"If people were wicked, God gave them a wicked leader."
The quote came from Pastor Saeed Abedini as part of a Facebook post he wrote on Sunday.
In a commentary on the coming U.S. election, the Iranian-American pastor pointed out that the two major candidates vying for the U.S. presidency — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton — are a reflection of the Americans' poor relationship with God.
Many evangelical voters are opposed to the candidacies of Trump and Clinton, seeing the two as both flawed candidates undeserving of the highest position in government. They are reportedly still undecided on what to do on Election Day.
"When I talked to people after the presidential debate, they told me it was like kids fighting and it was low and cheap talk," Abedini wrote, referring to the latest debate between Trump and Clinton.
The pastor noted that in the Bible, "God gave a king to Israel according to their heart and walk with God."
"If they were walking with God and were depending on and repentant to God, He allowed them to rule accordingly. So the leader of a country is a representation of the people," he said.
"If people were wicked, God gave them a wicked leader. If they were humble, they would get a humble leader," Abedini pointed out.
The pastor criticised churches in America, saying many of them are mainly engaged in business. They're "full of business" and with money, he said.
"I believe that God gives kings and leaders according to the people's walk with Him, to bless them or punish them," Abedini said.
"First we need to humble ourselves before God before we can expect others to humble themselves. We need to stop judging and take care of our own problems," he wrote.
The pastor regained his freedom in January after enduring more than three years of imprisonment in Iran because of his faith. Earlier this month, he announced that he has filed for divorce from his wife, Nagmeh Abedini.
This was not the first time that Abedini has criticised churches in America. In August, he wrote that some ministries are putting profit, fame, and love of money ahead of God, adding that the desire for profit is negatively affecting Christianity in the U.S., The Christian Post reported.
"We see people get famous from it (profit) and lose their fame because of it. Ministries exist for it and get destroyed by it. Competition is a way of business in churches and ministries everywhere," Abedini said.
