right on time as scheduled. The seasons all come and go with regularity. But why can’t He improve human nature? Why are people not nicer to everyone? If I were the Creator I would have done things differently. So put me down for a qualified okay: I am satisfied but not entirely.”

Somehow I always thought — naively as it turns out — that it is not we who should be judging G-d but G-d judging us. But this is how it has always been: humans try to bring Him down to our level to judge Him by evanescent mortal human standards. Instead of our becoming more G-dlike we want Him to become more like us — someone of whom we can approve or disapprove as if He were a mayor or a congressman and if He does not measure up vote Him out of office. The real polling question should be: Is He satisfied with our way of living? I’d rather not see the results of that kind of a poll. Thank G-d that He is loving and forgiving.

When you give it some thought however polling about G-d favorable or unfavorable approving or disapproving is not that absurd. Do we not express our own approval or disapproval several times each day in our every word and our every decision? When we choose say to gossip about someone knowing full well that gossip is not how G-d wants us to behave is this not a kind of rejection of Him or at least a temporary turning of our back on Him? When we cut ethical corners in business in order to make an extra buck are we registering full approval of Him? Conversely when we engage in acts of special kindness or tzedakah are we not in a way registering our approval of what He expects from us?

Here is a tough question to ask of one’s self: given these criteria for approval or disapproval what percentage of my actions indicates full approval of Him? The opportunity to answer that question presents itself constantly because the Divine pollster is ubiquitous and at every moment of the day we have the opportunity to offer our response.